2. digital
  3. 180620-4358

Do I need a streamer?

Streaming devices, with or without an internal DAC, seem to be very popular these days, so I am wondering if I am missing out on something.  I have Audirvana on my iMac that streams Tidal and music from my 8 TB external HD.  My iMac resides next to my audio rack and I connect my iMac via an optical cable (Fibbr) to my Aqua LaVoce DAC.  It seems to me that my iMac and external HD take the place of a streaming device.  Am I missing out on something other than convenience?  My external HD was a few hundred bucks and streamers a whole lot more.  The sound of my system is fantastic. 

whitestix

Showing 1 response by yage

yage
399 posts
 

@whitestix

Yes, your Mac is a ’streamer’. That’s all streamers are - computers. As long as the bits are getting to your DAC without error, then you have a fully functioning setup. There’s no need to buy another box.

 

I currently use a Mac mini as a streamer for a living room system and a Raspberry Pi 4 for the downstairs stereo. The Mac holds all my music in a shared folder. The RPi can access the shared folder and streams my music library over wi-fi - everything from ripped CD’s to hi-res 24/192 downloads to archived SACDs without a hitch.

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