System upgrade: recommendations wanted

First post here, thanks in advance to everyone — this is a great resource for a budding audiophile.

My current system consists of a first-generation Peachtree Nova, a Sonos Connect streaming losslessly ripped music from a NAS, a pair of Anthony Gallo CL-2 speakers with the CL-10 subwoofer, and an Oppo BDP-93 for that rare occasion when I play a physical disk. I use the Nova’s built-in DAC rather than the one on the Sonos. Everything is connected using moderately priced Virtue Audio (Speedfreak, Nirvana) cables.

I’m building a growing collection of hi-res files that I listen to with Etymotic ER-4PT earphones on a Macbook Pro with Audirvana and an AudioQuest DragonFly DAC, and would like to be able to enjoy these files on the main system.

I have two questions:

1) What hi-res-capable streaming device would you recommend as a replacement for the Sonos? Ideally, it would also be DSD-compatible… About all I’ve been able to find so far are units from Bluesound and Simaudio (the MiND). I’m willing to pay up to $1,200 or so, but I suspect spending as much on a streamer as I did on the amp or speakers does not make a lot of sense. I’d rather avoid adding a computer (like the Mac Mini) to the mix if I can.

2) Apart from the Sonos, what is the weakest link in this system? Meaning — what should I be looking to upgrade next? The DAC in the Nova? (I think I would have to do this anyway to take advantage of the hi-res input, unless the streamer contained a good DAC.)

If it matters, I listen mostly to jazz, vocals, acoustic, and “world” music.

 

what's the amplification?

 

> what's the amplification?

Sorry -- that would be the Peachtree Nova with integrated DAC, 80 watts per channel:

http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/nova-amplifier-with-dac.html

 

Well, since you have the NAS, why not a squeezebox touch? It does 24/96 and can be tweaked to do 24/192.....it's a fantastic interface. While your Nova only does 24/96, if you ever get the urge to upgrade the DAC you can go to 24/192 with the touch just fine.

 

The Nova is an all in one dac/pre/amp

 

You might want to consider an upgrade from the Peachtree Nova. Take a look at the Emotiva line of audio products to get an idea of how to improve your audio system.

 

The heart and soul of my system is Emotiva components, but I wouldn't consider them upgrades over anything from Peachtree Audio. IMO, it would be nothing more than a lateral move.

 

And what Emotiva products are you referring to??

 

Any of them. Peachtree Audio and Emotiva are peers along the line of Yamaha and Denon, for example. Ford and Chevy. Honda and Toyota.

Plus, if he prefers the tube sound he may not want to switch to solid state.

 

I guess I must disagree with your assessment. An Emotiva amp/preamp combo costing, let's say $2k, would be an improvement over a first gen Peachtree Nova.

 

So would a new Nova 220, which also costs around $2K. Which makes my assessment 100% correct.

Sorry, even being an Emotiva homer like I am, I'm honest enough to admit they're not an upgrade over Peachtree Audio dollar for dollar.

 

I am glad your assessments are always 100% correct....

 

They most certainly aren't. But this one was. You just chose to come in here arguing a bad point. It happens to everyone sometimes.

No biggie.

 

> Well, since you have the NAS, why not a squeezebox touch?

Thanks, adamdube. I wish I’d followed the advice of a friend and picked one up on the cheap as they were being phased out (“Hi-res? Not me.”). Now there’s a huge premium for, what, almost four year old technology?

Guess I was hoping there was something newer and more stable out there (preferably with DSD), even if it costs more. I owned a Squeezebox 3 for several years and was frequently frustrated by lags, bugs, and dropouts, although it was still a great product for its time.

The Olive One looks like it was designed as a replacement for the SB Touch, but it also looks like vaporware — been over a year since they announced it, I think.

Didn't mean to start any arguments...if it helps, I'm keeping an eye on both Nova and Emotiva for the eventual amplifier upgrade

 

Well, there's that new Sony stuff that plays files, and doesn't Bryston have a streaming setup now?

But aside from playing files, your speakers make far and away the biggest difference to the sound. If you love your mains, but don't have a subwoofer, THAT should be your next upgrade. Unfortunately, your Peachtree Nova can't use a sub to best effect because it does not have pre-out/main-in RCAs, and therefore no way to cut the low bass out of the speakers and amp. That high pass crossover removes a significant load, freeing up a lot of headroom.

 

> Well, there's that new Sony stuff that plays files, and doesn't Bryston have a streaming setup now?

Thanks, head_unit. I hadn’t heard about the Bryston player (recently updated to the BDP-2) until now, although at $3,000 it would cost as much as my amp and speakers put together. As far as I can tell, both the Sony players come with hard drives, and the cheaper one ($999) also has a built-in amp. I’d rather just pay for a pure network player.

> your speakers make far and away the biggest difference to the sound

In full agreement there. I recently replaced a pair of Norh 4.1s with Anthony Gallo CL-2s and a CLS-10 sub and was floored by the difference. I’m still in a very happy place re-listening to all my (non-hi-res) music, so I won’t be upgrading the speakers anytime soon.

