Setup for Streaming

[Goons7er]

Hi guys,

first of all thank you all for participating in this forum and for your contributions to this fantastic website!

I am currently - trying to - gather information on how to set up a streaming HiFi system. So far I was the classic CD- and Airplay listener. However I was never happy with the sound I got from my system when streaming via Airplay (CD was fine). My idea is to put a seperate stereo system in to my living room to improve on just music listening experience.
That‘s why I ripped all of my CDs in ALAC. Now I just have to get the files to a decent Stereo System.

Here are my questions:

- I was thinking to do that via Upnp running Audirvana on my Mac Mini. Anyone against that? Alternatives?

- My Mac is situated in another room, so there‘s no chance of connecting the Computer to the stereo. So I will need a streaming device. Now there are endless possibilities and digging through the information available it feels like marching through a jungle with a machete…
DAC and Streamer seperate? Streamer and DAC and amplification seperate? DAC and amplification integrated? Pre- and Power-Amp seperate?

- My budget would be 2000,-€, not including speakers

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction - I HATE being a slave to HiFi vendors who point to their expensive but constructively speaking mediocre products and would like to get a clean signal for me to enjoy.

By the by: I am a professional classical musician - I KNOW sound. So far only „analog“ good sound, I plan to change that!

Thanks to all of you in advance!

 

[stevenswall]

Get Roon and run that on your Mac Mini, then get a Chromecast or other device to use as a Roon endpoint. A Chromecast Audio costs $125 these days but can do bit perfect audio at 24/96 which is more than enough.

I'd then run the optical output from the Chromecast into a MiniDSP, (this will help a ton to do room correction and avoid sloppy bass!) Ideally get a MiniDSP box with XLR outputs to go into active speakers for the best performance, or if you are going all out, get the best Genelec speakers you can afford and get a HOSA optical to AES converter and you can keep everything pristine and digital until it reaches the speaker which has transparent DACS and amps for each driver.

For a much more simple experience with excellent sound, I'd look at using Roon software streaming to a Devialet Phantom Reactor which has excellent dispersion, smooth frequency response, and great bass extension, though the app isn't for everyone and can have connectivity issues if you don't have perfect Wifi or wall wiring. (The Devialet Phantom is a wireless speaker that can communicate wirelessly in pairs, or through the electrical wires. I used the latter for mine and one would always drop out... found out the prior owners of the house didn't ground any of the outlets they replaced which may have been the problem.

Short version: Use Roon to stream to any roon endpoint that winds up with active speakers. Genelec on the high end, or a Kali IN-5 on the low end but amazing for the price.

 

[Goons7er]

Thank you for your input!

Even though I know Studio Monitors are highly regarded I would like to opt for passive speakers. I know the Devialet Phantom and they sound great, but: in this pricerange I am not willing to accept dropouts (in any price range actually...)!

Quick question: Why is Roon in your opinion a must?

And: I am not willing to use a Chromecast (bad Google! - BAD GOOGLE! Sit!!!) - other suggestions here? Is there a good endpoint that incorporates either a good DAC or a good amplification?

Thanks again!

 

[stevenswall]

Roon is recommended because you can stream to any endpoint with a variety of devices. iPhones don't work as well with Chromecast, Airplay is useless to the majority of the world that runs Android. Roon also provides you with data about the audio stream and you can use local files or streaming from a few services if you prefer either or both.

Not sure about a Roon endpoint that is a good dac and/or amplification, I use all Chromecast devices, one stays digital going to Genelec speakers via a Dolby DP564, and the other is decoded by a MiniDSP HD which measures well on here.

If you don't want to worry about things cutting out, you could use the 3.5mm jack on the Phantoms for input instead of wireless, and split the stereo signal with your own device.

I wish they made "dumb" Phantoms with XLR input for AES or balanced analogue.

 

[somebodyelse]

Are you willing to put together a streamer based on a board like the Raspberry Pi, or do you want something off the shelf?

 

[Goons7er]

Are you willing to put together a streamer based on a board like the Raspberry Pi, or do you want something off the shelf?

Off the shelf - please! ;-)

 

[Goons7er]

Roon is recommended because you can stream to any endpoint with a variety of devices. iPhones don't work as well with Chromecast, Airplay is useless to the majority of the world that runs Android. Roon also provides you with data about the audio stream and you can use local files or streaming from a few services if you prefer either or both.

Not sure about a Roon endpoint that is a good dac and/or amplification, I use all Chromecast devices, one stays digital going to Genelec speakers via a Dolby DP564, and the other is decoded by a MiniDSP HD which measures well on here.

If you don't want to worry about things cutting out, you could use the 3.5mm jack on the Phantoms for input instead of wireless, and split the stereo signal with your own device.

I wish they made "dumb" Phantoms with XLR input for AES or balanced analogue.

Well, all pros and cons aside, lets say I already settled on passive speakers. That only changes the fact that I need a power amp which has to be fed with a clear digital signal. How would that go?

 

[symphara]

Hi guys,

first of all thank you all for participating in this forum and for your contributions to this fantastic website!

