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hi res streaming

96.239.23.61

Posted on May 21, 2020 at 09:47:57
Posts: 5
Joined: May 21, 2020
regarding streaming--I'm using Qobuz --my chord electronics dac
is usb connected to my Macbook pro--specs are 8 gigs of ram core is i5
dual core-unit is 3 years old. I am connecting via wifi--the streaming playback does sound vert good.

Curious if upgrading to a newer mac maybe with higher memory and quad
core would improve things even more. Perhaps using ethernet as opposed to wifi? Although like i say it does sound good now

Othe roption perhaps is using my MS Surface book 2--16 memory

ANy feedback would be helpful
sheldon simon

 

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RE: hi res streaming, posted on May 21, 2020 at 10:57:58
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46200
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since:
February 2, 2002

"Curious if upgrading to a newer mac maybe with higher memory and quad core would improve things even more."

Define "things". If you mean sound quality, probably not.

Going to Ethernet from Wifi is more about connection consistency and reliability.... not sound quality. I always prefer Ethernet over Wifi whenever possible BUT... if your Wifi is "solid" you probably won't notice a difference.



 

I suspect you're good..., posted on May 21, 2020 at 14:44:38
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
I've streamed QOBUZ Hi Rez on a Macbook Air with NO problems. USB to a Chord MoJo.

Sounds no different than my loaded MacBook Pro.




First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

RE: I suspect you're good..., posted on May 21, 2020 at 15:14:20
Posts: 5
Joined: May 21, 2020
many thanks-

any thoughts if using a dedicated music streamer instead of the laptop would make a difference?
sheldon simon

 

It all depends, posted on May 21, 2020 at 16:35:28
PAR
Audiophile

Posts: 1732
Location: South London, UK
Joined: June 4, 2019
Any streamer v. any direct connection to a laptop? Unanswerable.

Yes a streamer can sound better than a direct connection. Considerably better. Or vice versa.

There is no single universal answer to this question. It depends upon what equipment is being used and how it is configured, connected etc.

"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams

 

Hard to say..., posted on May 22, 2020 at 07:38:14
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
If you can manage a streamer with Ethernet input, maybe. Most of the better choices are Ethernet.

If you are limited to WiFi then maybe your laptop is fine. Also, depending on the year of your MacBook Pro you MIGHT have a TOSLINK output inside the headphone jack (my early 2015 Retina MacBook Pro does) and I find this a better option than USB for up to 24/96.

Two other options I have with Ethernet are a uRendu and Raspberry Pi. The uRendu is USB and the Pi is S/PDIF. I'd say the laptop is about the same as the Pi, sound-wise, while the uRendu is maybe a bit better than even my dedicated Mac Mini.




First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

Dump the Macbook?, posted on May 25, 2020 at 14:36:43
creativepart
Audiophile

Posts: 1891
Location: Spring Branch, Texas
Joined: March 1, 2004
Have you thought about dumping the Macbook in your setup entirely?

In my experience changing to network streaming with USB output is better in every way to streaming from the Mac's USB output.

There are lots of devices that achieve this, from low cost Raspberry Pi based streamers to Sonore and SoTM streamers and a wide array of others. You can start in the $350 range and spend up to $22,000 but great sound can be had for under $1,000.

Your Mac still runs Qobuz (or other music player like Roon or Audirvanna Pro) but it outputs the stream to your network router (via WiFi or Ethernet) and then the network streamer is connected via Ethernet to your network. This then outputs via USB to your dac.

The netbook streamer is optimized for audio and does nothing else. Your macbook, even if it's not being used to run other tasks, is constantly doing dozens (hundreds?) of other tasks all the time.

 

RE: Dump the Macbook? Never!, posted on June 28, 2020 at 16:56:50
I stream with a Gungnir Multibit 5 and Amazon HD with a 2015 MacBook pro and the sound ig great IMO.

 

RE: hi res streaming, posted on June 29, 2020 at 03:16:51
Aspheric
Audiophile

Posts: 170
Joined: March 12, 2001
Using a 2012 Mac Mini with 16gb of memory with Audirvana to process music from Quboz. Wonderful sound quality!

Likely something is amiss in your audio chain...

 

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