streaming and audiophile stereo

The 24 bit delusion paper is nothing new- except for being probably the most emotional technical paper that I have ever read.  But then it is not really a technical paper.  It is a sales pitch for the writer's own DACs.  

Some of what he says is true.  20 bit resolution is about the upper limit.  So why record 24 bit?  Because the master source should be better than the 2nd and 3rd generation copies.  The recording industry was built upon a high standard master recording in the analog world.  Interesting that the professionals in the industry stuck to that standard in the digital world.  Is is a paradigm issue or something more?  Perhaps one day in the future a true 24 bit resolution DAC will be available for the consumer.  

R2R DACs are becoming all the rage lately most likely due to manufacturing costs. DAC chips are getting scarcer thus more costly which makes R2R ladder DAC production more competitive.  R2R ladder DACs are not new and when done well can sound incredible.  Question always comes down to cost/dollar.  We consumers are fortunate to have a choice.

Bits is bits.  That's the beauty of digital.  Your most cost effective streamer is a dedicated laptop PC.  Spend a pile on some streamer and it won't sound a bit different.

Bits is bits.

@russbutton 

Bits is bits.

To which dedicated streamers have you compared to which laptops to arrive at your conclusion? To which dac(s)? Thanks in advance.

I'm using a Lindemann Limetree Bridge II streaming Qobuz into my Denafrips Pontus II DAC and on to my Ayon Scorpio EL34 tube amp.  Tekton Perfect Set 2-10 speakers.

The sound is absolutely sublime!

@ghasley I run an HP laptop I got off of Craigslist for $200. I swapped in a 1TB SSD, which cost me another $100. I run Ubuntu Linux on it with JRiver for Linux, which cost me about $30. I run a Peachtree DAC iT.

I had some friends over for a shootout a while ago against a Schitt Yiggy and a PS Audio DirectStream. Most who were there felt that the Peachtree was the most musical. I like the DirectStream a tad better, but not $6000 better (or even the $3000 you’d pay today for one).

Hi-end DACs are your very, very worst investment as the market believes that the technology is rapidly evolving, so anything a few years old can’t be adequate by "today’s standards." Today’s $5000 wonder DAC is tomorrows $1800 White Elephant.

Why do I go on about "bits is bits"? That’s because digital information is transferred from one device to another, and either it is correct or it is not. That’s what hand shaking information transfer protocols are all about. If you don’t trust computers to accurately transfer digital information, then realize that’s where your money is. Banks store everything electronically and you depend upon the accurate transfer of digital information from device to device, over thousands of miles of cable, none of which is certified to audiophile standards.

How many streamers come with a graphical interface on a 17" screen? And that’s just the laptop I use. I could use an Intel fanless NUC box with a monitor of whatever size I choose to get more screen real estate should I choose. Any computer can stream from any on-line source, as well as YouTube and "Internet Radio".

Beyond that, I backup my music data to two different computers I have on-site as well as a machine I have off-site, so I have four full copies of my music data. One on-site machine is my desktop box which is 11 years old, but being that it has 32 G of system memory, running Linux it still flies. My other local backup machine is a Raspberry Pi with a large drive hanging off of it. The off-site machine is also a Raspberry Pi with a large drive hanging off of it.

Does your dedicated streamer allow you to do a daily backup to multiple other sites, locally and remotely over the Internet?