Digital Streamer or Dac - the next upgrade

Also I'll add that I wouldn't spend $2,600 on that G1 streamer that doesn't have a dac in it. That's a bit much for no dac (in my book).

 

I don't have a problem with people like you brubacca

What makes me mad is when I use my expertise to try to help people like the OP who asked a question which will determine how much he spends and where
As an expert on the subject I tell him that spend it on the DAC, as every streamer should send exactly the same bit stream to the DAC. If it doesn't, then ask for a refund

Then a bunch of manufacturers/manufacturer shills try to tell him otherwise
People have mentioned power supplies, other components, shielding. Nothing to do with it. A streamer takes a digital stream and sends it to the DAC. End of story

This is so frustrating. I just hope the OP will do his homework and work out for himself which kit to spend the money on

Somebody gave me the perfect definition of an audiophile, somebody who will not believe what the network experts, the communications experts, the IT experts and the digital audio experts tell them about digital audio but will believe everything that the equipment manufacturers and their shills tell him about their $10,000 piece of useless equipment

 

You don’t even know what a transport is, but you are an authority on digital audio?

 

Not with you, and yes I am an authority on digital communications......... and your qualifications ?

 

thought not

 

@talkingh

Sorry about the detractors

Regarding your original question

As Archimago said......

Streamer: Look for features and reliability.

DAC: Listen for good sound quality and objective performance.

So for sound it is the DAC, the streamer (or cables, or switches, or router, or ISP) simply can not change the sound of your stream

But please check this up. Any good articles on digital communications and DACs should do the trick (as long as its not written by a streamer manufacturer !!)

 

So Mr. Authority, do you agree that everything running through digital cables are analog signals approaching square waves but cannot be perfect square waves due to bandwidth limits? If so, do you agree that analog signals may be altered by cables?

 

If you like I could point you to some primers on digital audio, digital communication and how much BS is being spouted by gifted amateurs

 

And. apparently, the cables can change the correct bits, consistently, so that the violins sound sweeter. LMAO

 

i know the difference between a transport and a cable in an audio set up

 

The most important thing in any streamer/dac is how well the app works. Everything else is religion.

 

One key difference in streamers is the amount of electrical noise that they can introduce which in turn puts more of a load on a DAC's processing power.

 

apparently not

 

I bought the Auralic Altair G1 about a month ago and I have played more music in the past month than I had in a long time. Between my own library and playing Qobuz through, it just sounds great.

 

yes tempted by the u1 mini

 

i'm not asking which is more important...i'm asking which would be a bigger increase in sound quality...i get both their importance....i have a suspicion that the difference between a 1k and a 4k dac is greater than a 1k and a 4k streamer

 

A different streamer will just give you a different features and a different interface, if you're using a separate DAC there'll be no difference in sound.

A different DAC will give you a sound difference.

 

The increase in sound quality in the streamer (if no internal DAC) will be zero. There is no 'sound' in a streamer, it is all digital. It takes a digital stream from one place and sends it to another, hence the name 'streamer'

 

Complete nonsense. These people simply cannot hear, or have never heard quality digital components. They think that someone must be a fool, or at least self-delusional to believe that an Auralic Altair G1 or other quality renderer or streamer can improve sound quality. They are quite wrong but, of course, never in doubt.

 

Again, 'your equipment is not as good as mine'. 'mine is magic, it can do the impossible' yahdeyahde- yawn - yadeyahdeyha

I will try to make this very simple for you, as you appear to not have a clue about digital audio or digital transmission

A photograph is captured into a digital format by your camera. It is turned back into something that you can see only when it reaches the D to A circuitry and software in your phone/PC/TV etc

Sound is captured into a digital format by the studio. It is turned back to something that you can hear only when it reaches the D to A circuitry and software.

There is no sound or pictures in your streamer or your cables or your hard drive or the servers or anywhere between the recording studio or camera and the analogue output of your DAC. If I take the cover off one of my SSDs which store my digital audio and digital photographs, I can not see any pictures or hear any sound. To do that I will need a DAC

I am beginning to believe you must work for Audioquest ?

Remember them everybody ?. When they got caught cheating trying to 'prove' that a digital connection and cable could make a difference ?

 

.......and read the posts and do your homework. Of course the Auralic Altair G1 can change the sound, it contains a DAC

 

You re quite right; a bit of of confusion on my part when I referred to the Auralic Altair G1. I should have written about the even better (if you have a DAC) Aurelic AIRES G1. I might have written about any number of such units from SoTM, Uptone, Aurelic, Pro-ject and Sonore, for ex., or good ethernet switches, or any USB cable better than the one that came with your printer.

You cannot hear; you don't know what to listen for; your components are not sufficiently revealing. There is no other explanation for what you write. There are very simple scientific reasons that proper application of these components yield improved sound quality. But you already know everything and, I am certain, are not ready to listen. It would be a waste of anyone's time to explain what you do not know. That's why I said earlier: Do a Search!

 

Of course, the usual rubbish in defence. I have bad ears, yours are golden. my equipment is no good, yours cost a billion dollars etc etc

OK genius, lets hear them (this should be good)

 

Con

Conversations like this are irritating to me. A forum user is kind enough to give his opinion to the OP in a well written non-technical post, then you reply asking him why he thinks he heard what he said he heard, in technical terms. You reply by saying his experience is impossible. Your response pretty much denies that brubacca did indeed hear what he heard. Soon you've caused a big dust-up referring to some of the other posters here as "shills." They are merely describing what they hear. Then you add further insult by saying "I will try to make this very simple for you," as if they are stupid.

Peter, I'm sure you can offer your opinion without being rude to others. It doesn't promote an environment where users enjoy sharing their experience. And that's what it's all about, right?

 

The Auralic Altair is a digital source with preamp and internal DAC so of course it would alter the sound. In that scenario you're not using a separate DAC so your comment is the nonsense here.
You just seem to have not read or understood my post.