Streamers / Network Players without DAC

Hi Mayank..... you will have loads of options if you go for roon playback. Lots of kit act as roon end points at differing price levels. So maybe worth a punt. That said i use a metrum ambre as my roon end point going into my dac. And pretty happy with it. It is basically a glorified Rpi with a well optimised power supply. And before I went roon, I removed the SD card that came with the metrum Ambre preloaded with a roon end point software, and swapped it for my own 16gb microsd card with a linux volumio image. And I downloaded the volumio app on my android tablet and gave it a spin. Unfortunately I the volumio running on the Rip didn't have the horse power to munch by 850gb of music library. So track searches and album art were slow to load. Then I finally went to roon, and shoved back the original microsd card that came with the metrum Ambre, and been happily using it as a roon end point. Having said that, Iam couldn't hear any differences in sound quality between roon and volumio.

A friend is looking at the digione signature. What is the overall experience with the music sorting software especially volumio ?
 
A friend is looking at the digione signature. What is the overall experience with the music sorting software especially volumio ?


I have digitone (not the signature) but since I think the question pertains more to volumio on RPi, i will attempt an answer.

I normally use the RPis as roon end points (I have a katana, digi-one and a vanilla Rpi) but I did once experiment with Volumio pointed to a network drive. (I was thinking doing my one take on a B&W zeppelin) The RPi was connected over ethernet(100mbit). Indexes was painfully slow but once done it was okay. I quite liked the UI and it was quite responsive. This was with a library of about 5k songs, a mix of Redbook and HD FLAC. Did not try USB connected local drives.
 
I have digitone (not the signature) but since I think the question pertains more to volumio on RPi, i will attempt an answer.

I normally use the RPis as roon end points (I have a katana, digi-one and a vanilla Rpi) but I did once experiment with Volumio pointed to a network drive. (I was thinking doing my one take on a B&W zeppelin) The RPi was connected over ethernet(100mbit). Indexes was painfully slow but once done it was okay. I quite liked the UI and it was quite responsive. This was with a library of about 5k songs, a mix of Redbook and HD FLAC. Did not try USB connected local drives.

These must be a stupid questions but I am going to attempt it :)

1. I have an auralic mini and it comes loaded with an player app called lightning ds. When I use tidal on this device, tidal is integrated with the lightning ds app, so it is quite straightforward. Essentially, I can just point to my NAS or Cloud ( tidal ) depending upon what I want to use and everything loads up fine. How does this work on a digione signature loaded with volomio ?

2. Can one use the digione signature as a roon endpoint at the same time as a player pointed to a NAS ? How does this work from a user interface context ? I can play from my laptop when I want to use this as a roon end point and then move to a volumio app when I want to play music stored on a NAS ? Is that how it will work ?
 
A friend is looking at the digione signature. What is the overall experience with the music sorting software especially volumio ?

Hi I tried volumio on the metrum ambre by using a difdent SD card to act as an all in one volumio player. But volumio search time for my 1TB collection was very slow. Thus, i went back to roon, which is really fast.

Edit : may be its not volumio's fault. The Rpi inside the Ambre might just not be powerful enough for this purpose. I didn't try volumio on a pc. Maybe the extra processing power could have helped in this context
 
These must be a stupid questions but I am going to attempt it :)

1. I have an auralic mini and it comes loaded with an player app called lightning ds. When I use tidal on this device, tidal is integrated with the lightning ds app, so it is quite straightforward. Essentially, I can just point to my NAS or Cloud ( tidal ) depending upon what I want to use and everything loads up fine. How does this work on a digione signature loaded with volomio ?

2. Can one use the digione signature as a roon endpoint at the same time as a player pointed to a NAS ? How does this work from a user interface context ? I can play from my laptop when I want to use this as a roon end point and then move to a volumio app when I want to play music stored on a NAS ? Is that how it will work ?
The second question is easier to answer, and it is yes. i do not remember the prioritisation, but the digi output can can be accessed by AirPlay, Roon and the the volumio player one at a time. in addition, in Roon, any other sound device that is attached to the speaker can be activated and accessed. For airplay and volumio, the default device (as defined in the volumio configuration) is used. i have not checked if 2 different devices can be accessed simultaneously, but if you want, I can.

For the first question, I dont have the answer. I do know that there is payware version of volumio which has tidal support. for NAS, it works that way, however there is no app that I know of, instead there is a web interface which can be accessed from your control device web browser. I am sure that tidal must be similar, but you may need to go to the volumio forums to get an answer on the degree and depth of functionality. For Eg -> even roon, which is considered to have very tight tidal integration, if you visit their forum, there is long wishlight on tidal integration improvements.

Sorry that I could not answer this question better.
 
Btw, I was looking at the market today and hardly find products which are pure streamers. Meaning, streamers that comes with a great app for network / hdd play but DON'T include a dac. There are many roon end point products though.

Adding a dac in the same device unnecessarily increases the price. Most serious audio enthusiasts already own a dac. It also gives flexibility.

Just a thought.
 
