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Thoughts on an iPad as a streaming source?


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As I just had to send in my MacBook Pro to repair (the butterfly keyboard issue) I just lost my main music server (Audirvana) for about 2 weeks. 
 

I was first thinking to feed my DAC via my regular Belcanto USB-SPDIF converter via the camera connection kit from the Qobuz app. However it turns out the USB our of the CCC isn’t able to power the Belcanto (which has no external power supply). 
 

So I’m now on plan B, feeding the Qobuz app via CCC into my travel DAC (remember that thing, travel?), the Dragonfly Red, and then via an old 3.5mm to cinch cable I had flying around from the iPod days directly into my amp. 
 

Works surprisingly well, due to the power input I can even charge my iPad while using it as a source. 

 

It doesn’t sound as good as my regular DAC but without comparison you wouldn’t necessarily notice. 
 

I’m now just missing my Audirvana remote app which used to work on both IPhone and iPad. I haven’t yet found a way to remote control an iPad. Is there one?

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27 minutes ago, ecwl said:

I’m a little confused. Doesn’t your DAC have a USB input?

Can’t you connect your iPad via CCC to the USB input of your DAC? Or does that also draw way too much power from your iPad?

The USB implementation of my somewhat older Exposure 2010 DAC isn’t great, that’s why I always went via the Belcanto SPDIF way. But that should work, you are correct.

 

If I find some time tomorrow I may do a direct A/B test comparing the USB-in on my main DAC vs the little Dragonfly. 

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17 hours ago, Musicophile said:

The USB implementation of my somewhat older Exposure 2010 DAC isn’t great, that’s why I always went via the Belcanto SPDIF way. But that should work, you are correct.

 

If I find some time tomorrow I may do a direct A/B test comparing the USB-in on my main DAC vs the little Dragonfly. 

The A/B test didn’t last long.
 

Somewhat obviously even the suboptimal USB stage feeding a mostly discrete analog stage DAC sounds better than the Dragonfly. 
 

I just hadn’t used the USB in for 5 years now, so had completely forgotten about it. 
 

So to answer the OPs question, the iPad seems to be a pretty decent streaming source so far if you use Qobuz and the iOS app feeding the CCC. If you have a lossless streaming provider, don’t plan on playing any external local files, and can live without a remote. 

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17 minutes ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

That's a situation in which I found myself. While Qobuz contains a truly inexhaustible supply of music, there are still some things that aren't there and are unlikely ever be, such as Grateful Dead's tapers archives, etc. 🙂

At the risk of going somewhat off topic: I have nearly 4TB of a personal library and keep buying albums every single month. For two reasons: I’m still not the lossless or even better high res streaming model will be commercially viable long term, and to ensure that artists are making at least some money (which they clearly don’t with streaming unless you’re Beyoncé). 
 

To me streaming for the foreseeable future will remain my discovery engine and for when I’m on the go, but having my own library will always be the go to solution. So if high res streaming one day gets too expensive I can simply “cut the cord”. I probably have more music in my library I can ever listen to anyhow. 
 

For this I feel a dedicated streamer or a computer (the new M1 MacMinis look impressive) will remain the better option. 

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1 minute ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Can not disagree with your point. Still, streaming only model seem to be very attractive :-) I am musing about fine one-box or one-box + speakers solution... Can not figure out so far what it should be :-)

I’d also like to simplify my digital system at some point. Haven’t found the solution just yet. Therefore sticking with the same

hifi since 2015 now. Maybe not the worst; leaves you more time to focus on the music. 

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3 hours ago, ecwl said:

Because USB implementations now are very good, we tend to forget a while back, the older USB implementation problems are either related to noise or jitter. But if you’re running the USB off an iPad on battery (presumably without cellular function or have the cellular function turned off), the amount of noise generally is fairly low, even if the USB implementation has no galvanic isolation. And even though older USB implementation have more jitter, all DACs still has de-jitter implementations after the USB section. That’s why the iPad should sound okay. Obviously, more modern USB implementation would sound even better.

Of course, if you’re to plug an old desktop PC to your Exposure’s USB, it would sound worse because now you’re introducing more noise into the older USB implementation that it probably can’t handle. In fact, I can imagine the Dragonfly sounding better than the Exposure when plugged into an old noisy desktop PC via USB as a distinct possibility.

The reason why your Belcanto S/PDIF still sounds better is because you’ve lowered the noise and you’ve lowered the jitter.

Glad you can enjoy your music better while you wait for the MacBook Pro repair. I need your blog so that I’m not completely brainwashed by Gramophone magazine.

Thanks. Agree with your assessment. 
 

Trying my best on the blog. This year I wasn’t as active as I wanted to, but trying to pick up my publishing frequency. Just did a new review this afternoon. 

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