Topic: What's your digital audio set-up?

[noob]

Micro SD card ->Sony NW A55 -> Rega Elex-r -> MS Mezzo2

Spotify Premium on iphone 5s/6s -> Marantz NA7004 -> Rega Elex-r -> MS Mezzo2

2Tb Ext Drive on Windows 10 (Foobar2000/Musicbee) laptop/desktop -> Ibasso D14 -> Lear FSM 02 -> Grado 325i

Micro SD card -> Sony NW A55 -> Sony WH-1000XM3

[synchro_01]

Four years ago I decided that my days of maintaining a dedicated audio system was over.  My listening habits have changed considerably as I aged and I never had time to sit down anymore on my listening chair and listen to audio for hours just like before.  I became tired of the cycle of purchasing software (CD medium), listening to the material once and then storing for years before I get urge to listen to it again.  My children who have now grown up also gave me a feedback that they didn't utilize the stereo because of its stupid complexity.  Turning on as much as 6 to 7 different components in sequence before you can even press play is daunting. 

After careful self assessment, I found myself listening 99.9% of the time to music while i was doing something else here in the house.  My wife and kids do the same thing.  Nobody here in the house sits down and just listens critically to a track on a carefully matched, tuned and positioned audio system.  Bottom line is that my dedicated audio system has reached its end in terms of utilization. 

A re-orientation was in order and the goal was to simplify and change the system so that it is simple, easy to operate so that everybody can use it, great sounding, can operate in different zones in the house and most of all...reliable.

As much as i love vinyl there was a time that I had to give that up for CD's. Now the time came for me to give that up for Digitally sourced Music.

Here is my current set up for digital:

Living room 5.1 audio and video application:
Sonos Playbar
Sonos Sub
Sonos Connect Amp - Macky Monitors (rear surrounds)

Whole house audio ground floor:
Sonos Amp - 4 Polk Audio Atrium 4 for ground floor - wall mounted
Rel Q201E (hidden)

My bathroom:
Sonos Symfonisk Bookshelf (mono)

Home Theater and audio:
Sonos Connect
Pioneer Elite SC-05
7.1 Dynaudio w/ REL Q201E

Connectivity for all Sonos devices:  100Mbps via 4 Google Mesh nodes.
Controllers: All of our devices (Laptops, Desktop, Iphone, IPad or Android phone) have the Sonos app installed.
Musical sources via Sonos app:  Spotify, Mixcloud and 1 TB NAS of lossless music files (all my CD's ripped)

Future upgrades:  4 Triad ceiling speakers for ground floor and another Sonos Amp for 2nd floor with 4 Triad ceiling speakers and a Triad 10 inch sub.

[at_sunset_blvd]

Four years ago I decided that my days of maintaining a dedicated audio system was over.  My listening habits have changed considerably as I aged and I never had time to sit down anymore on my listening chair and listen to audio for hours just like before.  I became tired of the cycle of purchasing software (CD medium), listening to the material once and then storing for years before I get urge to listen to it again.  My children who have now grown up also gave me a feedback that they didn't utilize the stereo because of its stupid complexity.  Turning on as much as 6 to 7 different components in sequence before you can even press play is daunting. 

After careful self assessment, I found myself listening 99.9% of the time to music while i was doing something else here in the house.  My wife and kids do the same thing.  Nobody here in the house sits down and just listens critically to a track on a carefully matched, tuned and positioned audio system.  Bottom line is that my dedicated audio system has reached its end in terms of utilization. 

A re-orientation was in order and the goal was to simplify and change the system so that it is simple, easy to operate so that everybody can use it, great sounding, can operate in different zones in the house and most of all...reliable.

As much as i love vinyl there was a time that I had to give that up for CD's. Now the time came for me to give that up for Digitally sourced Music.

I think we are in the same predicament Bro hec, I don't do critical listening anymore & I barely turn on my system except that when it really needs a warm-up for a very long idle unused time, I still kept all my CDs & Vinyl collection though. As for movie watching I don't even watch in my dedicated room, like as you said it takes up too many switches to push just to watch a single disc even though we have those one-push Harmony remotes, I just prefer watching a movie on our living room w/ a Soundbar & the magic remote of the TV that handles everything w/out too much complexity. As for music I'm not really good at the present stuff like streaming but I do have a TIDAL account that I also play from our desktop thru a Marshall speaker w/c fills the whole ground floor w/ non-stop "Our Choice Music". Sign of times that we are really changing also just like how music is played nowadays. 

