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BDP-Pi Digital Player

DonH56

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Saw this and thought it interesting. At $1295 a bit pricey for a Raspberry-pi device but as a turnkey solution is appealing in today's overpriced world (a recent review touted the new Aurender $5500 player as "affordable" so should appeal to all audiophiles...)

http://bryston.com/products/digital_audio/BDP-Pi.html
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/08/brystons-bdp-π-is-a-rich-roon-ready-slice-of-raspberry-pi/
https://www.hifiberry.com/blog/bryston-bdp-π-with-digi-inside/
https://hometheaterhifi.com/press-releases/bryston-unveils-bdp-π-compact-digital-music-player/
 

svart-hvitt

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Saw this and thought it interesting. At $1295 a bit pricey for a Raspberry-pi device but as a turnkey solution is appealing in today's overpriced world (a recent review touted the new Aurender $5500 player as "affordable" so should appeal to all audiophiles...)

http://bryston.com/products/digital_audio/BDP-Pi.html
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/08/brystons-bdp-π-is-a-rich-roon-ready-slice-of-raspberry-pi/
https://www.hifiberry.com/blog/bryston-bdp-π-with-digi-inside/
https://hometheaterhifi.com/press-releases/bryston-unveils-bdp-π-compact-digital-music-player/

Only spdif. No AES-EBU.
Quality of external power supply?

Bryston has a more elaborate offering, the BDP-3:

http://www.bryston.com/products/digital_audio/BDP-3.html

Pricier, but still lower than some of the audiophilest stuff.
 
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DonH56

DonH56

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Well, it's targeting consumers, so the lack of AES/EBU does not surprise me. And yes, the BDP-3 gets good reviews, but for $3500 is more than twice the price (still less than many others, but that's still a lot of money to me for essentially a dedicated low-end PC). Since it is digital in/out the external supply would have to be awfully bad to muck that up, and there are undoubtedly several SMPS' inside the box to power various things.

This line in the Stereophile review of the A10 gave me pause: "The A10's all-in-one design and $5500 price should make it especially appealing to budget-conscious audiophiles." (Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/aurender-a10-network-music-playerserver#KlZVAtQ8hi1O9PYR.99 ) Their idea of "budget-conscious" is quite different than mine, obviously. Every time I pick up an audio mag or check the websites I am blown away by the prices of things.

For under $150 USD I can get a HiFiBerry Digi+ bundle with everything (Digi+, Raspberry Pi-3, case, power supply) so I am strongly considering that.
https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/bundles/hifiberry-digi-bundle/
 
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svart-hvitt

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One thing that makes me a bit hesitant regarding streamers that are like normal computers is the software running on them (is it good? Will it be updated? Etc) as well as the low performance hardware. So ideally, the computing should be kept separate, while the audio gear should be as simple and high quality as your budget allows.

This is an interesting little box with no «brain» on its own:
http://en.cayin.cn/products_info?itemid=109

Take a look at the discussion for some flavour:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cayin-idap-6-versatile-new-desktop-transport.861785/

The negative reviews claim the Chinese box is a stew of inhouse and outsourced development (outsourced software).

The Cayin box is just a simple, stupid bridge with wifi, AirPlay and Bluetooth in addition to cabled transmissions. Conceptually, I find it interesting.
 
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DonH56

DonH56

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All streamers could be considered stripped-down computers. Streaming does not require a lot of computing horsepower but it is nice to have it small and quiet as well as inexpensive so I am OK with low performance (which was high performance a year or two ago). I do like the idea of having a dedicated PC (or whatever) without all the ancillary overhead and programs running on normal PCs.

I am using SONOS now so if I switch streamers I'll have to get and learn new SW as well. Always something.
 

Wombat

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iDAP-6 RRP $699
 

svart-hvitt

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Well, would you consider AirPort express a streamer?

It’s undoubtedly one of the most elegant solutions, however limited at 16/44 and only toslink out.

I use AirPort express for wifi/AirPlay to toslink-AES-EBU converter. It’s an elegant solution within its limits.
 
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DonH56

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Wayne

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I (like a lot of folks) am looking for a decent DAC but with only (at least all I want to pay for) a USB in and AES/EBU out for around $500 - $800. Any other candidates or recommendations? Thanks
 

svart-hvitt

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I (like a lot of folks) am looking for a decent DAC but with only (at least all I want to pay for) a USB in and AES/EBU out for around $500 - $800. Any other candidates or recommendations? Thanks
USB in and AES-EBU out is not a DAC; it’s a digital converter.

What are you really looking for?
 
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DonH56

DonH56

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Note these streamers do not have an analog output though you can buy DAC units with what you want... I am annoyed my pre/pro (Emotiva XMC-1) will act as a DAC from a USB input but does not a USB input with the smarts to handle a USB drive. That would solve my problem nicely.
 
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DonH56

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Wayne

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This is the simplest USB-AES3 converter I’ve ever come across:

@svart-hvitt: Thank you for the information. I was not aware that "converters" existed and thought one had to purchase a DAC to get USB to AES/EBU.

General question:
I have pair of JBL LSR4328P (powered) speakers. The speakers take both analog (XLR & 1/4" TRS) and digital (AES/EBU and SPDIF) inputs. I am under the impression using the AES/EBU input was most desirable. Is this accurate or should I rethink?

Also is the Yellowtec PUC2 Lite a good fit?
 

Wayne

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@svart-hvitt: Thank you for the information. I was not aware that "converters" existed and thought one had to purchase a DAC to get USB to AES/EBU.

General question:
I have pair of JBL LSR4328P (powered) speakers. The speakers take both analog (XLR & 1/4" TRS) and digital (AES/EBU and SPDIF) inputs. I am under the impression using the AES/EBU input was most desirable. Is this accurate or should I rethink?

Also is the Yellowtec PUC2 Lite a good fit?

I've got one of these (Singxer SU-1), very happy with it.

9757768.jpg
 

svart-hvitt

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@svart-hvitt: Before I replied, I had just glanced at the specs: http://www.yellowtec.com/fileadmin/user_upload/PUC/pdf/PUC2_pdf_TechSpecs.pdf

It appears the USB is only for power, not as a USB input. Am I missing something here? Thanks

USB is for both power and playback. Just Google «puc lite» plus «yellowtec» to read user reviews.

There is a block diagram on Yellowtec’s pages as well.

This is German no-nonsense from a company that serves the broadcast sector.
 

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