How do you listen to your digital files in your stereo?

I ripped all of my CDs to FLAC, and listen via my Sony HAP-S1. The only discs I listen to are my DVD-A, SACDs, and Blu Ray Audio.

 

All my digital files are on my ZuneHD32, in a Zune dock connected with optical cable to the Halo DAC, so bypassing the Zune DAC. The result is pretty nice to excellent....and I could care less about digital but it sounds good.
In my car I have another Zune that I just connect via aux cable.

 

I connect my iPhone to my Yamaha receiver with a Lightning/USB cable and then play either my iTunes collection or stream Pandora

 

I'm not going to say that there would be no difference in quality but what difference there might be would nowhere near approach the difference in price.

 

Ape, that's my point. It's hard for me to justify keeping the node2 when I want to add a Schiit DAC like the Gumby. If the chromecast with the gumby sounds as good as a node 2 with the gumby i'm inclined to return the node.

 

NAS => Win10 laptop running JRiver with video out to the big screen and operated via wireless laptop => Schiit Gungnir MB => preamp.

CDs are all boxed up in a closet. Which is fun when it comes time to file a stack of recent additions.

 

NAS drive on the network with my digital archive > Sonos Connect > Cambridge Audio amp.

nice and simple,but does the job.

 

My downloads and ripped CDs are stored in a Synology NAS. My Oppo Sonica, which outputs to my pre-amp, gets music from the NAS over WiFi.

 

There's no "right" answer here. What I like better might not be your choice. In theory, though, both the Node and the CA are delivering the same bits to the DAC. It comes down to which best fits your use case. To me, the Node makes sense when you use its internal DAC and as part of a Bluesound system (i.e. Vault, Nodes, NAD with BlueOS module). Once you've decided you want an external DAC, no reason not to use a "mini-pc" type device (CA, RPi, microRendu) as your streamer. Try them both and decide.

 

I listen to records or files. I buy cd's to just transfer to my laptop (AIFF in itunes). Don't bother having a cd drive/player anymore. Not really a reason for it. Anyway, for me it's:

Laptop (ITunes) > $3 USB cable > DAC > amp.

 

2 TB external drive connected to PC running Foobar. CDs ripped to flac by DBpoweramp. Running HDMI from PC to Receiver. Also have USB cable from PC to old Streamer II DAC then RCA cables to analog input on PC...usually disconnected. About 600 GB in flac files with about 100 CDs to go. CDs moved to storage boxes so most listening other than SACD s on Oppo is through the PC.

 

Currently, I stream either from Apple Music or my ripped CD library located on an iMac then streamed to my Yamaha receiver via Airplay. I am picking up a Parasound Halo Integrated today, so I am going to experiment with streaming to the Parasound via Airport Express/Toslink/Airplay and the former method to see which DAC sounds better. I will stick with whichever method sounds best.

 

60s RCA console stereo with separate pre and power amps connected to 90s Yamaha speakers. Playback device is an iPod 5.5 (w/ Wolfson chip) upgraded to a 240GB drive (w/ lossless files). I have an off-brand dock that I bought at a thrift store because it was wood grain so kind of matched the RCA console. The RCA console uses some weird 3 prong audio connectors to connect among its components so I just spliced into one with a 1.8" jack for the iPod dock and another with female RCA connectors to connect whatever else I want (right now it's a Sony blu-ray player). I used to have a CD player, turntable and 80s Sony amp (used as switcher and phono pre), but have removed all that as I barely used any of it and they were becoming more hassle than enjoyment. So now if I need to play a CD, I just pop it in the blu-ray. The blu-ray will also play SACDs (even SACD-Rs) but apparently not DSD files via the USB port.

I'm very satisfied with the setup. It was cheap as hell and the best sounding system I've ever had. Brought the pre-amp back from the dead once. Hoping I can keep it going for a long time.

 

I either listen through my computer/DAC/headphones setup, or I use the "Send To" feature to shoot the files over to my Oppo 205 which is tied to my main system. It'll read my raw 24/188.4 vinyl rips perfectly fine.

 

meant to say, operated via wireless keyboard.

 

NAS - BluOS - Bluesound Node 2 - Schitt Bifrost Multibit - Parasound P5 preamp......

 

Boxed up my CDs and removed the shelves last week. Where to put new CDs (ordered a couple today) is something I hadn't considered. There's no room for them to be filed in current boxes. Another first world dilemma, Hmmm

 

Western Digital external hard drive for storage. Denon Heos soundbar for playback.

 

Source
CDs ripped to FLAC & MP3, LP download cards and HiRes downloads (when at a reasonable price)

Home
NAS to Cyrus Stream XA
Car
64Gb USB
On site/hotel
Laptop and 4tb exteranal hard drive
Samsung S7 to BOSE Soundlink Revolve

 

I use an Apple Airport Express to which I can stream audio over Wifi from my digital library. It’s not hi-res or audiophile, but the built-in DAC sounds very, very good. Plus, it’s a very small box that hides underneath my turntable.

 

I left extra space in the boxes. Eventually they will be full and that will be even more fun as everything shifts down when a new box is added.

 

iMac > JRiver > USB DAC > antique amp + speakers.

Files are CD, DVD-A, SACD rips (ALAC and DSD), and lossless downloads mostly from Bandcamp (ALAC).

Backed up on multiple 2TB hard drives, one kept off-site.

Kept all the optical discs, and ditched the jewelcases. They're a valuable backup, and not worth selling for pennies on the dollar. In any event, 2400 (?) titles don't take up much space here.

My system has never sounded better, even going back to vinyl-only days.

 

NAS >Bluesound Node2>external DAC>Preamp input. Selection and control via any phone or tablet in the house.

 

I just recently joined this party, listening to digital files that weren't burned to disc, when I got a 'flagship' Pioneer Elite receiver with Sabre DACs. I now load files (including hi-res flac 24/96 etc) to a flash drive, which plugs straight into the front of the Elite. Then I control it with my iPad. Its glorious.

 

PC HDMI (passthrough from Nvidia video card HDMI out) -> Samsung KS8000 TV, optical out -> NAD

Source files (mostly FLACs) are streamed from my main "server" over my home network, a few TBs of music or so. Works for me, sounds good.