Best cost-no-object streamer or streamer-dac combo

In a couple of weeks I’ll be ordering the new Matrix Audio X-SABRE 3 DAC/Streamer. I’m just spoiled by my MA mini-i Pro 3 amazing sound and reliability with Roon.

@Matthew_Partrick Just catching up so apologies if you answered this already. Before making recommendations can you explain why you’re giving up the Bryson/Nucleus combo? What don’t you like? What are you hoping to achieve in a new system?

Never mind. Just saw that you already made a decision

IT’s ok, I suspect the thought process may be enlightening for people.

The Bryston’s sound was great, but it was very fussy when it came to showing up as an endpoint. You know when you click the settings of an endpoint when you’re in the audio section of settings? Before 1.8 instead of a 192.blah blah URL to GUI, there was a way, at least with the Bryston, to access a backdoor setting to allow the user to default to Roon Ready. To be honest, even after I figured this out, it was super annoying because I had to do it each time I turned the unit off and on. I’ve had my fair share of gnashing of teeth and hair-pulling over the act of turning my integrated amp and streamer off, and have always felt that if the interface between the two devices couldn’t handle making the reconnection once turned back on, that it was a basically sub-optimal situation that was destined to make my blood pressure go up and proceed to rip apart my AV closet, thus causing She Who Must Not Be Named to shake her head in a sort of “I told you so, you’ve been digging in that closet for 4 years” sing song admonishment, and I wasn’t really in the mood to perpetuate that, having been chastised for over-complicating our AV system since the PreCambrian Age.

Here is the solution that has basically solved all my problems.

  1. I ditched the aftermarket modem/router, that was a Netgear Nighthawk, and went back to the Comcast xFi, which is fast and easy.
    2). Becuase I was having problems with both video streaming and hi-fi audio, instead of using 1 16 port netgear ethernet switch, I bought two 8 port Cisco switches, and put all the video on one, and all the audio on the other. (I realize this is voodoo level shenanigans, but it worked so after years of suffering I just don’t care.)
    3). I plugged my NAS, Nucleus (+), and Cocktail X45Pro into the same switch, hardwired with Cat6.
  2. I bypassed the DAC in my Vinnie Rossi L2iSE integrated Amp and used analog connects to go from the CAX45Pro directly to the preamp section of my integrated.

Since doing this circa Xmas 2020, I have had absolutely no problems. Since it took me about four years to sort out, (Since Hurricane Irma), I am loathe to change the details of the setup and am perfectly happy to have the TVs streaming perfectly and the music streaming perfectly.

Hope this helps people understand how I solved my problems.

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PLUS the X1 is Roon Ready, and does DSD512 & 32/768 PCM :+1:

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The Linn Katalyst Klimax DS/DSM’s are good (I have a KDS/3 myself), but I seem to get more musical enjoyment from my Stack Audio LINK (with SA LPS) & Chord TT2/M Scaler combo.

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One of the reasons I love the X45Pro so much is that its a streamer and MQA dac, so I can compare to the Vinnie Rossi DAC…

Merging technologies Nadac is a great streamer especially if paired to the separate power unit of Merger. This set-up will set you back approximately €21k