Delivering the best Tidal streams

[Bertie]

I’m currently running Tidal via Roon on a Mac Mini. The Mac is connected via Ethernet to my router: the Dev is also connected to the router. Would there be any SQ benefit in purchasing a separate streamer to play Tidal or should I carry on using Roon for the feed? I am using Roon’s Parametric EQ and adjustments to balance and gain between the speakers, as I sit off-axis. If I stick with Roon on the Mac, am I missing any tricks to maximise delivery to my Dev? Thanks, Paul.

[MightyMart]

I would say that the best, or even maybe the only way for you to get an answer to your question, is to try a different streaming solution in your own system.

Getting rid of the computer in the signal chain and replacing it with a dedicated streamer makes in most cases a significant difference.

[ray1234]

I’m currently running Tidal via Roon on a Mac Mini. The Mac is connected via Ethernet to my router: the Dev is also connected to the router. Would there be any SQ benefit in purchasing a separate streamer to play Tidal or should I carry on using Roon for the feed? I am using Roon’s Parametric EQ and adjustments to balance and gain between the speakers, as I sit off-axis. If I stick with Roon on the Mac, am I missing any tricks to maximise delivery to my Dev? Thanks, Paul.

I think the answer to your question is simply yes, in most cases a dedicated streamer sounds different, whether you like it more than Roon is another matter.

If you really like the sound and parametric EQ of Roon, at least feed the Mac Mini with LPS and then use a DDC in between Mac Mini and Devialet, computers are noisy. Just doing that will improve the sound a lot. FYI, I am also using computer, with a DDC and a 10mhz clock feeding the DDC. The network also needs to be treated, use a audiophile purpose switch, I use one with 10mhz clock input as well. It may sound ridiculous to you, but all these help to change the sound a lot, not a small degree.

A properly set up computer streamer system actually provides higher resolution than most streamers at the same costs. Put it in money terms, if you are planning to spend below USD5k on streamer, a properly set up computer with DDC and clock will probably sound better. If you are spending USD5k-10k, there are pros and cons of streamer and computer, depending on what you prefer. If spending USD10k+, buy a streamer.