Step up from Bluesound Vault 2, next move?
What is your budget, uber? i am not sure that when it comes to digital transports, beyond a certain price point, that more money equals more performance. See if you can actually try a piece in your system, using the Brooklyn, to see if it is truly better. If you change both the DAC and Streamer simultaneously, you won’t know where any improvement is coming from. Even if you have to pay a restocking fee if you decide that the new streamer doesn’t surpass the Vault2, at least you will have piece of mind |
@uberwaltz Given the degree and emphasis of your streaming habits/levels I recommend getting separate solutions. The BlueSound will be easily surpassed by the available server / streamer options (budget depending). If you can elaborate on what you are looking for with respect to a converter, folks with DAC experience may be able to be more helpful. |
Kevin, you need to define " best direction." This is about you and your needs. Using the Auralic series as an illustration... The G2 series, among other areas, focuses on improving galvanic isolation, power supplies, physical separation, physical isolation, etc. All of which, generally speaking in my experience, provides a return on sound performance. Whether the additional spend to achieve a ’higher’ level of performance is worth it, only you can say. |
@uberwaltz If looking at streamers only the most full featured ones in terms of outputs are the G1 and the Lumin U1 Mini, and for about double the price of both their big brothers the G2 and the standard U1. All four of these have all four of the desired standard outputs. The G2 has an HDMI style output but it is only compatible with the Vega 2. For units with built in DAC's you start going up in price with the Teac Reference NT-505, Lumin D2 and the somewhat dated Auralic Altair. Higher up the ladder are the Lumin's from the T1 to the X1 and the Aurender A10. I've owned the Lumin D and the Teac and prefer the Teac. They both use the Lumin software but the Teac has the top line AKM 4497 chipset. The lower end Aurender and Innuos units depend on USB for the most part. |
I suspect you may have a hard time discerning an audio difference between the Bluesound (as a transport) and a more expensive piece of equipment. A few years ago I placed a Bluesound Node (first edition with the weird angles) in my system, and ran it through several DACs I had at hand. We also hooked up a Mac mini as a source (spdif out); we could hear no difference between the transports. Same with 16/44.1 files wirelessly streaming to an Apple TV or an Airport Express. Nada. The sonic differences between the DACs, however, was perceptible. The DACs all sounded unique, and, depending on the source file, some sounded better with certain source material than others. I cannot afford a Brooklyn, but from what I have read it is a well regarded DAC. Maybe if I had a better DAC it would reveal the shortcomings of my digital transports, but I suspect even then the differences would be barely perceptible. I listened to a Bluesound Vault 2 through an all BAT electronics chain (including a Rex DAC) and Wilson speakers, and it sounded glorious! I just sat their dumfounded as the music carried me away. No thought of equipment. Just music. If I was in your (enviable) position, I would hold on to the Vault for a while and try out some different DACs. I really like the Schiit Multibit DACs (owned both a Modi MB and a Bifrost MB; I kept the Mimby and sold the Bimby). If you can get your hands on one, you might want to try a higher end Schiit MB, or a Holo Springs or Denefrips R2R. Maybe won’t be your cup of tea, but it will definitely be a different flavor. Maybe the Manhattan would be a big improvement. I don’t know. You will be spending some serious cash getting a better DAC than what you already have, but something different can be had without breaking the bank. |
Uber I did try an Auralic Aries in my system about a year ago and wound up paying a restocking fee to return it. It sounded slightly different than the Vault into my DAC, but not better. The bass was a little tighter, the treble less crisp, the overall presentation was (slightly) more laid back, overall I felt it was a tie. I found the Auralic harder to operate and preferred the plug and play of the Vault2, although if I had spent more time with the Auralic perhaps I would have acclimated. I also tried a Bryston BDP-2 and felt was a tie-slightly different, not necessarily better. So again, I urge you to audition in your own system. We all hear things differently. You may however, find that the Vault2 compares favorably. |
I think what does matter the most with streamers is the App. The quality of the user experience is IMO largely determined by the ease of access, especially large collections. Bluesound OS is ok but hardly perfect. I didn’t find the Auralic or Bryston apps to be improvements. Since the OP now primarily listens to Tidal I guess one question would be whether the Tidal app is identical on all of the different streamers. |
And this is why the Vault 2 is still here after nearly 2 years ...lol. I truly have had no grounds to fault it but also at the same time realise it still is a budget item and if people make and sell streamers that cost a lot more then surely they would give me something more in sq? And least that is the thought process. David to define "best direction" in my case... I guess it really just means better sq on the streaming front than the Vault is presenting. Yes the user interface and experience has to be at least the equal of the Bluos app as well. My thoughts were some of the streamers combine a DAC and if that was the better way to go then it replaces two items with one item in my chain. However again I have zero complaints about the Brooklyn, it is by far the best DAC I have had in my system so far. Now I know there are a lot of people streaming their music today and was hoping for some users of higher end streamers to chime in and no that does not mean I do not appreciate and welcome all the comments I have had so far. |
@uberwaltz , I was in a similar place a few years ago trying to figure out how to get the best digital source sound quality to my dac within a modest/medium budget. My mac mini running Audirvana+ just wasn't involving compared to my vinyl rig and I was missing out on enjoying many digital recordings I have that aren't available on vinyl. After comparing Aurelic Aries, a couple of other servers and trying every trick I could find for the Mac I bought a Sonore microRendu, a linear power supply(important!) and a Synology NAS. The advantages fit my situation perfectly. The NAS goes in next room. Bluejean ethernet cable runs to the input of the mR(sized like a deck of cards) which sits directly behind the dac and connects via a tiny included USB connector. I went with a 4bay Synology and 4 x 3TB Western Digital Red drives that slide into the NAS. 12TB will last me quite a while! For control, the free Lumin app runs on my iPad, providing a great experience that equals the Aurelic, without bugs, but perhaps not quite at the level of the Aurender's Conductor. SQ improvement is obvious to me & all visitors. Most agree they haven't heard a better sounding digital source and I am only using a $1200 Schiit Gungnir Multibit as my dac. Your Brooklyn is indeed formidable, give it a chance to shine! This type of setup gives you room for growth to later change dac, get more storage or use new apps for control. The microRendu overcomes many of the challenges of digital by allowing for mechanical drives to be elsewhere, minimizing noise(RF and electrical) with a low power, single purpose approach, and running a small Linux operating system that avoids all the noisy processes that run on Mac & PC based solutions. It's a real giant killer at it's price point and supports a long term strategy making it a rare fair investment, something that doesn't come along frequently in digital! Please read Chris Connaker's 2part review for the best explanation, or some of these: https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/28381-sonore-microrendu-reviews/ Cheers, Spencer |
@uberwaltz There is a new review of the Antipodes CX and EX (server+renderer) which I posted here: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/antipodes-cx-ex-as-server-plus-renderer It will address some, if not many, of your concerns and issues on the topic. |
Here are suggestions from 'The Absolute Sound' (in case you haven't seen this recent list). http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2019-high-end-audio-buyers-guide-music-servers-and-peripher... |
