|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Apr 15, 2023 9:28:09 GMT -5
Now that we have the XDA-3 DAC on the horizon, there's another component of the stereo signal path still missing. A streamer! For those (few) of you on the Lounge who aren't sure what a streamer is, here's a brief synopsis: Many (most) of us use music in a digital format stored as files on a hard drive. We play those files through a computer using a playback program (Roon, jRiver Media Center, and Audirvana are popular ones). If our computer happens to be proximate to our stereo systems, we connect the computer to our DAC through a digital connector (USB is popular). But some of us can't conveniently locate our playback computers close to our playback systems. In those cases, the most common computer-to-music-system connection is either Ethernet or wireless. The vast majority of DACs don't have Ethernet or wireless connections, so an intermediate device becomes necessary to convert the incoming Ethernet/wireless data to something our DAC can use (usually USB). This device is called a "streamer." Some companies combine a streamer and DAC in the same device, but more often than not, the signal chain becomes computer to streamer to DAC. Emotiva has just introduced a new DAC, and has opted to make it a DAC only - not a streamer/DAC combo. That's fine, but it leaves us without an Emotiva solution for connecting our computers to Emotiva's DAC. Other streamer solutions are available (Apple TV, Roipee, Auralic, etc.), but since Emotiva has a reputation for providing high-end products at economy prices, I'd hope that Emotiva would consider adding a streamer to their product line. Features that I'd like to see on an Emotiva streamer might include: - Ethernet input with a 4-port switch (other items on the audio rack often require Ethernet also, and having a streamer with a switch is tidier than needing a separate powered switch)
- Wireless input (in fact, it would also be handy if the device could act as a network extender, but this might not be feasible)
- Bluetooth input (I wouldn't use it, but others might)
- A variety of digital audio outputs (not just USB, please)
- A wide variety of signal protocols (DLNA, RAAT, Apple protocols, etc.)
- Form factor to match the new Emotiva DAC (use the extra real-estate to make the device quieter)
If Emotiva wanted to offer their streamer WITH their DAC at a "combo price," I wouldn't object either. Glenn Young aka Boomzilla |
|
|
|
Post by audiobill on Apr 15, 2023 13:01:49 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Apr 15, 2023 13:14:37 GMT -5
Still lacks my Ethernet switch...  |
|
|
|
Post by audiobill on Apr 15, 2023 14:13:05 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Apr 15, 2023 14:21:38 GMT -5
I’ll remind you when my birthday comes around, good buddy, old pal! LOL |
|
|
|
Post by LuisV on Apr 15, 2023 20:42:51 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Apr 15, 2023 21:31:11 GMT -5
I currently HAVE an Ethernet switch on my audio rack. It feeds:
Apple TV (audio streaming)
Samsung TV (firmware updates)
Yamaha disc player (firmware updates)
Cox cable box (firmware updates)
The switch is small, lightweight and a PITA - it falls off the rack, it requires yet another wall-wart and AC socket, I can never find it to change wiring, and if it accidentally unplugs itself, nothing works until I troubleshoot and plug it back in.
All this would be FAR easier to manage if there was an Ethernet switch built into ANY of the items already on the audio rack. Addition of a switch to a streamer would cost less than a dollar and would make life very much easier. Fact.
|
|
|
|
Post by brutiarti on Apr 15, 2023 21:51:10 GMT -5
The soon to be released XDA-3 has HDMI input. Any roku or apple tv can be used for airplay. Good news for me
|
|
stiehl11
Emo VIPs 
Give me available light!
Posts: 7,261
|
Post by stiehl11 on Apr 16, 2023 0:31:16 GMT -5
Why not use Plex? I just got back from Las Vegas and every night my wife and I sat on the deck listening to music off my HDD (back in 10-OC). We even watch Vegas Vaction on one of the nights. I have a cheap Raspberry Pi running mine. But for those that want to use their current computer, you can use that too! The best thing about it is it's free!
