late to streaming, recommendations?
Vinyl and tubes guy here but I recently got my act together and figured out how to do loseless spotify into my system using a dedicated computer, usb to Cambridge Audio DacMagic100 and then rca into my tube preamp. sampling rate is 192 (whatever that means). was a definite improvement over what I was doing before and streaming finally sounds pretty good to me. Now I'm starting to use it a lot and wondering, well, how could it be better? What would be the logical and most worth it bang-for-the-buck upgrade path for me?
Start small with something from Bluesound. They have a several models well within your budget. I bought a Node N130 a few years ago. It’s a streamer and DAC and the software is actually pretty good and easy to use. Then if you find you enjoy streaming you can get a better DAC or a better Streamer with a DAC built in. All the best. |
thanks for all the great recommendations. I've been trying to learn about some of these brands and products. lots of the info on the product pages is just gibberish to me, but I think today I figured out the difference between a server and a transport. Seems like there's a number of decent entry level options, starting with the WiiM Ultra, but I've also got my eye on the used market and there are plenty of choices in my price range including a Lumin U2 mini right near me. |
I was in the same situation 8 yrs ago; knew nothing of the digital side/path, other than sticking a CD in and pushing play. I would 2nd allenf1963 post. I used a Bluesound Node for 6 yrs. For an entry level price it is great. Two yrs ago was visiting my local Audio store looking at room traps, walked out with an Aurender streamer and Berkely DAC....my last components for my digital path. |
Streaming is a wonderful source, it is like having a library. You get access to hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of albums. In terms of where to put the money, I have strong views, which have definitely worked for me, but may raise howls of ridicule. I believe that the DAC is the single most critical part of the digital stream. When it is well engineered, and uses a USB connection, it asks the streamer for data and buffers it, its data receiver ensures that no electrical noise gets through, and then, with a very precise clock gets the data values turned into an analog voltage which is then filtered to get rid of the square corners (quantization noise). The streamer's job is to receive the compressed data from the streaming source and present the error free uncompressed data to the DAC. Its connection to the source streaming service uses an error correcting protocol. It is in essence a small computer, usually running Linux or Android. My advice, find a streamer that supports USB and put the rest of your budget in the DAC and the interconnects from the DAC to the pre-amp. The USB cable needs to be competent but need not be expensive. Avoid coax and plastic Toslink. I2S is another story and works very differently, making the streamer and the cable to the DAC critical, and so should be avoided, except perhaps at the very highest levels, e.g. Grandioso. Ignore things like "Audiophile switches and internet cables". If they make a difference your streamer and DAC are not doing their job. |
Welcome to the streaming world, @argonsteele. It is great to hear you have bridged the gap between your analog roots and digital convenience, especially now that Spotify natively supports bit-perfect lossless audio. Here is what that "192" number means, along with the most logical, highest bang-for-the-buck upgrade path to make your streaming setup rival your turntable. What "Sampling Rate 192" Means The 192 kHz you are seeing is not the speed of the music coming from Spotify. It is the speed at which your computer’s operating system (Windows or macOS) is forced to output audio over the USB port. [1] Because the standard Spotify desktop app lacks an "Exclusive Mode" feature, it does not bypass the computer’s internal audio mixer. Your computer takes Spotify’s lossless stream—which is encoded at CD-quality (44.1 kHz)—and mixes it with system notification sounds, upsampling everything to 192 kHz before sending it to your Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100. While it sounds good, your computer is doing unnecessary mathematical processing on the audio file. [1, 2, 3, 4] The Upgrade Path: Maximizing Bang-for-the-Buck To get closer to the organic, effortless sound of your vinyl and tube gear, you need to eliminate the computer’s noisy processing. 1. Ditch the Computer for a Dedicated Network Streamer (Best Upgrade) Computers are packed with noisy cooling fans, switching power supplies, and background tasks that inject electrical noise into your USB cable. A dedicated Wi-Fi Network Streamer replaces your computer entirely. It pulls the lossless data straight from your router and uses Spotify Connect, which allows Spotify to stream directly to the hardware while you use your phone or tablet purely as a remote control. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Clean Up Your USB Signal (Alternative Low-Cost Tweak) If you absolutely must keep using the computer, the operating system’s audio mixer is degrading the audio.
3. Try a Free Trial of Qobuz or Tidal [1] As a vinyl lover, you appreciate mastering quality and space around instruments. Even though Spotify now offers lossless CD quality, services like Qobuz or Tidal offer high-resolution masters (up to 24-bit/192 kHz). More importantly, their desktop apps feature a native Exclusive Mode toggle. This instantly bypasses your computer’s mixer, automatically switching your DAC to the correct native sample rate without any software trickery. [1, 2, 3] 4. Upgrade the DAC to a "Ladder" (R-2R) DAC (Future Phase) Your Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 is a great starter unit, but it uses a standard Delta-Sigma chip, which can sometimes sound a bit analytical or "digital" to vinyl enthusiasts. |