[synchro_01]

Bro Kenneth,

Times have changed indeed and so did we. Don't get me wrong...the love of music is still there. What changed is just the manner in how I listen to it therefore I had to re-orient my systems to meet specific goals centered on reality. 

Aside from the tremendous convenience, Digital also offers unmatched practicality as well.  I never computed how many hundreds of thousand of pesos I have spent in music and video software through the decades but I know its a lot.  Nowadays a premium subscription for Spotify is just Php150.00 a month or Php1.8K/year.  Mix Cloud is totally free.  Just those two providers and my fix is satisfied.   In comparison, one XRCD kila JR is Php2.5K.  I don't even blink before when I buy 8 to 10 in one visit.  Number of times I listened to those CD's?  Once and that was it. 

I'm not saying that this route will be for everyone.  There was a time that I enjoyed the sheer transparency, PRAT and Imaging that my audio system can deliver.  In my case those times are over.  Who knows...I may go back at it once again in the near future. I might have some regrets in the future of letting go of certain audio components or software but I have to live in the present and reality dictates that I have to accept and adjust my system to the changes.   

[raptor]

in my case I sold all my audio equipment 4 years ago - it was a 5.1 setup .... recently I got an itch again and brought a Marantz NR1200 network receiver and a pair of MartinLogan Motion 20 floorstanders ... my idea was just to have a HiFi system, I'm no longer interested with those so many speakers - it was simply too messy and too expesive to follow what's trending ... with my new setup, my music sources are FLAC files on USB, MP3 music over the network with my WD Cloud storage, and Spotify ... I was planning to subscribe to Amazon Music HD as I've heard that the quality is higher than Tidal, but it wouldn't allow using a credit card from PH - I'll probably try Tidal and see if is better than Spotify

I also have old CD's, DVD.s and BD that I no longer use ... it is very convenient to stream music or play music from my USB drive .... FLAC files played from the USB drive have excellent quality by the way, much better than music from Spotify ... I'll try Tidal after the break-in of my speakers ... in the future, I'll probably buy a soundbar for the movies

[at_sunset_blvd]

Bro Kenneth,

Times have changed indeed and so did we. Don't get me wrong...the love of music is still there. What changed is just the manner in how I listen to it therefore I had to re-orient my systems to meet specific goals centered on reality. 

Aside from the tremendous convenience, Digital also offers unmatched practicality as well.  I never computed how many hundreds of thousand of pesos I have spent in music and video software through the decades but I know its a lot.  Nowadays a premium subscription for Spotify is just Php150.00 a month or Php1.8K/year.  Mix Cloud is totally free.  Just those two providers and my fix is satisfied.   In comparison, one XRCD kila JR is Php2.5K.  I don't even blink before when I buy 8 to 10 in one visit.  Number of times I listened to those CD's?  Once and that was it. 

I'm not saying that this route will be for everyone.  There was a time that I enjoyed the sheer transparency, PRAT and Imaging that my audio system can deliver.  In my case those times are over.  Who knows...I may go back at it once again in the near future. I might have some regrets in the future of letting go of certain audio components or software but I have to live in the present and reality dictates that I have to accept and adjust my system to the changes.   

in my case I sold all my audio equipment 4 years ago - it was a 5.1 setup .... recently I got an itch again and brought a Marantz NR1200 network receiver and a pair of MartinLogan Motion 20 floorstanders ... my idea was just to have a HiFi system, I'm no longer interested with those so many speakers - it was simply too messy and too expesive to follow what's trending ... with my new setup, my music sources are FLAC files on USB, MP3 music over the network with my WD Cloud storage, and Spotify ... I was planning to subscribe to Amazon Music HD as I've heard that the quality is higher than Tidal, but it wouldn't allow using a credit card from PH - I'll probably try Tidal and see if is better than Spotify

I also have old CD's, DVD.s and BD that I no longer use ... it is very convenient to stream music or play music from my USB drive .... FLAC files played from the USB drive have excellent quality by the way, much better than music from Spotify ... I'll try Tidal after the break-in of my speakers ... in the future, I'll probably buy a soundbar for the movies

Not only the gears gets old & obsolete, also us  "The Audio Addicts" but it will remain in our bloodstream as music & film enthusiasts forever. Rock On!

