lattiboy
Well-Known Member
I recently acquired a pair of Vandersteen Treo CTs that made me reevaluate my whole audio set up. This is what I have learned about DACs and streaming:
I am a 99% digital streamer. Outside of the very occasional record spin, I use Tidal and occasionally YouTube and PlexDash for things not available on Tidal. My iPhone is the controller for almost my entire music experience. Thousands of selected tracks, dozens of playlists, and a pile of favorited albums.
I have been using Chromecast audios since they were released as my primary way of transmission. It works with practically any streaming service and at one point they cost $25! Optical output, USB power, pretty much an impossible product to beat.
Google being Google, decided to discontinue them and then did a horrible job of providing cast support for other devices, meaning you were alwyas having to use some garbage-ass app like DTS Play or Denons garbage app or Onkyos garbage app or Yamahas garbage….. you get the idea.
I’ve also noticed decreasing Chromecast reliability within Tidal. The cast function loses connection constantly and there is a kinda loud POP when you first connect.
I can hear, almost in unison, a number of people screaming “JUST USE ROON!”, But I am a cheap bastard at heart and I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay as much for a streaming app as I do for the rights to stream the music! I also have no interest in MQA or DSD, so Roon is an expensive solution to a problem that doesn’t exist for me.
This is an extremely long preamble to me getting to the damn point!
While tearing apart my entire back end system and pulling out every bit of amplification I own I’ve been doing A/B tests on every part of my signal path.
For the analog side, I had ended up with an Onkio M506-RS power amplifier and a Schiit Saga+ preamp. The Saga+ is set to full volume, and the Onkyo is attenuated to about 2 O’clock. This is basically as loud as I would ever, ever, ever want this setup to go. Anything beyond that is ear destroying audio violence.
After trying quite a few outboard DACs, integrated amplifier DACs, streaming boxes, and weirdo audio extractors, I settled on the THX Onyx.
I could go on for days about how it sounds “sweet” or “detailed” or how it has “slam” but is still “airy” or blah blah blah. We’ve all heard the cliches, I don’t wish to add to them.
The fact is the THX Onyx sounds superlative directly feeding my power amp. That’s it! My whole audio system consists of an old MacBook, a THX onyx, and a power amplifier. I have the Onkyo attenuated to about. 70% so I don’t go deaf if I accidentally move airplay to max volume.
To its credit, the Saga+ made literally no difference, which is kind of the point! In passive mode or in “active” mode I found no significant difference in sound across multiple audiophile tracks and test signals. If you need volume control and want a beautiful looking piece of kit, cannot recommend the Saga+ enough! I’ll be listing mine shortly!
So yeah, I figured I’m not alone in striving for that perfect sound and if you find yourself at a crossroads, I highly, highly, highly recommend getting an Onyx and some kind of digital source (any device with USB outputs will work, like a raspberry pi or windows PC) and hooking it directly to a power amp. The clarity and authoritative sound shocked me and have me priming my eBay and Craigslist accounts for a lot of equipment I think is pointless now.
I am a 99% digital streamer. Outside of the very occasional record spin, I use Tidal and occasionally YouTube and PlexDash for things not available on Tidal. My iPhone is the controller for almost my entire music experience. Thousands of selected tracks, dozens of playlists, and a pile of favorited albums.
I have been using Chromecast audios since they were released as my primary way of transmission. It works with practically any streaming service and at one point they cost $25! Optical output, USB power, pretty much an impossible product to beat.
Google being Google, decided to discontinue them and then did a horrible job of providing cast support for other devices, meaning you were alwyas having to use some garbage-ass app like DTS Play or Denons garbage app or Onkyos garbage app or Yamahas garbage….. you get the idea.
I’ve also noticed decreasing Chromecast reliability within Tidal. The cast function loses connection constantly and there is a kinda loud POP when you first connect.
I can hear, almost in unison, a number of people screaming “JUST USE ROON!”, But I am a cheap bastard at heart and I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay as much for a streaming app as I do for the rights to stream the music! I also have no interest in MQA or DSD, so Roon is an expensive solution to a problem that doesn’t exist for me.
This is an extremely long preamble to me getting to the damn point!
While tearing apart my entire back end system and pulling out every bit of amplification I own I’ve been doing A/B tests on every part of my signal path.
For the analog side, I had ended up with an Onkio M506-RS power amplifier and a Schiit Saga+ preamp. The Saga+ is set to full volume, and the Onkyo is attenuated to about 2 O’clock. This is basically as loud as I would ever, ever, ever want this setup to go. Anything beyond that is ear destroying audio violence.
After trying quite a few outboard DACs, integrated amplifier DACs, streaming boxes, and weirdo audio extractors, I settled on the THX Onyx.
I could go on for days about how it sounds “sweet” or “detailed” or how it has “slam” but is still “airy” or blah blah blah. We’ve all heard the cliches, I don’t wish to add to them.
The fact is the THX Onyx sounds superlative directly feeding my power amp. That’s it! My whole audio system consists of an old MacBook, a THX onyx, and a power amplifier. I have the Onkyo attenuated to about. 70% so I don’t go deaf if I accidentally move airplay to max volume.
To its credit, the Saga+ made literally no difference, which is kind of the point! In passive mode or in “active” mode I found no significant difference in sound across multiple audiophile tracks and test signals. If you need volume control and want a beautiful looking piece of kit, cannot recommend the Saga+ enough! I’ll be listing mine shortly!
So yeah, I figured I’m not alone in striving for that perfect sound and if you find yourself at a crossroads, I highly, highly, highly recommend getting an Onyx and some kind of digital source (any device with USB outputs will work, like a raspberry pi or windows PC) and hooking it directly to a power amp. The clarity and authoritative sound shocked me and have me priming my eBay and Craigslist accounts for a lot of equipment I think is pointless now.
