LawrenceT

SO, what did you end up with ?

Sounds wonderful, until I saw price for just a network bridge.

IEM= in-ear monitors I've hooked the phone up to my stereo two ways. One with Roon, using the iPhone as a Roon endpoint, connecting the lightning to USB-3 camera adapter to the Schiit EITR > coax > DCC2 DAC. Second, I used the iPhone without Roon, using the iOS Tidal app to send the audio output through the lightning to USB-3 camera adapter to the Schiit Eitr > coax >DCC2 (DAC). Either way, I didn't noticeably hear EMI noise (?LTE) from my iPhone in my speakers. Yet, when I use to iPhone and Tidal app to play music through lightning to USB-3 camera adapter to the Ea

Can anyone answer why I can use my iPhone to play Tidal music in my stereo (iPhone X > lightning USB-3 camera adapter > USB-A to USB-B cable > Schiit Eitr > coax > emmlabs DCC2 and it sounds good. Yet, when I listen to IEMs with my iPhone X > lightning USB-3 camera adapter > USB-A to USB-C > Earmen Sparrow DAC >> balanced cable to Fiio FH3 IEM, I get iPhone EMI intermittently (some places worse than other) which is not present when using my MacBook Pro with Sparrow and IEMs, or when I put phone in airplane mode.

Tried this today. Sounded great but then when I went back to MacBook I wasn’t sure that iPhone was better. So I went back to MacBook so I could use my iPhone as wireless remote control.

It is connected with the included ATT glass BNC cables. Three of them (one for data and two for clock). But I was told this is not the Same as the Optilink on the NS1.

I asked the company the same thing. But I think my legacy DCC2 doesn’t allow connection with emmlabs Optilink. Maybe the link has been modified since 2005. I was told AES or toslink were my only connection options.

We started off the search with looking at the NS-1. But my legacy DCC2 can’t connect by Optilink, so we are looking at AES or Toslink to connect the streamer to the DAC. I initially thought MQA was important to me, but the more I read the less important that seems. But playing DSD, DSF files would be nice. Waiting to see what emmlabs has coming in the future ...

Thanks for all of your input.Much appreciated. Not sure I want to go the Roon way just yet. I have 9 days left on my trial. But Audirvana is working just fine so far with the Macbook. Let's see what emmlabs has coming...

Actually with the Schiit Eitr, AQ forest usb-c >> usb-B cable and an unnamed digital COAX cable it doesn't sound that bad compared to the CDs... Could try a better COAX I guess for now ?

Of course when I bought the DCC2 in 2005 it was after a lot of auditioning of CD transports/DACs & CD players and the emmlabs sound won me over. Obviously I haven't rushed to replace in 15 years, but at the same time DACs are now so advanced from 2004/5. Continuing with the DCC2 as my source DAC is not ideal as I need to manually switch between 44.1 vs. 48kHz and I'm not sure how I can easily send DSD files to the DAC. Right now, I got a inexpensive solution to stream my MacBook Pro using a used Schiit EITR I bought from Canuck Audio mart running USB cable from my 2016, 13" MacBook Pro

It's getting too complicated, if for the most part I just want to play Tidal or Qobuz hi-res files or perhaps some DSD stored on a USB drive, as I want to get away from buying/storing CD/(SACDs). Can someone explain whether using a Roon server (e.g. nucleus) to stream Tidal into a network streamer (e.g. auralic Vega 2.1) would sound better than just hooking the ethernet cable directly into the streamer. If it does sound better, WHY ?

I've done that it in the past, but with the borders closed I can't seeing getting to the US anytime soon!!! I need to find a VPN that can fool the registration !

Very anxious to hear the details, as my MacBook Pro streaming TIDAL FLAC into the DCC2 via coax is not replacing CDs played on the aging CDSD & the DCC2. Of course if you have a spare demo NS-1 to send me while I wait ...

I had a serious week of listening and playing with the auralic Altair G1. After listening to it for the first day, I kept going between CD/SACD on my 15 year old CDSD transport/DCC2 dac/pre and realized I much preferred listening to my older equipment. I found the Altair too forward and the soundstage compressed. Highs were a bit shrill and although it had more details/resolution, it was much less engaging, less immersive and not as relaxed/easy to listen as the DCC2. I found it fatiguing after many hours. Then, when my dealer came to pick it up after the week, he brought the AURALiC ARIE