[synchro_01]

Not only the gears gets old & obsolete, also us  "The Audio Addicts" but it will remain in our bloodstream as music & film enthusiasts forever. Rock On!

Amen to that Bro Kenneth

[accastil]

Tidal from a phone as a remote. The source is a google chromecast audio going into a dac via toslink.

The back up is a bluetooth receiver going into the same dac via coax with its source being the same phone.

[accastil]

Tidal from a phone as a remote. The source is a google chromecast audio going into a dac via toslink.

The back up is a bluetooth receiver going into the same dac via coax with its source being the same phone.

update:

an i7 8th gen, 12gig laptop with audioquest jitter bug connected to a DAC via USB. streamer is playing via audirvana using a phone remote.
this sounds much much more resolute than before.

how can this get better? anyone?

[noob]

update:

an i7 8th gen, 12gig laptop with audioquest jitter bug connected to a DAC via USB. streamer is playing via audirvana using a phone remote.
this sounds much much more resolute than before.

how can this get better? anyone?

first may i congratulate your upgrade.  am no expert but i see nothing (except networked set-up for absolute convenience) and i supposed that your files are hi-res not to mention that your one pdvd'er with great audio system. just my humble two cents. 😁

[accastil]

Hi noob, a very modest system in fact.
I dont have local files. Rather purely streaming using tidal. Medyo tamad na mag rip, dl, and all that extra effort to make the files local. If someone is willing to sell hi-res files, i might consider... Ganyan ako katamad😁

[noob]

Hi noob, a very modest system in fact.
I dont have local files. Rather purely streaming using tidal. Medyo tamad na mag rip, dl, and all that extra effort to make the files local. If someone is willing to sell hi-res files, i might consider... Ganyan ako katamad😁

Well, Tidal is good, it's streaming lossless cd quality music. Way better with spotify which i have. Though i have subscribe to a three-month apple music trial which is similar to the quality of tidal.

You know, between buying from HDtracks or other hi-res (the same flac files) sources, i find it reasonable to subscribe to streaming sites. If you buy, you can only buy by the album so there maybe some songs that you may not like. It will turn out to be costlier, i think.

Let us hear from other members what other recommendations they may offer. 😁

[lithium_deuteride]

I have an i3 Intel NUC running on ROCK (Roon Optimized Core Kit) feeding an SOTM SMS-200 Ultra network bridge which feeds a Chord MScaler upsampler that in turn feeds a Chord Hugo TT2 DAC.  Both Chords and the SOTM are powered by SBooster LPSUs. I have an SOTM SNH-10G switch powered by an SPS-500 psu that ties all the network lines together. I have a Tidal subscription.

I also have a CEC TL5 transport going to the MScaler.  The CEC is an unknown gem.  It sounds really good even with regular CDs. 

I credit the Chord gear, especially the TT2 for relegating my analog front end into a display piece.

[RastaSega]

main listening "station"
Speakers-Front : Klipsch RP600M (from Paradigm Titans)
Speakers-Center : Paradigm cc190
Speakers-Rear : Paradigm Atom
Speakers-Ceiling (Atmos): Forgot (pair)
Subwoofer : SVS NSD PB 12

Amp / Receiver : Marantz SR5012
DAC / Network Audio Streamer : CXN v2
Source : external HDD 4tb, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect

--

Car 1 : Harman Kardon stock sound system
Car 2 : Alpine ICS-X7, DLS UP6 seps, DLS UR12 sub, JBL Powerseries 300.4 amp
Car 3 : Alpine CDE 148EBT, speakers, sub, amp Carpe Diem


--

Home office  - PC, Bose Companion 3
Office - mac, logitech bluetooth receiver, Dared MP5 amp, Technics turntable, Paradigm atom

[noob]

main listening "station"
Speakers-Front : Klipsch RP600M (from Paradigm Titans)
Speakers-Center : Paradigm cc190
Speakers-Rear : Paradigm Atom
Speakers-Ceiling (Atmos): Forgot (pair)
Subwoofer : SVS NSD PB 12

