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Do I Need a Dedicated Streamer?

Hello everyone,

As the title states, I am still unsure of if I need a dedicated streamer and if it would increase the fidelity of my music compared to how I am listening at the moment. Which is using AirPlay 2 from my iPhone to my Hegel H590 Integrated amp.

 

I know that the DAC in the Hegel H590 is considered quite good and it was one of the reasons that I bought the amplifier to begin with. However, would I get a better input using a dedicated streamer for around $1000 (such as the Cambridge CXNV2 for example) or would I be better off leaving things as is?

I am just not sure if airplaying music to the Hegel is degrading the signal in comparison to a streamer that would pull its own data and send it directly to the amplifier? Also, would improving my router placement and wifi signal make any difference to the sound since my Hegel is hardwired using a mesh wifi system?

 

I am open to switching streaming platforms if I can gain something out of it such as resolution but I’m not sure if apple music is the issue in any of this.

 

If the answer to the title is a no. I am curious what I would need to take the quality of my listening experience to the next level or where money would be better spent to achieve that. I do have acoustic panels in my room and have done my fair share of research on speaker placement already.

 

The only thing that I have been considering in the near-future would have to be the isoacoustics gaia 1 feet.

 

My equipment:

Hegel H590 Integrated

KEF Reference 5 Meta

Metra Velox Speaker Cables

 

Thanks for reading.

danb99
2psyop's avatar
2psyop
1,503 posts
 

In the end, these devices are musical boxes of wires, so if you use a computer, a streamer or a Frankenstein version of a pie, it’s a stereo sound. I say this; put together a system that sounds good to you. Most of us do experiments and swap gear in and out. I know I have done this over decades of time. When it sounds right, keep it. I try hard to NOT make my hifi- rocket science.

coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
683 posts
 

No. But you do “need” a turntable. :)

I don’t own a streamer because it’s simply another venture down the digital rabbit hole. I’ve got turntables, and a dac. That’s enough digital for me. I’d rather invest into a stellar TT setup than digital. I’m not missing out on anything. 

reimarc's avatar
reimarc
54 posts
 

Very enlightening discussion based - mostly - on real experiences/comparisons. I was asking myself the same question years ago, and decided to invest in a good DAC first: MSB Platinum Signature, after an Acousence reclocker using USB to my MacBook Air. Whether I play Apple-Lossless or native DSD files, the sound is very detailed and clear, albeit - compared to my analog setup - a bit recessed. Before the MSB I was using an Auralic Aries streamer/bridge with my OPPO (as a DAC), streaming from Apple Airplay. The improvement in terms of musical quality by exchanging the OPPO for the MSB was dramatic indeed. It became even better, when I bought a new Macbbook Air (with M processor chip, which - I am told - allows for high-res music processing), connected by USB to the Re-clocker/DAC and left the Aries out completely. Now, that was one of the early Aries bridges, and I am sure, the current version is more technically up-to-date. However, I cannot see how a dedicated streamer would make a musical difference, that would justify the expense for an Aurender, or something in that class, as my current digital setup delivers very enjoyable music without any fatigue, while my internal Apple Music server allows for sufficient archiving and fast retrieval of my >1000 music files (meta-data are not of any importance to me). I find that a top-notch DAC makes a real difference, though, and that's where the money should go IMHO. 

reimarc's avatar
reimarc
54 posts
 

 

 
yage
399 posts
 

@littleman 

If you're using the UPnP / DLNA capability of your FiiO, then you're already set for streaming.

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