Good day. I would like to thank the forum for all its help
and information. And as such, now that it’s all done, I wondered if you might
be interested in my journey towards wireless streaming.
Boy has it been a steep learning curve. I came on this forum
about 4 or 5 weeks ago looking for information on how to do away with old ugly black
boxes and a stand, coupled with a long run of speaker cable.
My thoughts were at that time of an Arcam Solo with Ipod
Dock or maybe a Linn Classic sitting on a pretty silver and glass shelf between
the speakers. Trouble was I also hated the muffled sound of my old budget Wharfedale
Diamond 8.3s Floor Standers. I had a wife imposed limit of about £1200. This amount
being way more than she had ever previously considered spending on Hi-Fi.
I listened to the Solo in store with some Usher speakers. It
sounded OK but didn’t blow me away. With the Ipod dock it would have just came
in at about £1300. But then add stands.
Then I was told on here about the CA Azur range in silver
and I auditioned some at home for a week. An Azur amp with some KEF Q5SE
Floorstanding speakers. Using my old Arcam Alphas 7SE (in graphite which would
have spoiled the look). This sounded pretty good, but not the crystal clear
clarity that I was looking for. Anyway by now I was also being told about Bit
Perfect Wireless Streaming. And about stand alone DACs. Airport express, Sonos,
Squeezebox. So while I was at the store, and strictly on the understanding it
could all be taken back within a week if I decided against it. I also home
auditioned the CA Dacmagic and the Sonos 150 Bundle.
As it turned out I never got to hear the DAC as the Sonos
was the wrong kit for my needs. But I did get the Sonos to work by using it to
power the KEFs. I and more importantly my wife loved the function of the Sonos,
and the way it freed up 1000s of tracks on the PC. Album art meant she can
browse and select easily. (I have always tagged religiously over the years). I
would also mean being able to get away without the graphite grey CD player ruining
the look of the Azur DAC and Amp sitting between the speakers. What I needed
would be about £1400.00.
Running tandem with this train of thought, I was
investigating some speakers that had been recommended to me by a fellow forum
member originally. This as a way to do without boxes and give a very accurate uncoloured
sound (I have slight hearing loss and would trade any amount of warmth/colour
for clarity). This was the AVI 9.1 speakers. I started reading other stuff
around about active speakers in general. About the sound they give the fact
that they are used in studios a lot. The AVI 9.1s also have a built in DAC.
Which would be one less thing to buy/house. However, rather than be wowed by
some of the fanatical reports elsewhere and after digging up old threads on the
web involving disputes between various factions. It made me more cautious. So
off I trekked to try to actually hear some of these.
Now it’s true to say I have never owned high end hi-fi. But
I had at least heard 2 other systems worth more than the AVI speakers in the
previous fortnight. I had booked a listening room and they were set up as
requested to play lossless music from a PC via Sonos. I, personally, have never
heard music, that I already know, sound like this. All at once, during the
first track I knew what imaging and soundstage meant. The musicians seemed to float
in front of me. I could hear the very breathing of the singer and the change in
timbre (even imperfections) as they sang. Night and Day as audiophiles like to
say. So that’s what it means. I had no hesitation in ordering some there and
then.
But what to do about the wireless? While I had been waiting
to audition the AVI speakers I had been digging around on here and elsewhere
for more info. It seemed to come down to three options. Sonos, Apple Airport
Express and Logitech Squeezebox Duet. Airport Express was out as it has no
controller and I have no Ipod Touch or Iphone to control it. I had liked the
Sonos but it was expensive and I had long since worked out that as I already
have a wireless network and that my PC is only 18 foot around a corner in the same room as my
speakers that I wouldn’t really get the benefit of it. So I thought I would try
the Squeezebox. Well, I was lucky. It set up straight away for me. Many have
had issues as it works off of your existing wireless network and that can make
it more complicated and more unstable than the Sonos, which sets up its own
wireless network.
I did have to download some updates to firmware. I also had
to make some setting changes to the Handset Controller and now it works
perfectly. As good as the Sonos (for me, and in the way I use it). But only £220
for the Squeezebox against nearly £700.00 for the Sonos. It wasn’t just the
money. I figured that things do fail (hardware) and certainly technology moves
on. And that the cheaper option would enable me to look again at the market in
a few years time. But I would say, for hassle free stable multi-room I would
have gone for the Sonos. It just wasn’t needed for my set-up.
The squeezebox (and Sonos) has an optical digital out which
connects to the optical in on the master speaker. So, as I understand it, used
like this with an accurate lossless music file like FLAC or Apple Lossless
there should be CD quality. I completely agree with that as I have rigged up
the Arcam Cd player with the AVI speakers and could hear no difference between
that and the wireless streaming.
The computer is a newish black widescreen Dell. This sits
around the corner on a desk. But of course could be moved anywhere else in the
house as long as you have a decent wireless signal.
Our Cd collection has been ripped in FLAC. Other tracks and
albums on the PC vary from 128 kbps MP3s to Lossless. However, I am finding
that with this setup the bitrate is not half as important as the actual
original quality of the recorded music. With these speakers you get exactly
what is on the track. This can be seen when switching from a lovingly re-mastered
track of an old favourite or album to an older copy or heaven forbid a ‘best of’.
It’s not that you can’t enjoy them; it’s just a bit of a
shock when you switch from one to the other. But give you ears/brain a minute
and they sound great again. This works especially well when listening to
streaming internet radio or Napster via the Squeezebox. But play a well
recorded lossless track again and you are surprised all over again.
Here are some Photos below of my kit. There really isn’t much
to look at. Which is exactly what I wanted. I just didn’t know when I started
all this that I could get it. And get the best quality sound I have ever heard.
And bring it in on budget. (Give or take a few quid.
