New Streamer advice

Audio Gear Talk
1

Looking for some guidance on the above.

After a spur of the moment 1266TC purchase it got me started off on building a really decent HP set up.

So now I have the Qutest and the Niimbus US5 Pro , and these are being fed by a Raspberry Pi4 using Roon. This is connected by Ethernet into a BT Wifi Extender disc as he Nucleus is in another room

My question is a fairly simple one, but nothing is ever that simple in Hifi

I am looking at the possibility of upgrading the Pi to another streamer. It has to be able to be used in the same way as my router is in another part of the house.

I have been looking at the Project Streambox Ultra and the Sotm 200 Neo and reading up on them.

I guess I don’t really want to throw a lot of cash at this ,so this is why looking at the two above.

Will this give an improvement on the Pi?

I may even stretch the budget if I really needed to. I like the look of the Lumin and Auralic products but they are quite costly. I would only spend 2K if it was going to offer significant improvements.

I know I could get a better Power supple for the Pi , but I have tended to shy away from this in the past as where does it all stop once I start doing that. So I do just tend to try and get better components as this helps with my sanity :wink:

I would really appreciate any advice or guidance or any comments that this community think could help me

2

You do know that you’ll be getting the whole spectrum from “no possible improvement” to “a whole different league” - better get first hand impressions by comparing for yourself and then move on.

8 Likes
3

It’s not just about sound quality I guess.
I am not that good with tech and if something goes wrong with the Pi I will be lost
So looking for something more user friendly if you like .
Also keen to use USB into the DAC , just thought I would add this

Like I said all comments and opinions are welcome

4

If stretching to 2k then the Lumin U1 mini would be my choice of the day.

Excellent Lumin support with our own resident in house expert on the forums.

Plenty of threads on this unit too.

2 Likes
5

I have a Lumin D2 for sale if that’s of any interest, i’d deliver to Newcastle. Its in the sale and trade section.

6

I think I would prefer a streamer only as I already have a DAC in the Qutest

7

The other cheap option could be the ifi stream.

1 Like
8

I was considering this , but I think its an ugly piece of kit if I am honest and it seems to have a lot of issues at present so decided to stay clear of this one for now.

2 Likes
9

Mine has been rock solid for the days i’ve had it, mine hidden in a media unit as I don’t need to interface with it…… :grinning:

10

I’d avoid it, Ifi support is not great from my experience and it seems they have bitten off more than they can chew with the streamer.

Look at the Stack Audio link II it seems to get good reviews and feedback.

3 Likes
11

Yes this looks a very good option. I have been reading up about it.
Looks like only one retailer here in the UK, so will check this out

12

I have a SotM sMS-200 I no longer which I keep meaning to list…

1 Like
13

Cheap and good:

The best, if available is the Sonore opticalRendu, with a decent power supply, like Uptone JS-2.

14

I doubt that you will hear a big difference with the two streamers you mentioned, but that is only a guess. The advantage might be in looks and switching the unit on and off.
Have you considered a streamer/dac combo, such as the Lumin t2? Or are you settled with the Qutest?
Lots of options. Congratulations on the TC1266. I own the Diana V2 and I am loving it.

15

Matrix Audio mini-i Pro 3 could be a good choice too.

1 Like
16

Some great ideas and I will have a look at them all.
I just want a streamer as I have just bought the Qutest DAC

17

When you say that you want to “upgrade” from the Pi4, what specifically are you looking to achieve from the upgrade?

Be wary of claims of huge sonic improvements from more expensive alternatives - objective measurements rarely give any credence to subjective impressions.

18

Thats a good question and maybe I should have pointed it out.
To me the Pi sounds excellent, but thats because I can only compare it to my laptop as this is what I used previously.

If I can get a streamer with better sound then great as long as the cost is reasonable.
However in truth its more about the aesthetics too. The Pi is that light that the USB cable and Ethernet cable make it difficult to sit straight in one place, so to me it looks untidy.

Secondly I am not good with tech and I think I would like a product where I could get some support when things go wrong.
I guess there is no hurry but I am starting the process. However I am really liking what I see in the Stack Audio Link 2

1 Like
19

The Pi provides a data stream to an external DAC over USB. A different data source (streamer) won’t of itself offer sonic improvements (though others will vehemently disagree).

If the Pi isn’t heavy enough, you could always add a sturdier case, or alternatively build it into a case with a touchscreen - more heft and a nice visual display with some control functionality (both of mine are built this way). I’ve been using Ropieee/RopieeXL for over a year with no issues at all. From what I’ve seen around here, @spockfish offers great support in response to the relatively few problems that users do experience.

7 Likes
20

If that is the case, then move the Pi to a Pi Display case, install RoPieeeXL and be done. I don’t think you would find a better solution at that price that is a Roon Bridge. Not to mention that @spockfish is always here and his support has no equal. I have 3 x RoPieee Displays and they work GREAT with ZERO glitches.

Here is the RoPieee Display I use with my Matrix Audio X-SABRE 3:

IMG_9336
IMG_93361920Ă—2560 355 KB

IMG_9329
IMG_93291920Ă—1440 169 KB

Here is the RoPieee Display I use with my Bluesound NODE and Topping E50 DAC:

IMG_9332
IMG_93321920Ă—1440 157 KB

2 Likes