Upgrade 120

[Sailor4W]

"BUT: streaming started out very well, but later on there were occasional drop-outs and stuttering of the stream. Not too bad, but it happened."

I'm going to guess that you're streaming via wifi. Since you've got a Mac, what wifi system are you using? Is it an Airport Extreme?

When I started streaming I was using my Mac Mini / iTunes/Devialet AIR and an AirPort Extreme. I could get a connection and streaming would start and then things would drop out. I simply couldn't get it to work reliably. In the end my solution was to buy a second AirPort Extreme which I placed next to my 130 and continued using wifi, hoping that the proximity of a second AirPort Extreme would solve the problem. It didn't. I then connected the 130 to the nearby AirPort Extreme via ethernet and my problems pretty much went away.

Some time after that I started really reading up on wifi networks at various sites. I don't know whether it was on the Roon site or Computer Audiophile or somewhere else but I found an article which said that the Apple Airport devices had problems and recommending other wifi routers. I opted for a Netgear Orbi mesh setup with a hub device connected to my modem and a satellite next to the 130. Wifi worked a lot better but I continued using an ethernet connection to the satellite and never really had any problems apart. In the end, however, I had an AV installer I know instal a wired connection from the room my computer and modem are in to the room where the system is. That gave me a better connection, and I felt I got a bit of an improvement in sound quality.

Some time during all that while I was still using wifi, I can't remember when during that time but I think it was before I swapped from the AirPort Extremes to the Orbi setup, Devialet sent out an email announcing their arrangement with Roon and giving a code for a 3 month free trial. I took the free trial and started using the version of AIR incorporated in Roon rather than Devialet's app. That worked much better for me than streaming with Devialet's app on the Mac Mini.

If you're having drop out and stuttering problems and you're using wifi, I'd look at your wifi network for the cause and if you're using an Apple AirPort device I would seriously consider changing it. I'd give you a link to the article I found but I can't remember where I found it and the last time I looked for it I couldn't find it.

One of the things about the CI board upgrade is that when your amp comes back you'll find a wifi antenna sticking out of the back of the amp. Just for the hell of it I tried a wifi connection after I got my 130 back from the CI upgrade and wifi worked better for me than it did before the amp got the upgrade but I still felt that ethernet was better. If you're going to use a wifi connection then that could well be another reason to go for the upgrade regardless of whatever else you decide to do on the streaming front.

And if your Aurender is completely reliable and sounds pretty darn good as you say, then I think that's a good reason for making haste slowly on changes to your streaming setup. You can probably do better, after all it's always possible to do better but doing better tends to involve throwing money at the problem and it's easy to throw lots of money at problems in pursuit of better sound. If you're seriously considering the CI upgrade then I'd seriously consider doing that before making changes to your streaming setup with the Aurender if that's working well, and I'd also look at improving your wifi network before changing the Aurender for something else as well. If the Aurender is working well then changes there would be last on my list of priorities.

'I'm going to guess that you're streaming via wifi. Since you've got a Mac, what wifi system are you using? Is it an Airport Extreme?'

Yes, that's correct, Airport Extreme.

'In the end my solution was to buy a second AirPort Extreme which I placed next to my 130 and continued using wifi, hoping that the proximity of a second AirPort Extreme would solve the problem. It didn't. I then connected the 130 to the nearby AirPort Extreme via ethernet and my problems pretty much went away.'

I have exactly the same setup, the second Airport Extreme is connected via an Ethernet cable Cat 8.

'I opted for a Netgear Orbi mesh setup with a hub device connected to my modem and a satellite next to the 130. Wifi worked a lot better but I continued using an ethernet connection to the satellite and never really had any problems apart.'

Good point, will look into it.

'instal a wired connection from the room my computer and modem are in to the room where the system is. That gave me a better connection, and I felt I got a bit of an improvement in sound quality.'

That's hard to do in my house. The router is two floors upstairs and installing a cable through the staircase is kind of difficult, I would have to drill several holes into the walls to pull the cable through. I might speak to my provider to see if I could have a second connection installed in the living room for ethernet use.

'started using the version of AIR incorporated in Roon rather than Devialet's app. That worked much better for me than streaming with Devialet's app on the Mac Mini.'

Will try that out once I decided to go back to Roon :-))

'I'd give you a link to the article I found but I can't remember where I found it and the last time I looked for it I couldn't find it.'

That would be great if you can find the article. I know how it is when one remembers having read something really important but unable to find it :-))

'it's always possible to do better but doing better tends to involve throwing money at the problem and it's easy to throw lots of money at problems in pursuit of better sound.'

True! The forthcoming upgrade to the 220 Pro is a hefty sum of money, but I'll invest that mainly to avoid having an unsupported system. Besides that, I really got hooked to the Devialet sound, it's just great! One more system upgrade might come later, much later actually, for new speakers. But this is of low priority for now.

Thanks for all the advice!