I am currently - trying to - gather information on how to set up a streaming HiFi system. So far I was the classic CD- and Airplay listener. However I was never happy with the sound I got from my system when streaming via Airplay (CD was fine). My idea is to put a seperate stereo system in to my living room to improve on just music listening experience.
That‘s why I ripped all of my CDs in ALAC. Now I just have to get the files to a decent Stereo System.

Here are my questions:

- I was thinking to do that via Upnp running Audirvana on my Mac Mini. Anyone against that? Alternatives?

- My Mac is situated in another room, so there‘s no chance of connecting the Computer to the stereo. So I will need a streaming device. Now there are endless possibilities and digging through the information available it feels like marching through a jungle with a machete…
DAC and Streamer seperate? Streamer and DAC and amplification seperate? DAC and amplification integrated? Pre- and Power-Amp seperate?

- My budget would be 2000,-€, not including speakers

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction - I HATE being a slave to HiFi vendors who point to their expensive but constructively speaking mediocre products and would like to get a clean signal for me to enjoy.

By the by: I am a professional classical musician - I KNOW sound. So far only „analog“ good sound, I plan to change that!

Thanks to all of you in advance!

So do you have any other equipment apart from your Mac Mini? Speakers? Amplifier?

 

[Goons7er]

So do you have any other equipment apart from your Mac Mini? Speakers? Amplifier?

See 1st post. I want to set up a new system. So no. But I am only interested in recommendations for electronics. Gonna take care of speakers myself…

 

[somebodyelse]

Are you willing to put together a streamer based on a board like the Raspberry Pi, or do you want something off the shelf?

No problem - it's a great way to avoid being a slave to google or the hifi manufacturers, but it's not for everyone.

 

[Raindog123]

RPi4 ($100, and even a professional classical musician can assemble it, with ASR help) + Schiit Modi 3+ ($100, but can be any similar DAC) + Aiyima A07 amp ($100, but can be substituted by a more expensive - $500-$1,000 - class D amp).

I too would recommend Roon on that Mac in another room (controlled by an iDevice), for full user experience and future expansions… That‘s really all you need today for quality yet budget sound (assuming you do take care of decent speakers).

 

[SKBubba]

Here's a well-regarded off-the-shelf streamer/dac option. It supports UPnP and is also roon ready. I have not used it but it looks pretty nice. You would still need an amp and speakers.

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/hi-fi/cx-series-2/cxn

 

[symphara]

See 1st post. I want to set up a new system. So no. But I am only interested in recommendations for electronics. Gonna take care of speakers myself…

Does your 2k budget include speakers or just the electronics?

Primare makes good streaming amps, and the Prisma I15 isn't that expensive, especially if you shop around.

 

[Tod]

Why not use a small part of your budget on buying a dedicated Mac Mini? I have a ‘headless’ 2014 Mac Mini (£200 on ebay) with Audirvana playing my ALAC files on an external HD. I control it via WiFi from an iPad with Audirvana remote. The Mac’s USB output goes to a DAC (Khadas Tone Board, £90) which outputs to my analogue amp. There might be better options but this works well for me.

 

[Goons7er]

Why not use a small part of your budget on buying a dedicated Mac Mini? I have a ‘headless’ 2014 Mac Mini (£200 on ebay) with Audirvana playing my ALAC files on an external HD. I control it via WiFi from an iPad with Audirvana remote. The Mac’s USB output goes to a DAC (Khadas Tone Board, £90) which outputs to my analogue amp. There might be better options but this works well for me.

That seems like something I‘d be interested in. What‘s your amp?

 

[Goons7er]

Does your 2k budget include speakers or just the electronics?

Primare makes good streaming amps, and the Prisma I15 isn't that expensive, especially if you shop around.

Just electronics. I listened to a Primare surround receiver a couple years back and was very impressed!

 

[Goons7er]

Here's a well-regarded off-the-shelf streamer/dac option. It supports UPnP and is also roon ready. I have not used it but it looks pretty nice. You would still need an amp and speakers.

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/hi-fi/cx-series-2/cxn

I‘ce looked at this product. Does it do a (measurably) good job at decoding, too? Because that’s actually what I am looking for in this thread….

 

[Goons7er]

RPi4 ($100, and even a professional classical musician can assemble it, with ASR help) + Schiit Modi 3+ ($100, but can be any similar DAC) + Aiyima A07 amp ($100, but can be substituted by a more expensive - $500-$1,000 - class D amp).

I too would recommend Roon on that Mac in another room (controlled by an iDevice), for full user experience and future expansions… That‘s really all you need today for quality yet budget sound (assuming you do take care of decent speakers).

Thanks for your input. Seems like a long way with many stops from the source to the speakers….

 

[symphara]

Just electronics. I listened to a Primare surround receiver a couple years back and was very impressed!

I was also very impressed with their surround sound receiver. This amp I recommended is under your budget, has the Primare sound, plenty of power, and should cover all your streaming needs.

 

[Bamyasi]

I am surprised no one suggested Allo Boss2 streaming DAC yet, which has been reviewed by @amirm recently and received high accolades.