sorry you're not getting more response to your question. Most folks here are more interested in arguing about vernacular differences between "hifi" and "high end" or posting humorous anecdotes about what stupid things never to do with your equipment.That $1,500 area is tough to find a really nice streamer w/o considering used gear. It seems you need to push over $2K to get into the features and the DAC quality I suspect you may be looking for. Check out some of the Auralic and Lumin products.
Help with up to $1500 streamer
Hi all,
I am new to Audiogon, I have been researching here and there but never posted anything.
I have been on a dilemma about a streamer, I don’t want to spend much money but the minimum acceptable products I could find are between 1000-1500 so I decided to ask more experienced people.
Most of my music is stored on regular CDs or FLAC on external hard drives, I initially thought it would be best to go all-in on CDs but I want the convenience of seamlessly switching songs, so streamer is my best choice.
I listen to mostly instrumental music like classical, movies and game soundtracks but a little bit of pop and rock too, my preference is for clear and fast sound, but I want to be able to distinguish instruments and get some good dynamic range.
just to give some perspective, my headphone system consists of an SMSL SU-8 DAC, connected with Mogami cables to a Massdrop THX AAA 789 powering a Sennheiser HD 650 with an original balanced cable, I would call it as nothing fancy but makes a good sound.
My stereo system is mostly a Bluray player Panasonic UB820, connected via HDMI to an Onkyo Receiver RZ 920, connected with Acoustic research cables to two mono Parasound A23s powering Focal Chorus 836v speakers, which makes an OK sound but I have to rely on TV being on to control music and it’s not very convenient.
all that said, I am looking for a streamer that has a good built-in DAC preferably balanced with an LCD screen that shows enough information about the track or at least a fully-featured APP that can seamlessly play FLAC from a USB device.
So far on my research, I came about Cambridge audio CXN and Azur 851N, Cocktail Audio X40 and NAD C658.
Please let me know your thoughts.
I am new to Audiogon, I have been researching here and there but never posted anything.
I have been on a dilemma about a streamer, I don’t want to spend much money but the minimum acceptable products I could find are between 1000-1500 so I decided to ask more experienced people.
Most of my music is stored on regular CDs or FLAC on external hard drives, I initially thought it would be best to go all-in on CDs but I want the convenience of seamlessly switching songs, so streamer is my best choice.
I listen to mostly instrumental music like classical, movies and game soundtracks but a little bit of pop and rock too, my preference is for clear and fast sound, but I want to be able to distinguish instruments and get some good dynamic range.
just to give some perspective, my headphone system consists of an SMSL SU-8 DAC, connected with Mogami cables to a Massdrop THX AAA 789 powering a Sennheiser HD 650 with an original balanced cable, I would call it as nothing fancy but makes a good sound.
My stereo system is mostly a Bluray player Panasonic UB820, connected via HDMI to an Onkyo Receiver RZ 920, connected with Acoustic research cables to two mono Parasound A23s powering Focal Chorus 836v speakers, which makes an OK sound but I have to rely on TV being on to control music and it’s not very convenient.
all that said, I am looking for a streamer that has a good built-in DAC preferably balanced with an LCD screen that shows enough information about the track or at least a fully-featured APP that can seamlessly play FLAC from a USB device.
So far on my research, I came about Cambridge audio CXN and Azur 851N, Cocktail Audio X40 and NAD C658.
Please let me know your thoughts.
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- 15 posts total
I'm going to be also looking in the 1000-1500 range in a year or two as an upgrade for my bedroom system. I'm hoping Cambridge Audio by then updates their 851N to have a better dac chip (32 bit, hopefully full MQA support, and hopefully good AK or ES model) at that price point. Teac NT-505 is awesome at $2k if your budget creeps. It's what I have in my main system. Ethernet only (no wifi) and no fancy LED display showing artwork like some others, but sound is fantastic. Good luck. |
It doesn't have a Dac but there are some Auralic Aries streamers on Audiogon at great prices this is one: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9fic3-auralic-aries-media-servers I have no connection to the seller just a happy owner of the Arie's little brother the Aries Mini. I find Aurlic products to sound good and be very user friendly plus I really like the Lightning DS control app. |
I use the SoTM SMS-200 Neo (Streamer) with a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital (DAC), and quite happy with it. If you have a NAS or other type of file share, where you host your digital files, you can use some of the various industry music management platforms. I use ROON and am quite happy with it (you get a free 60d trial when you buy the SMS-200, or can buy a one year license at heavy discount when ordering your SMS-200). There are other options for music management, each with their own "remote" (app), and of course each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Throw in an upgraded power supply and a good USB cable, and you're still under $1500. https://www.sotm-audio.com/sotmwp/english/portfolio-item/sms-200/ https://www.pro-jectusa.com/en-us/products/pro-ject-box-designs/dacs-and-sources/s2-line/pre-box-s2-digital |
- 15 posts total