If you love the convenience but want better sound and have the room and budget to accommodate a stereo system, a hi-fi streamer is the way to go.Īlmost regardless of which music streamer you buy, you will gain access to an astonishing range of music – but pick with care, and it will make listening to that music all the more enjoyable.īluesound has opted to return to its original ‘Node’ moniker for this, its third-generation music streamer (not to be confused with its second-gen model below - the ‘ Node 2i’ ).
STREAMCAST AMP.2 UPGRADE
Whatever your budget, music streamers are a great way to upgrade your sonic experience from a simple wireless speaker. We would suggest that spending broadly the same as your amplifier would be a decent place to start, though it always pays to be flexible to get the right one. Price wise, as with all things hi-fi, streamers can vary hugely, and how much you can expect to pay depends on the rest of your set-up. If you can, though, stick with wired because it gives a more stable connection, making everything go more smoothly over long-term use. Going wire-free is appealing, as it makes things easier and tidier, and provided your network is stable, should work fine for many people. Since we’re talking about practicalities, it’s worth mentioning that the first thing any music streamer needs is a stable home internet network, and you need to decide whether to connect the steamer directly with an Ethernet cable or go wireless. If that doesn't appeal, you may want to look for models with a display and a traditional remote control. Using such devices and your streamer's app is the best way to navigate large music libraries and the quickest way of making playlists. To get the best user experience, you’ll really need a smartphone or tablet to control your streamer. Most streamers will also have digital inputs, so alongside playing music files from a USB, you’ll usually be able to feed in optical and coax digital feeds too, making the streamer something of a digital hub for your system. You'll also be able to play from your favourite music streaming services – at least Spotify and quite probably higher quality alternatives such as Tidal or Qobuz are built-in.īluetooth is almost always included, and if it’s the more capable aptX HD form, then all the better. Regardless of the model, you’ll be able to play music files from an attached NAS drive and play thousands of internet radio stations. CD quality is 16-bit/44.1kHz, and a capability of 24-bit/192kHz should be more than enough to meet the needs of most audiophiles.Ĭonnectivity-wise, streamers can boast AirPlay, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, UPnP compatibility, and USB ports. We wouldn’t get too hung up on the numbers, though, as the vast majority of music isn’t available in those more extreme file types. Most of the selections below support the vast majority of hi-res music formats though the upper limit can vary between 24-bit/96kHz PCM files for more basic products up to 32-bit/768 kHz for those that aim to push the boundary.
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