Currently residing in a small, terrace house. Too small to get my HiFi out… even a set of small speakers would be a real struggle. For the last few weeks I’ve been using the TV with headphones but this really is a bit rubbish
I’m wondering if there’s a network headphone DAC I could use as interim? So a compact (important word), mains powered, network streaming DAC (so it has a lan port) that I can use with some good headphones and drive with Bubble?
Really don’t want to spend more than a grand and if I could find something for ‘a monkey’ that would be good - this is for interim use.
I’ve been asking myself the same question for a bedroom cheap-ish headphones system and I’m currently leaning toward a Raspberry PI providing digital via USB to a Ifi Zen Dac and then a pair of Meze Classic 99. Circa 500€ all in new.
Haven’t found a one box solution as of yet. But will be curious to see what others might suggest.
A unitiqute 2 fits the bill, doesnt it? I havent used bubble, but you can definitely use jriver + jremote to output to the uq2 so I would think bubble would achieve the same thing.
£497 at your friendly dealer Tom, repeat, Tom.
I love my Mini-i 3, but are you sure streaming wise it can do Bubble? Pretty sure the streaming card is for Roon only or Airplay. I’m using another stand alone streamer I had (microRendu) via USB as I think it sounds just that much better, though the Roon implementation is good on the Matrix, esp the little screen with the album cover playing.
If using headphones, try and use the 4.4 balanced output - twice as powerful and better sounding imo with my 250ohm Amiron’s.
How about the Lindemann Limetree Network player? Don’t know if you can use it with bubble but it comes with its own operating system and can stream Tidal and Qobuz. Also the size of a fag packet!
You bet. Too bad, it’s a great little unit, though I’m sure their other offerings are just as sound, if not more so, just more $. I got my mini for $899 right before the price went up.
I must have spent 3 hours now ploughing through various reviews on the Element i and I haven’t heard a bad word said about it. Some people comment it’s expensive if you only want a USB DAC. Others if you don’t want headphone &c. BUT if you want network streamer/dac/headphone/XLR out (so I can pair it with my AE1 speakers as a second system - if/when that becomes an option) then there doesn’t seem to be anything to touch it.