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The beauty of downsizing today is so many components perform superbly without taking up enormous space, including speakers !

The adventure continues. Now attempting to reduce the number of components to fit inside the stereo equipment cabinet. The turntable and phono preamp are going to remain. But I still have a streamer, a DAC, and a new preamp (the one that I recently...

This is the reason I advised the Allo and not a normal Rpi because the latter one doesnÂ’t have galvanic separation That having said, a good power supply is very important and what I forgot to mention, an open rpi or a plastic case is bad for...

Great album , listening to it since 2019 , try some of the maple-shade stuff too , very little compression and mics great stuff ..! Regards

Opps :)

Tidal seems to be quietly stepping up their game. There has been a lot of high res MQA new releases hit every week. It does come down to the master though, I have some 44.1k albums that sound better than some of those released in high res. One...

Thanks for the clarification. I saw both names on my papers or website so didn't realize the difference. I was a bit skeptical when the reviewer said he could hear no difference between the Node and A5, the none between the A5 and A5 Master. ...

That is just false information. I started with a HEOS, then the Node, thena NAD M50.2 and now my ACS10. The M50.2 was better than the first two by a lot but the ACS10 is better than all of them by a large amount. Unless you have experience...

I totally agree with everything said. In fact, I put my money on that: My streamer is a lowly RPi.

Tom, you're not in the minority at least when it comes to 'logical thinking' !

K-01XD and K-03XD will be discontinued soon, to be replaced by SE model. I don't know if VUK will be released for existing owners.

I am certainly in the minority here but a streamer is a trivial digital to digital converter that, assuming you have a capable DAC, will make little to no difference in the sound of your system. It’s just a conversion from Ethernet to serial data....

You would be amazed at the number of “high-end” streamers costing a ton of money that are based on a lowly $50 RPi. Today, consumers can enjoy true high-end sound without having to spend a ton of money.

Very informative thread. I had no idea of the many streaming options available for less than $1k. Certainly a good era for music lovers wanting to get in the hobby for a reasonable amount of money.

Dave, another choice may be the Cambridge Audio MXN 10. $499 on Amazon. High-level specs: StreamMagic Gen 4 Module – fast music retrieval & high-quality sound ESS SABRE ES9033Q DAC – for the latest streaming capabilities High-quality Internet...

Darko's fairly recent review of the Wiim Pro Plus:

The EtherREGEN is a product of UpTone Audio, not Sonore. IIRC, Sonore may have been a reseller of EtherREGEN for a time; I don't know if they still are. John Swenson does the design for both companies' products. Knowing first-hand how good a EE John...

Yes, it seems to be a very good value proposition.

Dave, if you are the type of individual who enjoys DIY projects, you can build a streamer using a Raspberry Pi. You can find easy-to-follow instructions online. Total cost less than $100.

The MC10 will work brilliantly with the N20 and say an Esoteric K-01XD SE. Then both the Esoteric and N20 clock off the same clock Another option is take the DAC and clock funds and put it into an MSB DAC which have clock sync options so you...

The Eversolo A6 was reviewed in FA, from that review I'd avoid the A6. The writer says he couldn't tell any difference between the A6 and the Bluesound Node. He mentions the Orchard Pecan Pie at $799 was better sounding than either. The review is...

Thank you Stephen !! the WiiM Pro Plus seems to get alot positive attention for it's price point !

The Allo USBridge, with volumio installed Combined with a Farad linear powersupply

The Eversolo is an excellent choice at it's price point. Here's some others at different price points worth consideration: Wiim Pro ($149) and Wiim Pro Plus ($219): WiiM Pro and Plus | Versatile Audiophile Streaming: Unleash the Brilliance ...

Looks like Future Audiophile has a review of that Ever unit, looked like same model number.

With the Eversolo device, you could rip your CD collection and it can access it. That way you can listen to your own music collection without having to pay for a music streaming service.

If memory serves didn't Innuos come out with streamers in or under $1k? Bones13 is correct in that you will need to spend for a quality unit if you expect it to rival the sound of your TT or disks. I can understand pickiing up something entry...

Agree with Bones. Streaming from online services works great. Music services like Qobuz also include different versions/mastering of albums so you can actually get to check the changes. My experience is that once you get used to streaming, there...

It will be interesting to see if MSB re-sell traded units, and if so, how much markup they put on them. As a buyer, $57K for a Select II in good condition is an OK deal. But original Select II owners probably not happy if there's a flood of cheap...

The Eversolo DMP-A6 has received excellent reviews/recommendations in other sites (ASR). Not sure if it is allowed to post links here, but you can Google it. You will also find other options for streamers in your price range that are also highly...

Answering Tom & Jacks question on a DAC, my SACD/CD player (Marantz Ruby) DAC is accessible I do believe

Dave - do you have a DAC?

Not sure of the rest of your equipment, but it seems a shame to have to buy a new box of electronics just for streaming. That one looks rather better than the obvious choice (Bluesound Node), but it still includes a DAC that I presume you already...

Dave Do you have a separate DAC or would you be using the one in the streamer. As to the DMP-A6 it is a well built unit with a good screen and and a complete software package that allows you to stream from Qobuz, Tidal, Amazon, Deezer, Radio...

The files have to come from somewhere. I was active in “computer audio” about when it started. I have a medium sized collection of computer files. These were ripped from CDs, and more recently purchased from various websites. Starting from Zero,...

Bones, thanks for the reply ! No, I haven't decided on a streaming source/supplier yet. As for the WiiM gear , I too have heard good things for their relative low costs, perhaps a good way to 'get my toes wet' ?

Do you have a music streaming service already? If you are wanting to explore, for low cost, the Wiim units are well regarded. But the Eversolo is well reviewed as well. HiRose is another brand. Be sure to figure out where your music is...

Didn’t even know there was such a neighborhood. Haven’t heard the Eversolo. Heard the name though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

in the neighborhood of the Eversolo, less than 1k

Depends on budget. The Aurender A15 and Lumin T3 are both excellent. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I guess the priority is to get the flurry of new SE units out to customers and then take care of the previous model SE upgrades. Seems to be happening that way here also.

Thanks! I got confused by the sentence that "the DAC is just a SW algorithm on an FPGA". The actual conversion to analogue still happens outside the FPGA in the discrete component part... the unique part of the Esoteric (not being a standard chip).

Yes, that’s the plan. Right now the focus is getting the new SE’s out the door. Then I think they will formulate the upgrade program. But the plan is for it to be done in-house in the USA. Esoteric sure is busy! SE models and tone arm...

I want to upgrade my D1X to SE but it can't be done locally here yet. I wonder if SE upgrades (of the Grandioso) can be done in the US?