Best way to get Hi Res music to my two channel audio system, with no PC?

[HiFiJeff]

I am putting together a nice 2 channel audio system that consists of Omega speakers, TPA-3116 Fleawatt amp, Schiit Modi 2 Uber dac and a Denon SACD player. I am wondering what the best way to get Hi Res music or even higher quality music to my system other than from my SACD player and PS3 which I am streaming Spotify Premium through. Thanks!

 

[JoeESP9]

AFAIK there are no streaming music services If you mean higher than CD quality such as 24/96 or DSD files. CD quality is about the best you can stream. There are numerous sites that have actual high resolution (24/96, DSD etc.) files available for download.

 

[chicks]

Might try Chromecast Audio, optical to your DAC, then Bubbleupnp on an inexpensive Android phone, streaming from Tidal to the Chromecast. Works well, low cost.

 

[Thocom]

What about streaming from various apps like SiriusXM or Pandora? Isn't that higher res then CD?

 

[+48V]

What about streaming from various apps like SiriusXM or Pandora? Isn't that higher res then CD?

No.

 

[BrocLuno]

There are a variety of streaming DACs that can handle internal storage up to 1 TB, SD cards, USB sticks, External HDD (SSD ) and so on.

Look at this thread: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/playing-digital-files-on-my-hifi-system.697733/

I think many of us want a digital source/streamer w/o tying up phone/tablet or having the PC running 24/7 ...

 

[drew_t]

^ I'd rather "tie up" a $35 CCA and a sub-$50 Android phone or tablet than shell out $2,495 for one of those . . . YMMV.

 

[chicks]

Thing is, the CCA doesn't tie up the phone at all, the phone is just a remote control. The music doesn't go through the phone.

 

[uofmtiger]

There are a variety of streaming DACs that can handle internal storage up to 1 TB, SD cards, USB sticks, External HDD (SSD ) and so on.

Look at this thread: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/playing-digital-files-on-my-hifi-system.697733/

I think many of us want a digital source/streamer w/o tying up phone/tablet or having the PC running 24/7 ...

I think you are referring to streaming from an iPhone via AirPlay. If you are using a newer iPad or Touch, you can typically run audio and AirPlay in the background. If you use an iPhone to stream, streaming will stop when you get or make a phone call. That being said, Synology has a NAS that has AirPlay built in, so you can stream from that using the iPhone as a remote. AirPlay is not hi res, but I think there is some confusion as to what hi res means at this point. As mentioned above, none of the current streaming services support hi res.

I also want to make the point that trying to get around using a computer used to be one of my ongoing pursuits. I had a network DVD player (Linkplayer) long before PS3s were being made. It also has a USB input, so you could directly connect to it. The problem with that pursuit is that these services typically are behind the curve when new streaming services are announced, they don't support as many services as a computer, they often aren't hi res and when they are, the require specific formats.

Compare that to an energy efficient Mac Mini. It has software that can play most formats, it has inputs for expanding storage, it can handle hi res, it works with most (if not all) new streaming services when they are announced, it allows connections to DACs via USB, optical or even HDMI. It has specialized audio software ranging from the inexpensive Bit Perfect to the more expensive Amarra Symphony and many different choices in between. It can be used with services like Roon. It can also be used for AirPlay, Bluetooth, and many of the program's it runs can be controlled via Android or iOS devices. If you buy an off the shelf $499 model, you can expect it to be updated for free for years to come (my 2010 model still gets updates). You can also connect a drive to it for ripping CDs. If you run into a problem, there is a company that stands behind the product and you can also extend the warranty for a fee.

The one downside is that you need a screen for setup. However, networked DVD players also require a screen. The solutions without a screen, typically have an app that controls the player via iOS and Android. I have used the Denon version with my receiver and it leaves something to be desired compared to Spotify's native app, Roon's iPad app, JRemote or even Apple's Remote app.

That being said I would go with Denon's streamer if I absolutely didn't want to use a computer (Note: I believe you can set a mini up to run headless after initial setup, though I have never tried it:
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/turning-a-mac-into-a-music-server/ ) .

 

[chicks]

Yeah, ELAC sure has been busy! Very interesting product line, including an integrated amp with room correction, and modules to wirelessly connect their well-received speakers. I think Sonos finally has some competition that I will take seriously.

 

[uofmtiger]

I would wait.... ELAC is coming out with a streamer that looks amazing and can be controlled with iOS or Android - http://www.audiostream.com/content/elac-fire

Also, the software that comes with it, is the best out there right now ROON AUDIO. You will not need a PC - just Hook your NAS or USB drive to it and go.....

Just be aware:

"ELAC DISCOVERY IS NOT ROON

As this keeps popping up over and over, I can make it very clear: ELAC Discovery is not Roon, nor can it be turned into Roon at any price.

The ELAC offering is powered by Roon's library management engine, but does it's own audio management. This means all the Roon audio offerings don't automatically come into the ELAC products. The confusion is surely coming from the fact that it is currently being demoed with full Roon UI at these trade shows, and no one is doing crazy stuff like HQ Player or DSD in the demos.

Shipping, it will lack many Roon features out of the box (I mention a few earlier in this thread). The upgrade price will open up some of those features, but many will be unavailable even for an upgrade.

