I went with a Red, for basic use, at best seeming performance, any price. These comparative reviews helped(but full of measurements lol):
Oh I love this idea!! Actually great 
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I can’t recommend this component as i havent tried it, but did come across it before I settled on the Aurender N10. I use the n10 as a sever and digital source as I don’t stream.
The Volumio Rivo is a pure steamer (pretty sure as i get the lines mixed up), you get a lifetime subscription to Volumio (non-transferable), based on the tiny picture you get coax, aes, and usb. $989. It says pre-sale, but not sure. I thought it was released. Maybe worth checking out.
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Wow, how come I didn’t run into you earlier! This explains my setup goal precisely, for local/offline file playing 
But damn, $3500 aint cheap : s
It covered everything that i was looking for and the SQ imo is great. It seems easy to work with. Neutral (maybe a touch warm), dark background, good dynamics. Yes, i had to save up for this one.
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For what it’s worth, I have a Sonore ultraRendu (streamer) into a Berkeley Alpha USB (DDC) in my main setup right now, which I paid less than $2k for (though I got somewhat lucky with used prices).
So yeah, if you’re okay with two separate boxes, an ultraRendu into something like an SU-6 or an SU-2 KTE is under the $2k price point even brand new, and the Singxer DDCs have a lot of simultaneous connectivity. (I believe they both output I2S, AES, SPDIF, Toslink, etc all at once.)
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Thank you for this suggestion, I don’t stream in the sense of using Qobuz/Tidal. I use Roon for my local lossless music and/or CD transport.
What I am not really understanding, or failing to see is what separates these bargain streamers from the big guns such as the ESS? @Polygonhell explained the linux audio a bit, outside of some of the models using the Rpi compute module or other ARM module, what other than price do these bring to the table?
I always thought the Pi2AES was a bargain when I grabbed it, and a few years later still holds strong. Unless I am missing the obvious, which is very likely hence why I am inquiring the collective for guidance.
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I realize that this wont be a particularly satisfying answer, but honestly, its just general quality. You get better handling of inputs and outputs on an electrical level, you get better power supply, you can get more flexibility, and some other things, but the upgrades will be fairly device specific if you are looking for “has upgraded USB chip that does X”
I mean, the Pi2AES is a massive bargain. It has honestly been a very long time disruptor in the streamer space. I dont really know what your chain is (may be worth while to add your chain to your profile bio so others can refrence it btw), but unless you are playing in kinda of the 4k+ surce chain game, Im not sure upgrading streamer is even the best use of money unless you have specific complaints with your current setup that you are trying to fix.
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Brain fart, never thought about adding this. It has been updated, thank you for the suggestion.
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@Camus A lot of information here given and it’s all good. Just a few comments to hopefully clear things up.
Don’t get mixed up with terms, you’ve mentioned it a couple of times. Just don’t bother to call something a streamer, a server, a bridge, a lot of times one component will do a number of things.
DDCs will generally output to multiple outputs at once, so they’re typically better solutions and you’ll not be paying for a DAC. IF your goal is to upgrade your sound, that may be your best best.
As mentioned before a Pi with a good hat like the Pi2AES is already a great starting point and they will scale quite a bit with an improved power supply. You don’t say what you use to power your Pi. Very important and easy low hanging performance fruit. That said, you’ll spend $300 on an iFi Power Elite 5V, th esame as the cost of your Pi so diminishing returns.
A lot of the gear further up, even some of those $3K plus options already shared are Pi based. Hell even some Super high end DACs have a Pi in them as their Ethernet streaming input.
The Lumin U1 is a great solution and if you wanted an upgrade, you could move to a used one of those, with an power supply mod, they can be had for about $1500 used with the power supply already upgraded but it won’t be an night an day upgrade over a Pi with a good hat and a good power supply.
Hell you can even just use a Pi/good PS as your streaming endpoint and have it go USB into a VERY GOOD DDC and perhaps see the biggest performance gain. Perhaps even at the dCS and NS1 level of performance.
Another thing already recommended to you is the ultraRendu line probably the same type of punching above it’s weight as the Pi2AES but at two tiers up IMO especially with a very good power supply and a reclocker attached to it.
There’s also the SOtM SMS200 Ultra Neo with its matching USB reclocker and power supply. That’s USB only but another solution that punches way above its used price point IMO.
Yeah it’s a bit confusing but having this many option is a good thing in the digital source world. It’s a hobby so try things out, buy used it will help a lot.
Also like it’s been stated, make sure your streamer isn’t your current weakest link.
…and last but not least. If you’re going to go all in on digital then at some point you’re going to have to address how you get your data to the streaming endpoint. Cleaning up your network with best practice implementations (see some of the diagrams that have been posted here) is a worthwhile effort eventually. Just don’t go there first.
and really last but not least, have the best digital files you possibly can locally as that’s where it all starts.
Enjoy the music.
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As Eskamobob said it’s just better quality.
Better designs for less noise, the Pi for example generates it’s 3.3V supply from it’s 5V one with a switching regulator, better designs use voltage regulators that just get very hot.
Better Shielding/Isolation of the components.
If it’s got AES/SPDIF/TOSLINK out then a better clock, the Pi2AES has a decent clock in it, but you can spend $400+ on a clock chip, and most streamers have 2 of them. They are that expensive because of tighter tolerances.
