Is an audio media transport really better than PC?

[preston8452]

Hello guys,

I'm having some doubts about purchasing an audio grade media transport or music streamer.
Wouldn't say I'm a sole PC Hi-FI dude, by recently I've been seeing a lot of reviews and articles talking about using a audio streamer to play music can certainly outperform PC playing, like the sound quality and stuff.
I normally use Roon to play music by my PC, which is not bad, but of course not heavenly I'd say haha... anyways, so recently I did some researches about some audio streamer/media transport with fair prices, there's one called Munich M1T, the price is worth a shot, and it's Roon Ready certified, but I'm just still hesitating that if I should buy it.

Can anyone share some insights with me? I'll be grateful big timeee~

 

[reignofchaos]

A high end audio streamer fixes lots of issues with a standard noisy PC. If you spend significant time and money optimizing your PC, it will probably outperform dedicated audio streamers. However this requires a lot more work than simply assembling a computer.

I recently compared my celeron fanless PC running volumio x86 with an aurender transport and the PC came out on top. However this is the work of over 5 years of tweaking the PC.

If you want a plug and play device, get a good streamer - at least something that is Lumin or Aurender level.

If this is what you are referring to:

Silent Angel Munich M1T - Music Streamer Transport

With the success of their Rhein Z1 Server and Bonn N8 Switch, Silent Angel have established themselves as a player in the Digital Audio Streaming scene. For 2021 they have launched the Munich M1 Series Music Streamers which feature a heady mix of features that tick many a box for the audiophile...

theaudio.co

This seems rpi based and probably can be built for much cheaper.

 

[preston8452]

A high end audio streamer fixes lots of issues with a standard noisy PC. If you spend significant time and money optimizing your PC, it will probably outperform dedicated audio streamers. However this requires a lot more work than simply assembling a computer.

I recently compared my celeron fanless PC running volumio x86 with an aurender transport and the PC came out on top. However this is the work of over 5 years of tweaking the PC.

If you want a plug and play device, get a good streamer - at least something that is Lumin or Aurender level.

If this is what you are referring to:

Silent Angel Munich M1T - Music Streamer Transport

With the success of their Rhein Z1 Server and Bonn N8 Switch, Silent Angel have established themselves as a player in the Digital Audio Streaming scene. For 2021 they have launched the Munich M1 Series Music Streamers which feature a heady mix of features that tick many a box for the audiophile...

theaudio.co

This seems rpi based and probably can be built for much cheaper.

Yeah, that's the one I read about, it's gotten pretty good reviews in U.K and Germany, kinda wanna try it hahaha.
And thanks for your inputs, I understand that it sure can be a time-consuming job if I gotta upgrade my PC to the top quality...

Have you heard about audio network switch then? lots of reviews are saying that it's an essential for a great Hi-Fi streaming system.

 

[DB1989]

Hello guys,

I'm having some doubts about purchasing an audio grade media transport or music streamer.
Wouldn't say I'm a sole PC Hi-FI dude, by recently I've been seeing a lot of reviews and articles talking about using a audio streamer to play music can certainly outperform PC playing, like the sound quality and stuff.
I normally use Roon to play music by my PC, which is not bad, but of course not heavenly I'd say haha... anyways, so recently I did some researches about some audio streamer/media transport with fair prices, there's one called Munich M1T, the price is worth a shot, and it's Roon Ready certified, but I'm just still hesitating that if I should buy it.

Can anyone share some insights with me? I'll be grateful big timeee~

Quite simply put, Yes! A decent audio streamer such as an Rpi coupled with a HAT from manufacturers such as Allo sound much better while also being more cost effective than a PC if audio streaming is the sole purpose. I have both my PC as well as my streamer (Allo USBridge Signature & Digione Signature combo) connected to my integrated amp and a quick A/B comparison makes the differences apparent - the streamer sounds much better than the PC! For lack of a better example, the streamer sounds juicier while the PC sounds dry in direct comparison.