Amp / Receiver : Marantz SR5012
DAC / Network Audio Streamer : CXN v2
Source : external HDD 4tb, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect

--

Car 1 : Harman Kardon stock sound system
Car 2 : Alpine ICS-X7, DLS UP6 seps, DLS UR12 sub, JBL Powerseries 300.4 amp
Car 3 : Alpine CDE 148EBT, speakers, sub, amp Carpe Diem


--

Home office  - PC, Bose Companion 3
Office - mac, logitech bluetooth receiver, Dared MP5 amp, Technics turntable, Paradigm atom

wala ka ng hahangarin pang iba..  kakainggit haha

[raptor]

Music Source: Spotify and Youtube ... I still have FLAC files on USB but no longer using, Spotify is more convenient ... hopefully they would have higher fidelity audio soon
Video Source: Netflix and Video from Network Storage, and PS5 Digital Edition for games

Living Room: Marantz NR1200 with a pair of MartinLogan Motion 20 FS, and Sony 65A80J (will soon add Sony SRS NS-7)
PC Audio: Bose Companion 50

I have greatly simplified my digital audio setup - just a pair of FS stereo speakers from 5.1 setup, got rid of all my CDs, DVDs, and BDs. I'm very satisfied with my music system simplified setup, but still longing for a surround system for movies and have been considering soundbar with ATMOS support, but I'm still weary of the clutter of having a subwoofer and rear speakers. 

I recently came across the Sony SRS NS-7 neckband speaker that offers personalized ATMOS 360 degrees spatial speaker qualities - expensive for a personal audio system at around 15k ($299), but much cheaper than a decent soundbar system, hence I took on the plunge (still waiting for delivery, but I'll write a review once tested).  Here's a review from sound experts review of the product for your reference - https://youtu.be/11zKZApaPkw

[accastil]

Four years ago I decided that my days of maintaining a dedicated audio system was over.  My listening habits have changed considerably as I aged and I never had time to sit down anymore on my listening chair and listen to audio for hours just like before.  I became tired of the cycle of purchasing software (CD medium), listening to the material once and then storing for years before I get urge to listen to it again.  My children who have now grown up also gave me a feedback that they didn't utilize the stereo because of its stupid complexity.  Turning on as much as 6 to 7 different components in sequence before you can even press play is daunting. 

After careful self assessment, I found myself listening 99.9% of the time to music while i was doing something else here in the house.  My wife and kids do the same thing.  Nobody here in the house sits down and just listens critically to a track on a carefully matched, tuned and positioned audio system.  Bottom line is that my dedicated audio system has reached its end in terms of utilization. 

A re-orientation was in order and the goal was to simplify and change the system so that it is simple, easy to operate so that everybody can use it, great sounding, can operate in different zones in the house and most of all...reliable.

As much as i love vinyl there was a time that I had to give that up for CD's. Now the time came for me to give that up for Digitally sourced Music.

Here is my current set up for digital:

Living room 5.1 audio and video application:
Sonos Playbar
Sonos Sub
Sonos Connect Amp - Macky Monitors (rear surrounds)

Whole house audio ground floor:
Sonos Amp - 4 Polk Audio Atrium 4 for ground floor - wall mounted
Rel Q201E (hidden)

My bathroom:
Sonos Symfonisk Bookshelf (mono)

Home Theater and audio:
Sonos Connect
Pioneer Elite SC-05
7.1 Dynaudio w/ REL Q201E

Connectivity for all Sonos devices:  100Mbps via 4 Google Mesh nodes.
Controllers: All of our devices (Laptops, Desktop, Iphone, IPad or Android phone) have the Sonos app installed.
Musical sources via Sonos app:  Spotify, Mixcloud and 1 TB NAS of lossless music files (all my CD's ripped)

Future upgrades:  4 Triad ceiling speakers for ground floor and another Sonos Amp for 2nd floor with 4 Triad ceiling speakers and a Triad 10 inch sub.

The digital music technology nowadays is so good in both convenience and sound quality that it already compensates for its shortcomings compared to analog playback.
I still maintain a decent analog source only to touch and look at ocassionally. And yes, they still sound better than any other format though not in the same gap as it was years ago.

