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STREAMER - WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

I've been using the Eversolo DMP-A8 and think it's a mid-range, feature-rich, capable, and attractive machine.  For the past few months, my focus has been on putting my system together (e.g., new caps on the amps, new tubes, getting clean power, turntable, phono stage, etc) and have felt that I've been overly focused on the analog side.  I've long wanted to work on getting my end game digital setup and pulled the trigger on a BAT Rex 3 DAC and now want a streamer that mates well with it.  I know little about streamers. . .just enough to get lost in the topic.  

Other than an easy-to-read screen and balanced outputs, what features should I look for in an endgame streamer that will deliver a significant performance boost?  I invite any suggestions. 

patrickalston
hrlywd
5 posts
 

I'm certainly enjoying all the input about the said class of streamers / servers. Has anyone demonstrated the Matrix NT-1? It seems to have all the bells and whistles along with a couple of good YouTube reviews. Problem is that the reviewers leave an element of question by not testing apples to apples. Buhler...Anyone?

mdalton's avatar
mdalton
810 posts
 

I have a dealer friend who likes their stuff a lot.  Haven’t heard it myself, but keep in mind that the NT-1 combines a server with a streamer, which I’m not a fan of.  The TT-1, on the other hand, is streamer-only, and goes for my magical number of $2k.

soix
11,233 posts
 

Remember, Aurender, Innuos and some others offer entry level products that combine the server and the streamer in one box.  It’s a great idea for convenience, but sub-optimal for noise mitigation.  CPUs for servers typically require a lot more power than streamer CPUs, and therefore generate more noise.  So the entry-level Aurenders are noisier than their higher-priced products.  Therefore, if you want the convenience of a single-box solution, I whole-heartedly agree that it would be tough to get state-of-the-art performance for $2k.  That’s precisely why I recommend you keep your server separate from your streamer.  If you do, you can get a whole lot more performance for less $.

This is just silly reasoning trying to rationalize a faulty premise.  You do not get SOTA streamer performance from a $2k streamer even if it doesn’t have a server in it.  Anyone who thinks that has not heard a more expensive/better designed streamer or has limited resolution hearing/system.

mdalton's avatar
mdalton
810 posts
 

lol!  Notice that the Aurender N150 is a one box solution that costs $3850. Aurender agrees that achieving state of the art performance requires separating the streamer from the server, so they offer the N50, a 3-box solution.  And it only costs $38,500!

soix
11,233 posts
 

Notice that the Aurender N150 is a one box solution that costs $3850. Aurender agrees that achieving state of the art performance requires separating the streamer from the server, so they offer the N50, a 3-box solution.  And it only costs $38,500!

Again, faulty logic.  Just because a streamer may or may not have a server does not mean that a $2k pure streamer can deliver SOTA streaming performance as you maintain.  Trying to justify that by bringing up that some streamers have servers is just a meaningless distraction and doesn’t have anything to do with that a $2k pure streamer does not provide SOTA streaming performance no matter how much you wanna believe that.  You might be able to sell that on ASR, but here most everyone will find your premise just laughable. 

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