Yes I think I saw Darko talking about those in one of his videos.
I am using the Sotm sms-200ultra NEO (feeding a hugo2 while I wait for the mythical naim 372). This would be within the price range (second hand) and can be upgraded with a better power supply when you bring it home from office and use it as a second home system
I used an original UQ for a while and thoroughly endorse this recommendation. TBH Iām sorry I didnāt keep it.
Another option isChord 2go, but only if your DAC is Hugo 2, otherwise you need 2yu add-on and it gets expensive.
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Iāve used both the UnitiCute2 and Uniti2, both are great streamers and a bargain second hand for their performance.
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actually the RPI option is pretty good provided one uses the right software
I found roon expensive at 500 dollars and now even more at new price.
I would rather buy an NP5 for tidal integrationā¦ I have no use at all for roon anyway. all I need is tidal, I donāt use a NAS anyway.
for tidal integration the google chrome cast audio is also a good solution and fraction the price of everything else mentioned in this thread.
Donāt know which DAC you will be using alongside a new streamer. However, if the DAC is decent quality, I would go along with the suggestion of a second hand Sonore ultraRendu mentioned above, or if you would like to save some money a 2nd hand Sonore microRendu - but bear in mind that they will both need a power supply. A cheap iFi power supply that is often bundled with the Rendu products will be the best value for money option.
I found that the microRendu into my Chord Hugo DAC (that I used to have in my second system) sounded a bit better than an ND5XS (Mark 1) as a transport into the same DAC.
Using bubbleupnp and a microRendu, you will be able to use Kazoo but not the Naim app, and access to Tidal will also be available.
I have just read this earlier post of yours, and so perhaps the Sonore Rendus are not really the best choice for you after all. They are all small units, donāt have any buttons (just an ethernet input and a USB output. They are maintained via a web page on your PC, much I suspect as with the Rpi. Itās operating system also comes on a micro SD card, but if you buy the Rendu second hand the operating system will already have been installed and ready to use.
However, I would add that the Sonore software just simply works, although it may be a little (not very) fiddly to set it up initially. After that, it just works flawlessly, easily copes with hi-res and DSD files, and will almost certainly sound a bit better than the Rpi if your DAC is decent.
It also works flawlessly and very easily as a Roon endpoint, and of course If you use Roon, then I would obviously suggest that you use the Roon front end control software rather than Kazoo. Kazoo is pretty good, but just not as good as Roon. I havenāt found anything else that is.
Interesting ideas, thank you all. An old style Uniti unit would work, but I have a hankering for something different, more modern, if only to try something else! I have heard of the Rendu devices but have been put off by the āanonymous box lookā. Iāll follow up on the Rendu and see what youtube shows as suitable interfaces.
I am unlikely to go with roon right now and I am quite content with basic but reliable interfaces such as āKazooā.
Agreed, I have one, but it is tempremental. I went back to my Mac mini as I much prefer JRiverās interface and features to whatās available on the microRendu.
That said, once itās working it sounds very good, but OP is not happy with SD cards.
@Roog please forget my suggestion of Chordās 2go as that is SD card based too.
So Iād go for a second hand UQ.
Which version of the microRendu software are you running? I too originally found the microRendu to be temperamental, losing connection with my network occasionally for no apparent reason and regularly requiring a re-boot.
However, since I upgraded to version 2.7 I have had no problems whatsoever. Itās absolutely rock solid now. I havenāt had to reboot the unit for well over a year.
Think Iām still on 2.4, but not used it for a while.
The problems you describe are exactly what I had.
Iāll give it another go later.
I have a couple of raspberry pi units, both running raspbian buster and with roon bridge installed. They are fit and forget, they stay on 24/7 and just work, and I donāt need to fiddle with them. You can buy a ānoobsā memory card (or make one) which makes raspbian easy to install, and adding roon bridge is also easy via the command line (you can copy/paste from the roon site).
I wonder if your card corruption is a result of a bad choice of sd card? I tend to stick with sandisk. You can always clone the card once itās setup so you can just swap in a new one if needed.
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V2.7 fixed quite a few stability issues. V2.8 card is now available.
Actually āTMā you have reminded me of the 2Go-2Yu solution, I spotted it at the Bristol show back in February, nice but quite pricey for a second system.
āThinksā I wonder how it would work as a replacement for the SU streamer?
Do you use the SuperUniti as transport into your TT2 and then straight into your 300DR? If so, have you compared this set-up to a Naim pre-amp in between?
Apologies for the ādiversionā, but I am curious about your experience with the TT2. I am wondering whether I should go that way too, though I am only having the humble 250DRā¦
To contribute to the streamer discussion, have you looked into the SOTM 200 Neo (the āregularā version)? Ed Selley wrote a very favourable review on the AV Forum a while ago, and I know that he bought a unit for himself after the review (to feed his Chord DACā¦). One downside though, itās the wrong colour. For the right colour, you have to go Ultra ā the SOTM mentioned by @Mrpseudonym.
Hi āNaim The Dragonā, I donāt actually own a Hugo TT2, I do however have a vintage Heybrook TT2 turntable which is a completely different kettle of bananas! However, last year I did borrow an NDX2 and a Hugo TT2 DAC with the latter acting as DAC and pre amp directly into my NAP300DR. The idea being to avoid the need to get a NAC 282+smaller PSU+slightly larger PSU!
As I expected the Hugo TT2 has no problem driving the NAP300DR, however i felt it lacked something that the SU, also acting as a source/DAC/pre gave. So, based on my limited experience I could not recommend a Hugo TT2 as a DAC/ pre feeding a Naim power amp.
I continue to run my 300DR from my SU acting as source/DAC/pre. It sounds āNaimyā to me but perhaps isnāt the last word in refinement.
I will continue my search for an alternative preamp when funds and energy allow, I may consider NAC N272 as the prices seem to be getting more attractive.
As for āhumblingā the NAP 250DR I wouldnāt, I tried the 250DR and liked it, but when it came to buy, (used) I got greedy and went for a NAP 300 which i later had serviced and DRed. They sound pretty much the same to me, i guess it depends on your speaker load, maybe the 300 works better with tougher loads, i donāt know.
LOL ā apparently I am quite a waste of space today. I should have read more carefully, rather than just focussing on āTT2āā¦
What did you feel was missing when using Chordās TT2? As an interim measure I am using a Hugo 2 into the 250DR ā needed to save up before making the next big purchaseā¦ It sounds good, but I feel it lacks a bit of āforwardnessā, if that makes sense. The music feels slightly ārecessedā. Not sure whether I am describing it wellā¦
Cheers!
P.S. I remember your early 300 Non-DR ādramaā ā glad it worked out after DRāing the amp. Or am I getting history wrong? I hope itās not a second embarrassment todayā¦ LOL
Goodness well remembered! I had the usual reasons for the bloated bass, and rolled off highs, the most popular one being āMulletā, and yet a service and possibly the DR pretty well fixed it.
The longer I stay In this game the more I resist trying to describe what I hear. My impression of the TT2 acting in place of a preamp very much matched yours with the Hugo 2. I liked it with classical, uncoloured, very controlled, and yet, it seemed to lack dynamics with rock music. This doesnāt make much sense to me.
I look forward to finding a one box solution to bolt onto my 300.
Another vote for a Unitiqute 2.
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