[Zhimiro]

Apple Music / Spotify > Iphone 6S > Toppings D50 > Luxman L-430 > Tannoy Sixes 609 mkII

[alvinbaronsia]

The digital music technology nowadays is so good in both convenience and sound quality that it already compensates for its shortcomings compared to analog playback.
I still maintain a decent analog source only to touch and look at ocassionally. And yes, they still sound better than any other format though not in the same gap as it was years ago.

On the other hand, I rarely touch vinyl, maybe once a month just to keep the motor turning. I've never heard an analog system sound better than digital... but perhaps that's just me, a little bit of hiss and I go crazy.

 

[Arulco]

Some of the good things that came out of the digital streaming era is that it forced the loudness wars and piracy to go in decline.

As for my digital setup, I've had these for many years with no urge to upgrade so I guess, I'm already at my endgame.

Speakers:
Synology 1819+ NAS > Windows PC > Jriver Media Center 29 or Apple Music > KEF LS50W active speakers (via USB input) & dual SVS SB12-NSD subwoofers

Headphones:
Synology 1819+ NAS > Windows PC > Jriver Media Center 29 or Apple Music > HRT Musicstreamer III DAC > Topping L30 Headphone Amp > Sennheiser HD 650

[synchro_01]

Update time. Its been 6 years already since I've gone strictly digital.  Some speakers and gears are gone while new ones replaced them. For 2022 here is the lineup:

Living Room:
Sonos Amp
B&W 683S1 Tower speakers
REL T5i subwoofer
Wired by IXOS

Whole House ground floor audio
Sonos Amp
4 pcs Polk Atrium 4
NHT SW10 Sub

My bathroom:
Sonos/IKEA Symfonisk Bookshelf (mono)

Home Theater and audio:
Sonos Connect
Pioneer Elite SC-05
7.1 Dynaudio A52/C120/A42/A40 w/ REL Q201E

Personal electronics
Apple Mac Air M1
Pioneer DDJ SR-2 DJ controller
Kenwood Midi Amp
NHT Super One 2.1
Steel Series Arctic Pro Headphones

Connectivity for all Sonos devices:  300Mbps via 4 Google Mesh nodes.
Controllers: All of our devices (Laptops, Desktop, Iphone, IPad or Android phone) have the Sonos app installed.
Musical sources via Sonos app:  Spotify, Mixcloud and 1 TB NAS of lossless music files (all my CD's ripped)

[at_sunset_blvd]

Update time. Its been 6 years already since I've gone strictly digital.  Some speakers and gears are gone while new ones replaced them. For 2022 here is the lineup:

Living Room:
Sonos Amp
B&W 683S1 Tower speakers
REL T5i subwoofer
Wired by IXOS

Whole House ground floor audio
Sonos Amp
4 pcs Polk Atrium 4
NHT SW10 Sub

My bathroom:
Sonos/IKEA Symfonisk Bookshelf (mono)

Home Theater and audio:
Sonos Connect
Pioneer Elite SC-05
7.1 Dynaudio A52/C120/A42/A40 w/ REL Q201E

Personal electronics
Apple Mac Air M1
Pioneer DDJ SR-2 DJ controller
Kenwood Midi Amp
NHT Super One 2.1
Steel Series Arctic Pro Headphones

Connectivity for all Sonos devices:  300Mbps via 4 Google Mesh nodes.
Controllers: All of our devices (Laptops, Desktop, Iphone, IPad or Android phone) have the Sonos app installed.
Musical sources via Sonos app:  Spotify, Mixcloud and 1 TB NAS of lossless music files (all my CD's ripped)

[Deckard]

Nas/spotify/apple music>>>blue sound node n130>>>Denafrips Ares II>>> hegel h190 >>> dyn contour s1.4le & rel T7i


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TeddyCuds]

Apple tv 4k>>Spotify>>Homepod stereo pair with 2 Homepod minis as surround

[cia]

Spotify/Amazon Music > IFI Zen Stream > RME ADI2 DAC > Sugden IA4 > Dynaudio Heritage Special / Rel T5X

[scoob]

Tidal/NAS>>WinPC/Audiolab6000nplay>>
Audiolab8300cdq>>BelCanto>>Linton

[shuttertrigger]

3 Echo dot 4
2 Echo dot 2
1 Echo show 5

Placed in every room in the house   

Alexa, play Taylor Swift everywhere