|
|
Lsc
Emo VIPs
Posts: 3,348
|
Post by Lsc on Apr 16, 2023 6:42:10 GMT -5
I’m not sure if it makes sense for emotiva to develop a streamer vs license one. Is there any money in it? I bought a Bluesound Node at Axpona from Saturday audio for $450. I didn’t realize that having a streamer can improve your sound. $450 streamer + $440 DAC (plus tax) had made quite an impact to my system. While I don’t have one of those monster amps I saw at the Axpona…getting the above scratched my itch. |
|
|
|
Post by foggy1956 on Apr 16, 2023 7:31:51 GMT -5
I currently HAVE an Ethernet switch on my audio rack. It feeds: Apple TV (audio streaming) Samsung TV (firmware updates) Yamaha disc player (firmware updates) Cox cable box (firmware updates) The switch is small, lightweight and a PITA - it falls off the rack, it requires yet another wall-wart and AC socket, I can never find it to change wiring, and if it accidentally unplugs itself, nothing works until I troubleshoot and plug it back in. All this would be FAR easier to manage if there was an Ethernet switch built into ANY of the items already on the audio rack. Addition of a switch to a streamer would cost less than a dollar and would make life very much easier. Fact. I use a Fiio DAP, , controlled by my phone as a streamer and portable. Not sure what else a streamer offers at comparable price? |
|
|
|
Post by LuisV on Apr 16, 2023 9:41:08 GMT -5
I currently HAVE an Ethernet switch on my audio rack. It feeds: Apple TV (audio streaming) Samsung TV (firmware updates) Yamaha disc player (firmware updates) Cox cable box (firmware updates) The switch is small, lightweight and a PITA - it falls off the rack, it requires yet another wall-wart and AC socket, I can never find it to change wiring, and if it accidentally unplugs itself, nothing works until I troubleshoot and plug it back in. All this would be FAR easier to manage if there was an Ethernet switch built into ANY of the items already on the audio rack. Addition of a switch to a streamer would cost less than a dollar and would make life very much easier. Fact. The issue as I see it, no one would add a switch to a streamer as they are readily available separately. Even if it costs a dollar to implement, you know full well they wouldn't absorb the cost, it would probably double or triple the cost of the product. Case in point is the Roon Nucleus... it's a rebranded NUC in a nice case that is sold for 2 - 3 times the price of a NUC. You're paying for the convenience factor... same would hold true for a streamer with a switch. I can see adding an ethernet pass through... a single pass through port. Some Sonos products used to come with it. If your switch is failing off the shelf, then securing it to the wall with velcro strips; the Command brand work wonders and that is how I mounted a 5 port switch in my son's room; has held the switch for 4 years so far. If the ethernet cable is popping out, then it's a faulty cable termination or port. You could look into PoE injectors; at the main router run a short cable to the injector, out from the injector to a PoE switch; therefore, no need for a wall wart at the rack. Reuse the current switch in another location or as a spare. An injector / switch combo would run you $40 or less. PoE injectors: store.ui.com/collections/unifi-accessories/products/unifi-poe-adapters5 Port Switch that can be powered via PoE and pass PoE through to another device: store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-switching/products/usw-flex-mini |
|
KeithL
Administrator 
Posts: 9,967
|
Post by KeithL on Apr 17, 2023 10:15:15 GMT -5
I kind of like the idea of a streamer that runs on POE... but I don't think that most people have POE or want to bother with an injector. (And you still need a wall wart... you just get to put it somewhere else.) I don't think I agree with the idea of putting an Ethernet switch in a streamer (it wouldn't cost much... but I don't think it would add much either). It is true that the lowest coat Ethernet switch costs almost nothing these days... but, if you add one to something else, you are adding more complexity, and more stuff to go wrong. There's also the fact that, for many of the folks who would use Ethernet in a rack, a four-port switch still might not be enough. After you use one port for the upstream connection, and one internally for the streamer itself, that gives you one for the processor, and one for the Blu-Ray player, and you're down to none again. If you've got a rack you're much better off just putting a separate 8-port switch somewhere in the back or on the bottom... That way you've got plenty of ports, the switch is separate in case it needs to be replaced, you can get a managed switch if you want to, and an 8-port switch is still small and doesn't cost much. I currently HAVE an Ethernet switch on my audio rack. It feeds: Apple TV (audio streaming) Samsung TV (firmware updates) Yamaha disc player (firmware updates) Cox cable box (firmware updates) The switch is small, lightweight and a PITA - it falls off the rack, it requires yet another wall-wart and AC socket, I can never find it to change wiring, and if it accidentally unplugs itself, nothing works until I troubleshoot and plug it back in. All this would be FAR easier to manage if there was an Ethernet switch built into ANY of the items already on the audio rack. Addition of a switch to a streamer would cost less than a dollar and would make life very much easier. Fact. The issue as I see it, no one would add a switch to a streamer as they are readily available separately. Even if it costs a dollar to implement, you know full well they wouldn't absorb the cost, it would probably double or triple the cost of the product. Case in point is the Roon Nucleus... it's a rebranded NUC in a nice case that is sold for 2 - 3 times the price of a NUC. You're paying for the convenience factor... same would hold true for a streamer with a switch. I can see adding an ethernet pass through... a single pass through port. Some Sonos products used to come with it. If your switch is failing off the shelf, then securing it to the wall with velcro strips; the Command brand work wonders and that is how I mounted a 5 port switch in my son's room; has held the switch for 4 years so far. If the ethernet cable is popping out, then it's a faulty cable termination or port. You could look into PoE injectors; at the main router run a short cable to the injector, out from the injector to a PoE switch; therefore, no need for a wall wart at the rack. Reuse the current switch in another location or as a spare. An injector / switch combo would run you $40 or less. PoE injectors: store.ui.com/collections/unifi-accessories/products/unifi-poe-adapters5 Port Switch that can be powered via PoE and pass PoE through to another device: store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-switching/products/usw-flex-mini |
|
|
|
Post by audiosyndrome on Apr 17, 2023 10:58:05 GMT -5
Still lacks my Ethernet switch... I have an eight port switch in my rack. Never have a problem because I placed a small weight on top of it to keep it in place. Easy peasy. Also don’t believe that a streamer exists (anywhere) with a built in switch. Russ |
|
|
|
Post by rbk123 on Apr 17, 2023 11:20:48 GMT -5
I don't get why people keep wanting Emo to create a streamer. Streamers are 95% software, and that is big weakness of Emotiva's.