Much of our current work, and future roadmap has plans for that either don't make sense for ELAC, or won't come with ELAC's offerings.

The ELAC Discovery is a great product, but it is not Roon in a box. It is it's own ecosystem with benefits of its own.

Buy ELAC because it is a great product on its own. Do not buy ELAC to get Roon. Do not think that buying ELAC is a way to get Roon cheaply. ELAC provides a great audio system with a great user experience, and I believe that it'll be one of the best experiences out of the box (once it is released). However, it is will not be Roon.

The marketing of this product is the hype-machine-gone-bad. It is such a great product on its own, I'm confused to why it's being tied to Roon so much.

The only vendor selling the full Roon-in-box experience right now is SOtM and their device doesn't come with a Roon membership. You still need that from Roon Labs. More of these types of manufacturers are coming up as well." https://community.roonlabs.com/t/roon-server-appliance-from-elac/4205/24


For less money, you can get a brand new Mac Mini and a lifetime subscription to Roon. Also, you won't be tied into the limited number of services available on this type of streaming device.

 

[chicks]

Yes, but two entirely different markets. Vast majority of consumers would find setting up Roon, etc on PC to be too much bother; they want something that just works, and has excellent support if things go wrong. Roon might sell in the thousands; the ELAC units, if well reviewed in the non-audiophile press, could sell in the hundreds of thousands, or even (like Sonos) millions.

 

[uofmtiger]

Yes, but two entirely different markets. Vast majority of consumers would find setting up Roon, etc on PC to be too much bother; they want something that just works, and has excellent support if things go wrong. Roon might sell in the thousands; the ELAC units, if well reviewed in the non-audiophile press, could sell in the hundreds of thousands, or even (like Sonos) millions.

I agree that they are two different markets, but I believe the vast majority of consumers already own a computer and just use iTunes or Spotify for music. They aren't avoiding Roon because it is a hassle to install. They are avoiding it because they never heard of it and/or the price is too high for what it does (put me in that camp). Most people are happy with Beats headphones or Apple earbuds, so we aren't talking about a huge number of consumers in the audiophile market to begin with.

Sonos isn't really in the same market as ELAC either. The ELAC, at least the one I am talking about, costs ~$1000. That puts it in the much smaller audiophile market more than the much larger convenience market.

 

[chicks]

If ELAC plays it correctly, and puts the smarts in their upcoming wireless speakers, so that they can stream directly from Tidal or Apple Music, without requiring their box, they could do very well. They have Andrew Jones, whose low cost Pioneer speakers were well known for their great value. He's an excellent, knowledgeable engineer, so good that Peter J. Walker once asked him to take over for him at QUAD.

Sonos has said that 92% of its users now bypass their home stored music, preferring to stream directly from the web, primarily Pandora, but also Spotify and the quickly gaining Apple Music.

http://blog.sonos.com/news/to-a-billion

Very few still use or want to use a PC for music these days. It's not in the right location, takes too long to start up, causes stuttering when overloaded with other tasks, consumes too much power, etc. PC sales fell off a cliff a few years back, as tablet sales took off.

I sure don't miss having to bother with a PC, and never stream from the local storage anymore. The services have vast amounts of music, are extremely easy to use, especially via Sonos, and cost almost nothing. The PC, or even the Squeezebox, were never anywhere near the Sonos for usability, or for integration of a multitude of services into a single, highly refined, UI. Not even close.

I wish ELAC well. They appear to be moving in a good direction, embracing new technologies, unlike so many "high end" companies that are looking backwards 50 years, or touting nonsense.

 

[ducati_EL34]

Very few still use or want to use a PC for music these days. It's not in the right location, takes too long to start up, causes stuttering when overloaded with other tasks, consumes too much power, etc. PC sales fell off a cliff a few years back, as tablet sales took off.
.

Startup? Who shuts their computer off?? Too much power? Hardly. Stuttering happened with older PCs, but not with today's multi core computers. Well unless you are trying to find the last digit of Pi.

 

[uofmtiger]

Startup? Who shuts their computer off?? Too much power? Hardly. Stuttering happened with older PCs, but not with today's multi core computers. Well unless you are trying to find the last digit of Pi.

I agree. I never turn off my Mac Mini. A 2014 Mac Mini barely uses more idle power than a Sonos Connect ( 5 vs 8 watts)...don't know what the energy efficiency of ELAC, but I would be surprised if it was much better than the Connect. I have a 2010 mini and it never stutters with music, so you would have to be using a pretty old computer for it to have problems playing music.

Mac sales are up, by the way. ( they set their all time sales record in the last quarter)

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2015/10/27Apple-Reports-Record-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html

 

[Jeffery]

One thing I notice about the Connect is how warm it gets. Seems like more than 8 watts.

And I build PCs still, some dandies, but they are not my primary listening source.

 

[uofmtiger]

One thing I notice about the Connect is how warm it gets. Seems like more than 8 watts.

And I build PCs still, some dandies, but they are not my primary listening source.

The Sonos Connect is 5 watts when idle according to Sonos:

https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/260/~/sonos-power-consumption-when-idle

I read somewhere that the mini was 8 watts, but apparently it is only 6 watts (http://www.apple.com/mac-mini/design/).

I used the Connect for comparison since it is their only comparable device. Sonos actually has speakers that are worse than the Connect and the Mini.