I need a new streamer.

[Norty]

Currently stream music from home computer to 220 Pro and looking to get a dedicated streamer.   I am connect through WiFi.  Looking for some input between 2 streamers one I have not seen suggested here.

Has anyone tried the new PS Audio Airlens?  I can get a good deal on the AirLens and also a slightly used Lumin U2 mini with a S Booster Power Supply ($700 warranty approved upgrade) both well under $3Kcdn.  AirLens is an easier solution as it can operate with WiFi in where the Lumin I would need to buy a separate extender with Ethernet.  Unfortunately there are virtually no reviews on the the AL outside of the PS Audio website.  The AL galvanic isolation sounds cool but it is first generation for PS A.  The Lumin U2 Mini has some extremely good reviews and the external power unit should make it better. 

Not sure if it would make a difference but the AL would be a digital coax connection to my 220 and the Lumin would have a choice of the coax or AES/EBU.



As always thanks for your help.

[Vivialet]

You are in a similar position like me...
I use an ifi zen Stream for about a year now which was a big improvement over AIR or Roon RAAT directly to the Devialet. Power supply is a Ferrum Hypsos.
One of the biggest improvements of the last weeks was adding HQPlayer to the game. It can be added to Roon and also has it's own playback capability, also via remote on iPad or Android.
This really brings digital playback to another level, but ideally you need an endpoint which supports NAA (the HQPlayer network protocol).
There are not so many, but the ifi Zen stream or Neo Stream support it and also the new Holo Red. This is a device I try to get as soon as it is available.
It is reported to sound better than the ifi and also supports NAA. It has all digital outputs that the ifi lacks, AES and optical.
And for 999€ here in Germany it has already a built-in LPS which seems to be of very good quality.
The Holo does not offer Wifi, but Ethernet sounds better anyway...

[BoyScout]

And you can also run HQPlayer on it

How i can do that?

[Vivialet]

HQPlayer is available for Macs as well. Not sure if your Mini is fast enough…

[Norty]

You are in a similar position like me...
I use an ifi zen Stream for about a year now which was a big improvement over AIR or Roon RAAT directly to the Devialet. Power supply is a Ferrum Hypsos.
One of the biggest improvements of the last weeks was adding HQPlayer to the game. It can be added to Roon and also has it's own playback capability, also via remote on iPad or Android.
This really brings digital playback to another level, but ideally you need an endpoint which supports NAA (the HQPlayer network protocol).
There are not so many, but the ifi Zen stream or Neo Stream support it and also the new Holo Red. This is a device I try to get as soon as it is available.
It is reported to sound better than the ifi and also supports NAA. It has all digital outputs that the ifi lacks, AES and optical.
And for 999€ here in Germany it has already a built-in LPS which seems to be of very good quality.
The Holo does not offer Wifi, but Ethernet sounds better anyway...

Through this site I have read very good things on the HQPlayer.  I have looked in the past and revisited thanks to your note, but it puts me beyond my comfort zone for install and set up.  Looking to keep things as simple as possible even if I give up a bit.

[Vivialet]

A test version is free, you can use it for 30 days. Only limitation is that it stops after 30 minutes and needs to be restarted then. But very good for testing.

[markush]

@Norty Really give HQPlayer a try - absolutely worth

[Norty]

Thanks Guys. I went on a YouTube page on how to set up HQPlayer. I was 12 minutes into the 50-minute video looking like a deer in the headlights, and so I give, technology wins.

I’ve decided on the Lumin U2 Mini option for many reasons. The U2oes allow to upscale to DSD256. Although I understand that going that high did not help the sound. Any thoughts on what level is appropriate or even worth while when done on a streamer would be appreciated.

[markush]

The Lumin U2 Mini is an amazing device! You can upgrade its power supply & power cord by a decent LPS and the sound will improve even more.
The head of firmware of LUMIN is very active on various online forums too. Concerning upsampling he suggests for example when using Roon or HQPlayer to do that on that device - so there is less stress on the streamer which will provide a better audio quality.
When doing Upsampling it’s important to use what suits your DAC - so that you already send in the format the DAC can use right away without any further internal processing.

[Norty]

The Lumin U2 Mini is an amazing device! You can upgrade its power supply & power cord by a decent LPS and the sound will improve even more.
The head of firmware of LUMIN is very active on various online forums too. Concerning upsampling he suggests for example when using Roon or HQPlayer to do that on that device - so there is less stress on the streamer which will provide a better audio quality.
When doing Upsampling it’s important to use what suits your DAC - so that you already send in the format the DAC can use right away without any further internal processing.

Thanks Markush!  This is a 7 month old trade in and the “SBooster” power upgrade has already been done.
 
I picked it up yesterday and even with an optical cord (my digital coax cord is on order) I found a big difference compared to direct streaming from my computer.  Once the cable comes I can start tweaking it a bit.  The interesting option is that it has an internal Leedh’s volume control which eliminates rounding errors in the information while adjusting volume. Those that use it really like it.   And I did find the head of firmware on Loon Community which has helped.