PC for stereo streaming; what to prioritize?

[firedog]

6 hours ago, MichaelH said:

 

Hardware: I'm reading in this forum about being fanless, linear power supply, using particular RAM, isolating the SSD's power, or having no local storage at all, having a dedicated high-end USB card, isolating power to that too, .... Then I'm also reading about people using NUCs or even raspberry pis. Can you help me digest and prioritize these things? What would be a good fit for my setup to produce a high-quality stereo source? Or is this whole idea crazy, and I should just get a Bluesound Node 2i or similar?

 

Software: I understand that Tidal does not support MQA on linux. Bummer. I much prefer to run linux, but I may be willing to run Windows if that's the only way to get MQA. It's just been a LONG time (my last Win desktop was XP). Thoughts on that? I have at least been able to identify that disabling pulseaudio makes a noticeable difference when my laptop is the source. Should I be looking at Roon, or can I get by without it? I have a modest FLAC collection that I don't often think about, so streaming is probably the priority.

 

Hardware:

You are not going to find the widest agreement about this. Lots of users swear by complicated and extreme setups that try to optimize every aspect. Others think the digital/streaming source isn't very important and makes little, if any, difference. It's also possible both groups are correct - and that it depends on you system and the way your DAC input is designed. I'm not familiar with the DAC in your unit, so I can't tell you what you will find. Do you find the SPDIF vs USB inputs you presently have are very different in resulting SQ? If, for instance, you find your USB inferior, that might push you to get a source with an optimized USB output. 

 

If you are looking for a server/playback device, one consideration is whether you are going to be doing extreme upsampling, room correction, or DSP. If so, you need a high powered computing source. If not, you can probably get away with somthing like a NUC or the HW equivalent. Even fanless models of these are not outrageously priced.   If you are going to do mostly streaming as you described, you don't need a high powered source. A Pi might suffice. The good thing about the NUC  or Pi type solution is that if you decide in the future to upgrade to more expensive items, you can repurpose them for other uses. Not so true with some of the dedicated, specialized computing and streaming devices. 

 

If I was you I'd jump in on the more low cost end and see what you think. You might be very happy with the result. You can always add on expensive power supplies or USB optimizing devices, etc., afterwards.

 

There are also models like Innuos or Small Green Computer that are "audio optimized" and have built in storage or can use an external HD. After the introductory models they get very pricey, though. 

 

I've used all of the above, including some very pricey specialized solutions. They were all good. The NUC and Pi solutions  give a lot of value for the dollar. There is definitely a declining returns curve above that level of investment. 

 

Software: If you go the Windows route Windows 10 is fine and I think you will be shocked how different it is to your XP experience. Windows 10 Pro is more useful and flexible in a network and remote desktop environment than the home version.  If you are comfortable with Linux that is certainly an inexpensive and good option. 

 

You don't have to have Roon (and I say that as a Roon fan). There are good free or modest cost alternatives. In your case just be sure that what you use can integrate your streaming provider in the interface. That makes the UI much more convenient. 

You can always do a trial of Roon and see if you think it is worth the price. 

 

MQA: how important is it to you? Have you heard it enough to be sure you find it a "must have"? Many of us don't feel that way about it.  If it isn't vital for you, Qobuz or Amazon HD may be a better, cheaper solution for you. Amazon obviously has a vast catalog, and Qobuz is probably superior to Tidal for Jazz and Classical lovers. 

[firedog]

1 hour ago, plissken said:

. You didn't state budget but since you mentioned MQA the Matrix Element i is $2K and empirically speaking probably a top 5 DAC in the market regardless of price.

 

The Element i is only $990. It has  very good measurements, but slightly below state of the art (I own one). The Element M is $1799 and is more high end (better power supply, a build with better internal isolation. etc.). Maybe you meant that one. 

[firedog]

5 hours ago, MichaelH said:

Thank you all for the feedback. Based on your suggestions and a lot of reading, I have a NUC8i3BEH on the way. Now I need to select a power supply, RAM, and storage.

 

I'll give it a try, likely end up putting it in an Akasa case, and will see how the SQ compares to my CD source, which itself is very clean. Depending on how that goes, maybe I'll dive deeper and build a more customized system.

 

There were a couple of DAC suggestions, but my Cambridge Edge A has a nice DAC built in. When I was looking at upgrade options about a year ago, the Edge really blew me away with its overall SQ. I was previously using a Musical Fidelity DAC that I liked a lot, but even connecting it to the Edge, the built-in DAC seems better all-around. I'm sure there is some advantage to having a computer source with DAC closely integrated, but in this case I think it makes sense to continue using the Edge's DAC and focus on giving it a quality source over USB.

Let us know what you think. I've used a fanless NUC as a Roon endpoint and found it to work fine.