Review of most used streaming apps (HEOS, BluOS, Naim, LDS, Linn)


Hi all,

For folks planning to invest in a certain streaming platform, the decision will depend not only on the hardware but also on the quality of the controlling app. I found there are plenty of harware reviews but a neutral (as far as possible) review of the various apps that control these streamers seems lacking. The reviews or posts I came across tend to be either very shallow or rather opiniated.

For those among you who have experience with multiple apps I would appreciate some neutral feedback on the following factors:

  1. user friendlyness (intuitive operation, modern look & feel?)
  2. functionality (ability to search, playlists, etc. / capability of hi-res)
  3. quality (app stability, regularly updated by vendor?)


Would be great if we could briefly assess these factors for the most used apps:

  • HEOS (Denon, Marantz)
  • BluOS
  • Naim
  • Auralic Lightning DS
  • Linn

Thanks in advance for posting your experience!



kpg73

Showing 2 responses by kren0006

I’ve owned and used BlueOS, LUMIN, Heos, Cambridge CA Connect, and PlayFi.
All work well for me except PlayFi.
I put BlueOS at top. LUMIN and Heos about same a bit below BlueOS. Cambridge slightly below them. And PlayFi quite a bit lower.
Criteria useability and reliability and user friendliness.