Browsing for a good budget Wi-Fi streamer for my Sprout 100 to stream hi res from Qobuz. Streaming would be from my iPhone, not a laptop or roon. What would be the best fit?
I recall reading an article that said the Sprout has a limited “cd quality” bit rate if used a certain way (or something like that). Is that true?
I’ll take any recommendations and insights y’all may have. Thanks!
Greg
“Budget” means different things to different people, but unless you’re the home-brew Raspberry Pi sort, it’s very hard to beat the value a Bluesound Node 2i (or later) brings to the table.
Budget? You really cannot go wrong diving into the rabbit hole that is Raspberry Pi and all its HATs, software options, etc. I second @Craig_Burgess on this.
An Aries Mini. Though they would be on the used market if available.
Bluesound Node. It is the new version of the 2i. For a budget streamer, it’s hard to beat.
Thanks for the recs…I’m not technically inclined, so don’t think the raspberry will work…Bluesound sounds right.
Following up - I know the bluesound is capable of highest resolution streaming… what are the limitations for Sprout to that end?
Thanks again!
My understanding is the Wifi on the Node devices can be a bit funky and unreliable. But otherwise, gets good reviews. Just be aware of this since you said you’d use it over Wifi.
From: https://www.psaudio.com/products/sprout100-integrated-amplifier/#section-904-824
Format PCM (384KHz max), 24 bits, DSD64 (DoP), DSD128 (DoP)
Format|PCM (96KHz max), 24 bits
Bluesound has an outlet too.
You could also look on Craigslist or shopgoodwill.com for an older Sonos Connect.
Mike D
Thank you all for your responses. Happy new year!
One last comment. A lot of people get down on Sonos, but they have the best streaming variety of anybody. They’re the only one (AFAIK) that does Apple Music natively. (Bluesound uses AirPlay). They don’t do HiRes yet, but it’s rumored to be coming.
One other option is finding an older AppleTV box with the optical TOSLINK out or an AirPort Express. Both are in the Apple infrastructure but both work pretty well via AirPlay. Odds are you can find either for $50 or less on Craigslist. Chromecast Audio works too, especially with Android phones and with Roon although you’ll probably pay more than you should because they get hoarded.
Anyhow. Happy New Year.
Sonos, pricey and ho-hum sound quality but an excellent app for sure and hardware that just works out the box without much fuss.
A long time back I compared Express to TV TOSLINK and gave the edge in sound quality to the Express. It was not hard to hear the difference but certainly not night and day. I suspect a lot had to do with the TV only outputting 48k when all my test material was 16/44.1. If one chooses to use an Apple product like this for music I suggest finding an Express for this reason.
Bluesound Node!
For the capabilities of the Sprout a new BlueSound Node 2i is the way to go IMO. Good value option, and no operational quirks. As you move up in amplification quality there are many better sonic choices. On a budget, with a budget but quality sounding integrated amp such as PS Audio’s Sprout, the BlueSound 2i is IT.
Another vote for the BlueSound Node 2i. Once I acquire a GainCell DAC for my primary system my plan is to move my Sprout 100 to the bedroom to drive a pair of Klipsch RP-600M speakers using a BlueSound Node 2i as the source.