Clock doesn’t matter for a USB only device.
Better PSU, at some point the cost of your power supply components starts to dominate in audio gear, better PSU = less noise.
What does it really buy you, depends on the DAC, and the Streamer, Chord Dave is a different DAC with a good source (not a subtle difference), other DAC’s it’s levels of blacker, wider stage, some tilt to the overall presentation.
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Looking at your chain, I think a step up streamer wise could make a lot of sense. Another thing to keep an eye on is isolation. IDK how DNA reacts to it, but the A&S stuff reacts super well to better isolation. Just FWIW, if you dont want to spend much on it, I have had sorbothane (you need to make sure you size it right for the weight) recomended as a hyper cheap option that can be had off amazon with prime. I will be pricing stuff out tomorrow once I can weigh some of my gear, but I was told < $15 per device
EDIT: Just a note, but HMS has much better USB input than other stuff AFAIK. Maybe this matters less as you go up the line streamer wise, but I suspect in teh 1-2k range USB into HMS is probabaly still the move
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Thank you for the breakdown and further clarification, I feel like the Pi2ES is my current weak spot and will freely admit I have no idea what brick I am using to power the Rpi and the Pi2AES, think it is some left over from another device.
@Polygonhell and @Draaly thank you for the further explanations, I have upgraded the big pieces over the years but failed to move the small less sexy stuff along the way. Hell my purchase of the Lazuli Ref+ cable recently was a huge step for me.
I read somewhere, or someone told me the HMS is a defacto DDC? The problem I run into is one I have it upscaling one step it renders my main DAC useless as it only supports a max of 16/48, where in the case of the TT2 this is a non-issue.
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What type of music files do you typically use on there? Where do you get your music files from?
Looking at this random Marantz SACD 30n I came across, the spec differences between CD and SACD output are pretty significant! Is this difference common to see…? And a real reason to go for an SACD player(or, avoid discs entirely somehow, and get the digital files directly from the artist somehow?)?
What file types, bits, sample rate etc, do you guys use for your ‘noticeably maximum enough’ quality systems? 16/44 FLAC? 24/44 WAV? And what sites do you download them from?
- SACD:
- frequency response: 2-50,000 (-3 dB)
- signal-to-noise ratio: 112 dB
- dynamic range: 109 dB
- THD: 0.0008%
- CD:
- frequency response: 2-20,000 (±1 dB)
- signal-to-noise ratio: 104 dB
- dynamic range: 98 dB
- THD: 0.0015%
Hm… I guess not so much. Just a poorer player. Here is the cheaper Yamaha CD-S2100:
- SACD specs:
- frequency response: 2-50,000 Hz (-3 dB)
- signal-to-noise ratio: 116 dB
- dynamic range: 110 dB
- CD specs:
- frequency response: 2-20,000 Hz
- signal-to-noise ratio: 116 dB
- dynamic range: 100 dB
Technics SLG700M2:
- SACD:
- frequency response: 2Hz - 50kHz
- signal-to-noise ratio: 121 dB (balanced), 118 dB (unbalanced)
- dynamic range: 118 dB (balanced), 115 dB (unbalanced)
- CD specs:
- frequency response: 2Hz - 20kHz
- signal-to-noise ratio: 121 dB (balanced), 118 dB (unbalanced)
- dynamic range: 98 dB
What’s the reason a Yggy OG is not recommended with the Bha1 but a Crane Song Solaris \ Soekris 2541?
And based on your shit list @M0N I see the Bha1 is now higher than the v550 may I know why?
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Seems like Bliss might > both? 
I don’t wanna deal with that V550 volume knob issue
Might be worthwhile to do the 5v and lps mod then.
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The yggy just doesn’t tend to really work as well as the others imo, I think it’s worse with a bf2, but it’s a bit of over smoothness, and a bit of slopiness that I don’t really like, I thought the pairing with the more neutral and cleaner and tighter options like the crane song (in comparison) or soekris ended up maximizing what the amp does better than something like the yggy did. This isn’t to say the amp is entirely a write off if you have a yggy, but personally it wouldn’t be my first choice
Because I like it more, and it’s higher value. They’re really roughly similar level in technical performance and it would come down to pairing and preference for which one to consider tbh. I just think that the bryston can scale more, and I think is a more mature and refined sounding amp to my ears, and can be found a lot cheaper then the vio stuff currently
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Thanks for clarifying. Recently returned a Gumby and V222, it was nice with constant subbass and hard impact with clearer low level info but was too creamy and lacked the proper bite and texture like the Rnhp. And when added the Rnhp to the Gumby it sounded better than the Violectric.
Solaris is super rare but I can see 1 piece for sale finally in EU, do you think it works fine with the Rnhp until I find a nice Bha1? Wasting too much money on returns and shippings lol.
Really seems like the v222 is iffy for people, it’s weird, that’s not an issue at all with the 550 to my ears and I haven’t seen people say that, but the v222 seems really hit or miss with people. Also the og v281 and 280 didn’t pair well with the schiit dacs as much as I’d want either, but I like schiit stuff with the 550
I think it works awesome with the neve, although I’d make sure it’s actually a reasonable price before pulling the trigger lol
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