Budgetary Streamer under $500

[Charles001]

My 1st streamer, ifi zen, has been serving me well and I am looking for the 2nd streamer. The specifications I am looking for are still:

1. Play hi-rez files from external / internal SSD or HDD;

2. Support DSD and Flac, WAV, AIF, etc. up to 24/192 or higher; and

3. Roon ready and support at least Tidal and Qobuz streaming service.

So far, based on what I could find on the market, there are only three candidates, including ifi zen ($400), Cambridge MXN 10 ($500) and Auralic Aries Mini ($500, used). The popular new BS Node is out of my consideration because of the lack of DSD support. The SQ from ifi zen is pretty good but I want something else just for a change. I have seen terrific reviews on Auralic Aries Mini but nothing really professional on the newly released Cambridge MXN 10. Does anyone here have experience with them and be kind enough to offer some suggestions?

 

[Rexp]

There are a few new Android based streamers that might be worth considering like this one, I'm hoping to compare it to the Zen, will update.

 

[audiobomber]

I've used an SOtM sMS-200 since 2017. It is super reliable, plays everything up to PCM 32bit/768kHz and DSDx512. It will stream Tidal and Qobuz, but not Chromecast.

The sMS-200 has been around for a few years, however there have been significant sonic and reliability firmware updates, and it is now better than ever. Direct comparisons I could find placed sound quality above the microRendu. The current Neo version is a hardware (capacitor) upgrade over the original and it gets even better with power supply and cable upgrades.

sMS-200 NEO

New generation of mini network player.

sotm-audio.com

 

[Charles001]

Thank you, Rexp, for bringing A6 to my attention. It reminds me of the feature paced Rose streamer at a fraction of cost.

Audiobomber, I am not famililar with these brands, namely, SOtM, microRendu, etc. that have more generic, plain look of devices. Don't get me wrong. I don't question their sound quality (SQ) since they are also testified/raved by end users. I was just unfamiliar with them mainly because of the lack of YT reviews and the customers' feedback. As such, I don't have a benchmark to help assess its SQ. That is my delimma. Let me have one other question which is not directly related. I saw the microRendu is a product of the small Green Computer which is praised by many users. Do you know off hand how does the SMS 200 compare to streaming from the Green Computer?

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

My 1st streamer, ifi zen, has been serving me well and I am looking for the 2nd streamer. The specifications I am looking for are still:

1. Play hi-rez files from external / internal SSD or HDD;

2. Support DSD and Flac, WAV, AIF, etc. up to 24/192 or higher; and

3. Roon ready and support at least Tidal and Qobuz streaming service.

So far, based on what I could find on the market, there are only three candidates, including ifi zen ($400), Cambridge MXN 10 ($500) and Auralic Aries Mini ($500, used). The popular new BS Node is out of my consideration because of the lack of DSD support. The SQ from ifi zen is pretty good but I want something else just for a change. I have seen terrific reviews on Auralic Aries Mini but nothing really professional on the newly released Cambridge MXN 10. Does anyone here have experience with them and be kind enough to offer some suggestions?

Hey, I'm glad to hear our ZEN Stream has been serving you well! Indeed, it's a very solid candidate in its price range.

 

[audiobomber]

I saw the microRendu is a product of the small Green Computer which is praised by many users. Do you know off hand how does the SMS 200 compare to streaming from the Green Computer?

Actually the microRendu was a Sonore product, sold by SGC. The microRendu was the original purpose-built streaming device, hugely successful, but no longer available due to supply chain issues.

The SOtM sMS-200 followed shortly afterwards as a direct competitor with similar capabilities, at a slightly lower price. As I mentioned above, my non-empirical research indicated higher sound quality in favour of the sMS. Stability is exceptional, it works flawlessly with all of the UPnP, MPD, DLNA and OpenHome music players I have tried, as well as Roon.

 

[audiobomber]

You should also consider the new WiiM Pro. It is very inexpensive and, according to a friend who just bought one, quite easy to use. No USB outlet, only S/PDIF or analog (but the onboard DAC is not very good). Upgradable with a higher quality power supply. This device can cast YouTube and Amazon Music, which is an uncommon feature.

WiiMPro - Overview

 

[Charles001]

You should also consider the new WiiM Pro. It is very inexpensive and, according to a friend who just bought one, quite easy to use. No USB outlet, only S/PDIF or analog (but the onboard DAC is not very good). Upgradable with a higher quality power supply. This device can cast YouTube and Amazon Music, which is an uncommon feature.

WiiMPro - Overview

I have tried its little brother non-Pro version and returned it. The bass is light and not as full sounding (feeding to my DAC) I am not sure if the Pro version does better job though...

 

[DSkip]

I have NOS Volumio Primo HiFi Edition in stock if you are interested. I believe it supports everything you need.

 

[Charles001]

I have NOS Volumio Primo HiFi Edition in stock if you are interested. I believe it supports everything you need.

Does the HDMI port support I2S? Thx.

 

[DSkip]

It does not. It is an output. You can hook a monitor up to it and see the interface.

 

[audiobomber]

I have tried its little brother non-Pro version and returned it. The bass is light and not as full sounding (feeding to my DAC) I am not sure if the Pro version does better job though...

Yes, there are major differences:
- Pro has upgradeable external power, and power has a major impact on sound quality
- Mini is wi-fi only. Pro adds ethernet in. IME, wired always sounds better
- Mini only has Toslink out. Pro adds coax, which sounds better than optical

Pro is fully compatible with Google Chromecast, Mini is non-compatible.. This doesn't affect sound quality, but it's a deal-breaker for me.