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Ayre QX-5 Twenty steaming performance

I am interested in trying out an Ayre QX-5 Twenty with the Ethernet Bridge for steaming either Tidal or Qobuz. Does anyone have experience with streaming Tidel or Qobuz directly to the QX-5 Twenty? if so, was the result as good as streaming from a dedicated streamer to the QX-5 Twenty? I would like to go with a one box solution for streaming, but also with great SQ if possible. Thanks.
brystonkiwi

Showing 3 responses by rossb

rossb
183 posts
 
I have a QX5 Twenty. The ethernet input is adequate, but I find that a Lumin U1 Mini sounds noticeably better.
rossb
183 posts
 
I’m not sure what "claim" you think I’m making. I listen to my QX5 in a balanced set up as well, with an Ayre AX5 Twenty.

To be clear, I am using the Lumin U1 Mini as a streamer into the QX5 and comparing it to the QX5’s own internal streamer. The U1 mini is a noticeably better streamer, but unless you do the direct comparison, the internal streaming capability sounds perfectly fine.

This is consistent with some comments by the late Charley Hansen on the Computer Audiophile thread on the QX5. Hansen had said (I am paraphrasing) that the ethernet input of the QX5 was a bit of a compromise and that a good external streamer had the capability of sounding better. It’s worth reading the thread for this and other helpful and interesting comments from Hansen.
rossb
183 posts
 
The U1 Mini connects to the QX5 via AES/EBU, which I have found to sound the best with the Ayre DAC. I generally avoid USB, so I am not surprised that ethernet sounds better than USB. To be clear, the ethernet input of the QX5 sounds very good. It is just that the U1 Mini is better.
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