There are quite a few actually depends on what price point you're looking at. Some options are mentioned in the earlier posts on this thread.
 
Hello, Any suggestions for Network players without onboard DAC? I want to use my external DAC only. Don't need fancy multi-room setup etc. Simple network player with Tidal etc. Hope to take Coax out from the network player into external DAC.
Check SOtM sMS 200 ultra. Its a nice product with a small footprint and meets your requirements.
Cheers!
 
I have a allo digione player with me. It is just one month old and in top notch condition in aluminium case. Moode audio is loaded as software. It supports spotify connect,airplay, tidal and qobuz(via bubble upnp app). If anyone interested please reply.
 
Is anyone interested to buy a month older allo digione player with alluminium case in top notch condition. It is only streamer(without inbuilt dac) and it sounds great.
 
Hi, can anyone here post impressions of Lumin (or comparable network bridge/streamer)-DAC-amplifier(s) VS dedicated NUC/MacMini running Roon/JRiver/Audirvana/HQ Player-DAC-amplifier(s) (all other parameters being constrant)? Thanks
 
3 options I can suggest.. Cheap Option: Try to find a Chromecast Audio (3.5k to 4K). you can play it alone also but it really excels with ROON. Roon implementation of CCA is way better.

Computers USB output if your DAC has one but it will be quite noisy and then using any mobile upnp player to control your music from the pc on your mobile.

Expensive Option: Buy the Linderman Limetree, I have just bought it and it is quite good to my ears. I did not like Bluesound Node 2i. The internet is filled up with its praises, maybe I was doing something wrong but at the end its all about our entire audio chain.
 
3 options I can suggest.. Cheap Option: Try to find a Chromecast Audio (3.5k to 4K). you can play it alone also but it really excels with ROON. Roon implementation of CCA is way better.

Computers USB output if your DAC has one but it will be quite noisy and then using any mobile upnp player to control your music from the pc on your mobile.

Expensive Option: Buy the Linderman Limetree, I have just bought it and it is quite good to my ears. I did not like Bluesound Node 2i. The internet is filled up with its praises, maybe I was doing something wrong but at the end its all about our entire audio chain.
Hi @abhi80

I am also interested to move away from laptop. I have a nice usb dacand looking for a network transport. Could you please share your detailed review of Linderman Limetree? Where did you buy this and if ok to share price as well.

Any other option for transport?

Thanks
Vivek
 
Last edited:
Hi @abhi80

I am also interested to move away from laptop. I have a nice usb dacand looking for a network transport. Could you please share your detailed review of Linderman Limetree? Where did you buy this and if ok to share price as well.

Any other option for transport?

Thanks
Vivek
Hi Vivek,

First Things first. Wasn't able to setup a Qobuz account anyways I tried. you gotta help me out in this.

Second I got lindemann from a friend who had got it from Europe I guess Vienna, I am using it for quite sometime and have to give it back to him and am going to buy myself a new one.. During this interim period I have found it to be amongst the better Bridges much better than Bluesound and CCA. CCA with Roon is a different thing though.

I have connected it via coaxial to my chord Qutest dac with one end of the RCA terminated with BNC adapter and sounds quite nice. Have also connected an external HDD to the USB port of the lindemann which I control via the mobile app.

It is a very nice streamer for the price, of course I did not decide on buying this as a impulse but after much use. you can connect your Tidal account in the app too.

I was introduced to it by a guy called Jignesh from Surat who I guess is the dealer but now a days see is quite occupied probably due to Corona. It can be sourced at around 75k without negotiation in India.

You can also connect an external cd rom with this device.Bluetooth and WIFI is also available onboard but I have connected it via ethernet. I find the WIFI to be better than ethernet with reasons unknown to me. Beware if you use Roon you Roon library is not visible in the Lindemann app.

Much said My Mac Sounds too good with Audirvana installed via the USB-C to USB adapter via a usb Cable to my Qutest.. Both my Mac and lindemann seems to be at par to my ears.

I find the lindemann to be convenient just because it is always on and unlike my Mac I don't need to switch on and then switch on Audirvana and so on and so forth.. If you wish to buy we can have a quote together from the vendor..

Technical specifications​

General​

Power consumption: 0.1 W standby, 3.5 W operation, 11 W max.
Dimensions (W x H x D): 107 x 40 x 107 mm (4.2 x 1.6 x 4.2 in)
Weight: 300 g (0.66 lbs)
Power supply: 5V DC

D/A converter​

Resolution: 384 kHz/32 bit and DSD 256
Dynamic range: > 120 dB
THD & Noise: < 0.001 % (@ 0 dB FS)
Clock: ultra low jitter MEMS FemtoClock
Re-sampling: bit-perfect or DSD
Converter architecture: two AK4452 DACs in dual differential mono mode, AK4137 re-sampler
Output voltage: 2.0 V @ 0 dB FS
Output impedance line output: 100 ohms
Headphone connector: 3.5 mm mini jack socket
Recommended headphone impedance: 32 -200 ohms

Network player​

Ethernet: 100 Mbit/s
WLAN: dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP
USB 2.0 high-speed host interface, max. output current 1.5 A
Supported codecs: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, DSD
UPnP und DLNA support
PCM resolution
: 44.1 kHz up to 384 kHz, 24 bit.
DSD resolution: DSD 64 up to DSD 256.
Gapless playback
Streaming services
: TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, HighResAudio, Spotify, Internet radio and Podcast
Roon Ready
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Vivek,

First Things first. Wasn't able to setup a Qobuz account anyways I tried. you gotta help me out in this.

