Hi,
I currently stream music to three systems around the house from Apple Lossless files in iTunes on my iMac. Each amp is fed by a mini-to-RCA left/right audio cable connected to an Airport Express. There is absolutely no doubt that the sound quality is hugely inferior in the main listening room when compared to listening to CDs played on my Cyrus CD8 SE through the same amp and speakers. This isn't hugely surprising since the DAC in the Cyrus CD8 SE has to be vastly superior than the DAC in the Airport Express.
I can do something about this in two of the setups because I can replace the analogue connection from the Airport Express with digital optical. In the main listening room it'll be done by using one of the optical digital inputs and DAC of my hardly-ever-used Sony MDS-JB920 MiniDisc player/recorder. Downstairs in the cinema room I can use a digital input on my Denon AV Amp/Receiver, but I don't have a digital input in the kitchen's Denon Mini system.
Logic tells me that in the main room, since a bit perfect digital signal will arrive at the DAC, any difference I might hear between CD and stream will be a direct comparison of the Cyrus DAC and Sony DAC. Am I right?
If so, and if there is a noticable difference, I might be tempted to get rid of the MiniDisc player and invest in a separate Cyrus DAC through which to play the Airport Express stream. I would then be comparing Cyrus DAC to Cyrus DAC.
So this brings me to my original question; what would be the point of investing in an expensive digital streamer e.g. Cyrus, Naim, Linn etc if all one needs to do is get a bit perfect digital signal to a high quality DAC?
I look forward to your comments.
Cheers
Ifor
I currently stream music to three systems around the house from Apple Lossless files in iTunes on my iMac. Each amp is fed by a mini-to-RCA left/right audio cable connected to an Airport Express. There is absolutely no doubt that the sound quality is hugely inferior in the main listening room when compared to listening to CDs played on my Cyrus CD8 SE through the same amp and speakers. This isn't hugely surprising since the DAC in the Cyrus CD8 SE has to be vastly superior than the DAC in the Airport Express.
I can do something about this in two of the setups because I can replace the analogue connection from the Airport Express with digital optical. In the main listening room it'll be done by using one of the optical digital inputs and DAC of my hardly-ever-used Sony MDS-JB920 MiniDisc player/recorder. Downstairs in the cinema room I can use a digital input on my Denon AV Amp/Receiver, but I don't have a digital input in the kitchen's Denon Mini system.
Logic tells me that in the main room, since a bit perfect digital signal will arrive at the DAC, any difference I might hear between CD and stream will be a direct comparison of the Cyrus DAC and Sony DAC. Am I right?
If so, and if there is a noticable difference, I might be tempted to get rid of the MiniDisc player and invest in a separate Cyrus DAC through which to play the Airport Express stream. I would then be comparing Cyrus DAC to Cyrus DAC.
So this brings me to my original question; what would be the point of investing in an expensive digital streamer e.g. Cyrus, Naim, Linn etc if all one needs to do is get a bit perfect digital signal to a high quality DAC?
I look forward to your comments.
Cheers
Ifor