|
|
|
|
Post by LuisV on Apr 17, 2023 13:08:43 GMT -5
I kind of like the idea of a streamer that runs on POE... but I don't think that most people have POE or want to bother with an injector. (And you still need a wall wart... you just get to put it somewhere else.) I don't think I agree with the idea of putting an Ethernet switch in a streamer (it wouldn't cost much... but I don't think it would add much either). It is true that the lowest coat Ethernet switch costs almost nothing these days... but, if you add one to something else, you are adding more complexity, and more stuff to go wrong. There's also the fact that, for many of the folks who would use Ethernet in a rack, a four-port switch still might not be enough. After you use one port for the upstream connection, and one internally for the streamer itself, that gives you one for the processor, and one for the Blu-Ray player, and you're down to none again. If you've got a rack you're much better off just putting a separate 8-port switch somewhere in the back or on the bottom... That way you've got plenty of ports, the switch is separate in case it needs to be replaced, you can get a managed switch if you want to, and an 8-port switch is still small and doesn't cost much. Agreed on not adding a switch to a streamer and yes, you can never have enough ports. Cat 6 is cheap, bulk or terminated, so when I pull wire through my attic, I always pull a second run as you just never know when you'll need another cable. I currently have a 24 port PoE switch in my network closet and I'm down to 6 available ports; I'm already eying a 32 Port PoE switch as an upgrade, as you can never have enough ports.  |
|
|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Apr 17, 2023 15:03:54 GMT -5
Still lacks my Ethernet switch... I have an eight port switch in my rack. Never have a problem because I placed a small weight on top of it to keep it in place. Easy peasy. Also don’t believe that a streamer exists (anywhere) with a built in switch. Russ You're right, Russ - I've never seen a streamer with a built-in switch either. I suggested it to Emotiva because it costs so little to add, and it would be one more way to set their product apart from the crowd. |
|
|
|
Post by Boomzilla on Apr 17, 2023 15:06:59 GMT -5
I kind of like the idea of a streamer that runs on POE... but I don't think that most people have POE or want to bother with an injector. (And you still need a wall wart... you just get to put it somewhere else.) I don't think I agree with the idea of putting an Ethernet switch in a streamer (it wouldn't cost much... but I don't think it would add much either). It is true that the lowest coat Ethernet switch costs almost nothing these days... but, if you add one to something else, you are adding more complexity, and more stuff to go wrong. There's also the fact that, for many of the folks who would use Ethernet in a rack, a four-port switch still might not be enough. After you use one port for the upstream connection, and one internally for the streamer itself, that gives you one for the processor, and one for the Blu-Ray player, and you're down to none again. If you've got a rack you're much better off just putting a separate 8-port switch somewhere in the back or on the bottom... That way you've got plenty of ports, the switch is separate in case it needs to be replaced, you can get a managed switch if you want to, and an 8-port switch is still small and doesn't cost much. Oh well - I tried... |
|
stiehl11
Emo VIPs
Give me available light!
Posts: 7,261
|
Post by stiehl11 on Apr 18, 2023 16:50:22 GMT -5
I don't get why people keep wanting Emo to create a streamer. Streamers are 95% software, and that is big weakness of Emotiva's. I don't get it either. No one has been able to tell me what a streamer does that I can't get out of Plex for free. I literally was just in Las Vegas (home is Nashville, TN) and had access to all my media files at my resort. My wife and I streamed from our HDD at our house in the evenings listening on the deck at the resort, while fixing breakfast when we woke in the morning and everywhere in-between. If I had a "streamer" and I wanted to listen to my music in another room, another house, another state, I would have to disconnect the box and take it with me. There is no hardware to buy (I bought an $80 Raspberry Pi that I run Linux on so I can run 24/7 that I keep in a bedroom and out of sight). You just download and go! It is just that simple. And I'm not bragging: I have asked everyone from the Lounge to AXPONA to hi-fi shops, no one has said a "streamer" does "this" and the Plex won't. |
|
|
|
Post by audiobill on Apr 18, 2023 17:14:22 GMT -5
Look into Roon ARC
|
|
