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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

Showing 3 responses by audphile1

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,239 posts
 

@danb99 ditch airplay it’s not great

as to streamers - cheap ones will most likely not be an improvement. The expensive ones will be a waste of money if you continue to use Hegel’s inbuilt DAC as it will be a bottleneck.
If you’re not looking to spend a lot, try Roon for 30 days free (H590 is roon ready) with either Tidal or Qobuz or better yet both so you can determine what you like best. It’s completely free for the trial period. You can choose to buy a separate streamer later and 1) you will have a good baseline and 2) you will be able to compare.

P.S. Don’t use computer as a streamer via USB. It’s not optimized to serve as a network transport and you will not realize the potential of your gear. 

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,239 posts
 

One other absolutely free way to stream with h590 is mconnect. 
Streamer not required. 
 

Mconnect with Hegel

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,239 posts
 

Give Roon a try first. Install Roon Core on your mac mini and link to Qobuz or Tidal from it. Then use your Hegel as Roon end point. It will be an improvement over airplay with more coherent and clear presentation.
Then if you want to try a streamer, Lumin U series (pure streamers) is a good starting point. The D2 is a streamer/DAC combo by the way. Lumin is Roon ready and you’ll be able to use it as a Roon end point or use its UI which unfortunately is pretty clunky. All this is easy to set up. 
The real improvement and a big step up will be when you use a streamer connected to an outboard DAC. Your Hegel built in DAC is decent enough to start with though. It’s fun to explore. Huge potential there depending on how much you’re willing to spend. Enjoy the journey!

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