)
and information. And as such, now that it’s all done, I wondered if you might
be interested in my journey towards wireless streaming.
Boy has it been a steep learning curve. I came on this forum
about 4 or 5 weeks ago looking for information on how to do away with old ugly black
boxes and a stand, coupled with a long run of speaker cable.
My thoughts were at that time of an Arcam Solo with Ipod
Dock or maybe a Linn Classic sitting on a pretty silver and glass shelf between
the speakers. Trouble was I also hated the muffled sound of my old budget Wharfedale
Diamond 8.3s Floor Standers. I had a wife imposed limit of about £1200. This amount
being way more than she had ever previously considered spending on Hi-Fi.
I listened to the Solo in store with some Usher speakers. It
sounded OK but didn’t blow me away. With the Ipod dock it would have just came
in at about £1300. But then add stands.
Then I was told on here about the CA Azur range in silver
and I auditioned some at home for a week. An Azur amp with some KEF Q5SE
Floorstanding speakers. Using my old Arcam Alphas 7SE (in graphite which would
have spoiled the look). This sounded pretty good, but not the crystal clear
clarity that I was looking for. Anyway by now I was also being told about Bit
Perfect Wireless Streaming. And about stand alone DACs. Airport express, Sonos,
Squeezebox. So while I was at the store, and strictly on the understanding it
could all be taken back within a week if I decided against it. I also home
auditioned the CA Dacmagic and the Sonos 150 Bundle.
As it turned out I never got to hear the DAC as the Sonos
was the wrong kit for my needs. But I did get the Sonos to work by using it to
power the KEFs. I and more importantly my wife loved the function of the Sonos,
and the way it freed up 1000s of tracks on the PC. Album art meant she can
browse and select easily. (I have always tagged religiously over the years). I
would also mean being able to get away without the graphite grey CD player ruining
the look of the Azur DAC and Amp sitting between the speakers. What I needed
would be about £1400.00.
Running tandem with this train of thought, I was
investigating some speakers that had been recommended to me by a fellow forum
member originally. This as a way to do without boxes and give a very accurate uncoloured
sound (I have slight hearing loss and would trade any amount of warmth/colour
for clarity). This was the AVI 9.1 speakers. I started reading other stuff
around about active speakers in general. About the sound they give the fact
that they are used in studios a lot. The AVI 9.1s also have a built in DAC.
Which would be one less thing to buy/house. However, rather than be wowed by
some of the fanatical reports elsewhere and after digging up old threads on the
web involving disputes between various factions. It made me more cautious. So
off I trekked to try to actually hear some of these.
Now it’s true to say I have never owned high end hi-fi. But
I had at least heard 2 other systems worth more than the AVI speakers in the
previous fortnight. I had booked a listening room and they were set up as
requested to play lossless music from a PC via Sonos. I, personally, have never
heard music, that I already know, sound like this. All at once, during the
first track I knew what imaging and soundstage meant. The musicians seemed to float
in front of me. I could hear the very breathing of the singer and the change in
timbre (even imperfections) as they sang. Night and Day as audiophiles like to
say. So that’s what it means. I had no hesitation in ordering some there and
then.
But what to do about the wireless? While I had been waiting
to audition the AVI speakers I had been digging around on here and elsewhere
for more info. It seemed to come down to three options. Sonos, Apple Airport
Express and Logitech Squeezebox Duet. Airport Express was out as it has no
controller and I have no Ipod Touch or Iphone to control it. I had liked the
Sonos but it was expensive and I had long since worked out that as I already
have a wireless network and that my PC is only 18 foot around a corner in the same room as my
speakers that I wouldn’t really get the benefit of it. So I thought I would try
the Squeezebox. Well, I was lucky. It set up straight away for me. Many have
had issues as it works off of your existing wireless network and that can make
it more complicated and more unstable than the Sonos, which sets up its own
wireless network.
I did have to download some updates to firmware. I also had
to make some setting changes to the Handset Controller and now it works
perfectly. As good as the Sonos (for me, and in the way I use it). But only £220
for the Squeezebox against nearly £700.00 for the Sonos. It wasn’t just the
money. I figured that things do fail (hardware) and certainly technology moves
on. And that the cheaper option would enable me to look again at the market in
a few years time. But I would say, for hassle free stable multi-room I would
have gone for the Sonos. It just wasn’t needed for my set-up.
The squeezebox (and Sonos) has an optical digital out which
connects to the optical in on the master speaker. So, as I understand it, used
like this with an accurate lossless music file like FLAC or Apple Lossless
there should be CD quality. I completely agree with that as I have rigged up
the Arcam Cd player with the AVI speakers and could hear no difference between
that and the wireless streaming.
The computer is a newish black widescreen Dell. This sits
around the corner on a desk. But of course could be moved anywhere else in the
house as long as you have a decent wireless signal.
Our Cd collection has been ripped in FLAC. Other tracks and
albums on the PC vary from 128 kbps MP3s to Lossless. However, I am finding
that with this setup the bitrate is not half as important as the actual
original quality of the recorded music. With these speakers you get exactly
what is on the track. This can be seen when switching from a lovingly re-mastered
track of an old favourite or album to an older copy or heaven forbid a ‘best of’.
It’s not that you can’t enjoy them; it’s just a bit of a
shock when you switch from one to the other. But give you ears/brain a minute
and they sound great again. This works especially well when listening to
streaming internet radio or Napster via the Squeezebox. But play a well
recorded lossless track again and you are surprised all over again.
Here are some Photos below of my kit. There really isn’t much
to look at. Which is exactly what I wanted. I just didn’t know when I started
all this that I could get it. And get the best quality sound I have ever heard.
And bring it in on budget. (Give or take a few quid.
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