Second I got lindemann from a friend who had got it from Europe I guess Vienna, I am using it for quite sometime and have to give it back to him and am going to buy myself a new one.. During this interim period I have found it to be amongst the better Bridges much better than Bluesound and CCA. CCA with Roon is a different thing though.

I have connected it via coaxial to my chord Qutest dac with one end of the RCA terminated with BNC adapter and sounds quite nice. Have also connected an external HDD to the USB port of the lindemann which I control via the mobile app.

It is a very nice streamer for the price, of course I did not decide on buying this as a impulse but after much use. you can connect your Tidal account in the app too.

I was introduced to it by a guy called Jignesh from Surat who I guess is the dealer but now a days see is quite occupied probably due to Corona. It can be sourced at around 75k without negotiation in India.

You can also connect an external cd rom with this device.

Technical specifications​

General​

Power consumption: 0.1 W standby, 3.5 W operation, 11 W max.
Dimensions (W x H x D): 107 x 40 x 107 mm (4.2 x 1.6 x 4.2 in)
Weight: 300 g (0.66 lbs)
Power supply: 5V DC

D/A converter​

Resolution: 384 kHz/32 bit and DSD 256
Dynamic range: > 120 dB
THD & Noise: < 0.001 % (@ 0 dB FS)
Clock: ultra low jitter MEMS FemtoClock
Re-sampling: bit-perfect or DSD
Converter architecture: two AK4452 DACs in dual differential mono mode, AK4137 re-sampler
Output voltage: 2.0 V @ 0 dB FS
Output impedance line output: 100 ohms
Headphone connector: 3.5 mm mini jack socket
Recommended headphone impedance: 32 -200 ohms

Network player​

Ethernet: 100 Mbit/s
WLAN: dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP
USB 2.0 high-speed host interface, max. output current 1.5 A
Supported codecs: WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, DSD
UPnP und DLNA support
PCM resolution
: 44.1 kHz up to 384 kHz, 24 bit.
DSD resolution: DSD 64 up to DSD 256.
Gapless playback
Streaming services
: TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, HighResAudio, Spotify, Internet radio and Podcast
Roon Ready
Hi @abhi80

Thanks a lot for the very detailed review. Well I am not fully decided which way to go as of now. How would you compare this with Raspberry Pi solution? If you have any experience in that? I have asked the Indian Lumin distributor for U1 mini to see how much that costs here. Also any possibility of home demo, which I am not very hopeful. It's good that you got to try it before you buy it.

Sure I can try to help you on Qobuz. Following are the steps that I followed

1. Mac or pc, connect to a VPN most likely US as the European plan is expensive.
2. Open Qobuz website.
3. Create your login and choose a plan, add credit card info.
4. Download the appropriate app on pc or mac.
5. Login in to the app.
6. Disconnect the vpn.
7. Now on wards, vpn is not required you should be logged in all the time in the app as well as from the browser.

Let me know if you still have any issues.

Regards
Vivek
 
Hi @abhi80

Thanks a lot for the very detailed review. Well I am not fully decided which way to go as of now. How would you compare this with Raspberry Pi solution? If you have any experience in that? I have asked the Indian Lumin distributor for U1 mini to see how much that costs here. Also any possibility of home demo, which I am not very hopeful. It's good that you got to try it before you buy it.

Sure I can try to help you on Qobuz. Following are the steps that I followed

1. Mac or pc, connect to a VPN most likely US as the European plan is expensive.
2. Open Qobuz website.
3. Create your login and choose a plan, add credit card info.
4. Download the appropriate app on pc or mac.
5. Login in to the app.
6. Disconnect the vpn.
7. Now on wards, vpn is not required you should be logged in all the time in the app as well as from the browser.

Let me know if you still have any issues.

Regards
Vivek
A home demo is certainly a possibility. Provided corona aunty retires to the threshold.. Have tried the Allo bridge it sounded a tad bright for my ears. Not in the sense as live music is generally bright but too much for me..

Have tried the procedure its not accepting any of my cards, my amount was debited and account is still not active.. had texted them they said not applicable for indian origin cards, paypal doesnt work either..
 
A home demo is certainly a possibility. Provided corona aunty retires to the threshold.. Have tried the Allo bridge it sounded a tad bright for my ears. Not in the sense as live music is generally bright but too much for me..

Have tried the procedure its not accepting any of my cards, my amount was debited and account is still not active.. had texted them they said not applicable for indian origin cards, paypal doesnt work either..
That's strange. I had used Qobuz only for 1 month trial and used my credit card. It worked without any problem. PayPal should have worked too.
 
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
Back
Top