> your Peachtree Nova can't use a sub to best effect because it does not have pre-out/main-in RCAs… That high pass crossover removes a significant load, freeing up a lot of headroom

I did *not* know about that. You’re right that the Nova doesn’t have the main-in RCAs, and I didn’t realize that was an issue. When you say headroom, are you just talking about power -- I seldom go above 10 o’clock on the volume dial -- or does it also make a difference in sound quality? (Just assume I'm an idiot about this stuff, and you won't be far off.)

I keep thinking there should be more between the low end (Sonos) and the high end (Bryston, Lumin, etc.) in terms of network music players, but maybe there isn’t.

 

Apparently an excellent DAC, does DSD and comes in at £599, the Teac UD-501. It's picked up some great reviews and might be worth a look but will let you enjoy your hi res recordings.

 

Were you running your classic via wifi? I have a touch and classic that are both hard wired and have had zero network issues with them. We also have 4 Radio's around the house and other that trying to Sync 5 devices at once they work great over wifi.....maybe your network needs some attention?

Regarding the tech being 4+ years old....kind of like that vintage table or receiver.....there is a reason we all covet that stuff.....it works!

There are several nice network players out there well within your budget, but if you are having network issues (your squeezebox drop outs etc) they will likely follow you to the new player. There is also a touch for sale over at Emotiva's forum, no affiliation...nice price. http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/36559/sale-squeezebox-touch

I noticed this image when check out your nova....what is the added network stuff on the right side? Maybe you can upgrade your Nova and direct connect it to the network? This was from google images, something on computeraudiophile.com


Dont worry about the arguments - looks like the new guy is sharpening his tool skills.

 

Adamdube:

> Were you running your classic via wifi?

I should have been more specific — the dropouts were only a problem when I was still using WiFi. After switching to a wired setup, no more dropouts. However, the occasional menu lags and bugginess (relative to the Sonos Connect, which has been truly rock-solid over three years of constant use) were annoying. I’m sure it was nothing a SqueezeWizard couldn’t have resolved, but I’m fairly computer literate and was never able to iron out all the bugs. No doubt the firmware has improved since I gave up on it back in 2010.

> I noticed this image when check out your nova....what is the added network stuff on the right side?

That is a Sonos Connect The original Nova (not sure about the newer ones) had a slot in the back to insert a Connect and give you a truly all-in-one solution. I left mine out in the open because I was worried about the heat...

> There are several nice network players out there well within your budget

Could you be more specific?

 

I'm not sure how this would integrate with your setup, but have you considered going with a Mac Mini? I switched to one of these awhile back and couldn't be happier with the setup. Rather than streaming, I just have the Mini connected to a 4TB external hard drive, running to my DAC via USB cable.

You have a Macbook Pro, so you could easily control the Mini through screen sharing. JRiver Media Center 19 for playback would allow you to play all kinds of files, plus DSD playback, and it sounds amazingly good. There are also remote control apps for this program, so you can play your entire library from your phone or tablet.

EDIT: crap! I just realized your OP said that you would rather avoid adding a computer... just curious, what are your thoughts in this area? Sorry for missing it with my post.

 

while their prices are often high, their info and reviews are usually real informative

http://www.crutchfield.com/shopsearch/network_audio_player.html

 

Or, if he already has his music library in iTunes on his computer he can just get an Apple TV unit for a hundred bucks and use that to stream.

That's what I've done. I rip my CD's to ALAC and stream them through my Apple TV into my main system in the living room.

 

That would work, although I don't think Apple TV supports high res. or DSD.

 

That's true, although it's actually iTunes itself that doesn't support DSD. Apple TV won't support HDTracks. 16/48 is the chosen playback format.

Though I'd be shocked if one were to make an ALAC copy of any hi-res track and notice any difference.

 

johnnypaddock:

I use Minis in my work and could re-purpose one easily enough. Given what I've been reading about the difficulty of streaming DSD from a Synology NAS over UPnP, that may be the easiest way to get DSD (although it's more of a wish-list item than a must-have at this point -- the vast majority of my hi-res music is PCM).

One of the great things about Sonos is that I (or my wife, or even our 5-year-old) can pick up an iPhone or an iPad and have music playing in a matter of seconds. It would be hard to give up that sort of convenience. If your Mini is sleeping and you fire up a JRiver Media controller on a portable device, does it take the system a while to wake up and get with the program?

I guess I'd consider a Mini if I could rely almost entirely on the remote player apps and seldom have to use a screensharing client. But I have more than enough computers in my life as it is and would rather keep them out of the listening/living room if possible.

allnoyz:

I already have an AppleTV (2nd gen) hooked up to the Nova -- it's the only way I have to listen to hi-res files on my speakers, although everything gets downsampled. I don't use iTunes, just stream everything direct from the NAS (jailbroken Apple TV). Still, I'd like to listen to the hi-res files in all their hi-res glory.

adamdube:

That list is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. As a wise man once said, Doh! [Sound of palm smacking forehead]