Best Dedicated Streamer

Also suggest the small green computer rendu roon player via usd to dac.  My house is 6 years old and built with standard cat 5, using recommended cat 5 on Amazon.   Roon core is a Microsoft surface 7.  My only issue was using Amazon hd via iPad.  The orbiter has an apple simulation called shareport  which to my ears is not up to the roon mode. maybe blasphemy, but since I prefer Amazon’s ai to find new playlists, using a 40 dollar chromecast audio via optical cable with a Lenovo tablet.  

I recently attended a presentation by Lynn introducing their new Klimax Streamer/DAC. $50k if memory serves. I asked what the new product had inside besides the DAC which made it reach the new levels he described and we heard.

His reply "The DAC is everything" .

That said I would shop DACs carefully and spend my money there.

I own an Innuos that has no DAC but rips, Streams and stores.

Made in Portugal. Support people very responsive.

For my money it is perfect. Is the Grimm better? Or is it a Grimm fairy tale?

Maybe just Grimm and bear it.

It is $10k more so lets hope so.

Odd thing is nobody reviews streamers against

each other as is done with other equipment. Why? Perhaps it is

as the old Blue Bonnet margarine French Chef ad stated " Pas difference".

Do make the right connections from router. Buy an Uptone Audio Etherregen.

And enjoy the new music you will discover with Roon. BTW Roon has no support

at all!. 

Innuos has its own sorting/search software called Innuos Sense. Rumor has it that

Roon degrades the SQ.  Not so with the InSense or so they claim.

I do like Qobuz. Hope they survive.

1. Whatever streamer you may chose, first improve the network. As a minimum, install a decent audio switch such as SOtM SNH-10g (best with full upgrades) and an external power supply such as SOTM SPS 1000 or Ferrum Hypsos. If possible, enter it through fiber and SFPs from Finisar. This will be a huge improvement for whatever streamer you choose. Better than these, just get the Melco S10 (not S100).

2. What is your preferred input to work with your DAC? If you like USB, I have found nothing better than Melco N10. Most Innuos and other brands are OK, but their USBs are noisy and need external reclocking. People will tell you they are happy with the USB from other manufacturers, because they have not heard better. Using DDC brings benefits but is yet another way to fix a problem you should not have in the first place. The Melco does not need extra crap, their implementation of the USB port is superb, the best I have heard. If you would rather use AES/EBU or even better, I2S, then the best are Grim Audio or Antipodes Oladra.

3. Which one to choose depends also on the rest of your system for sound matching and the type of sound you like. For thorough reviews please go to Hi Fi Advice and check their music server reviews for Grim and Antipodes. For something better than these two you would need to spend more than $60K and get diminished results from brands such as Wadax.

Hope this helps, it comes from a lot of personal experience and research. I do small private reviews and A/B comparisons for friends, one is a high end audio shop owner with plenty trade ins, the other is a high end distributor. I enjoy testing as part of my hobby.

I'm very happy with my Innuos Zenith Mk3, and adding the Phoenix USB has been hugely beneficial. 

Both were bought recently, and even though I've been ripping my old CDs, I pretty much only listen now to Qobuz.  So, maybe it would have been wiser to have waited for the new Innuos Pulsar.  

Currently use Lumin but have recently demoed Innuos and Aurender. Innuos worked without glitches over a 2 month demo period. The only issue I found was it took a while t lock into my network but once it locked in it stayed connected. I felt that the Innuos Zenith MK III was a few notches above the others.

I’m not sure how far along you are in your process, but I highly recommend you spend $$ on your internet infrastructure. If you don’t get that part to an optimum level, no matter what you do after the connection, you will be limiting the full potential of any equipment.

@audiotroy interesting line of product you have.

Let us know how you make out!