Streamer Shoot-Out: Allo, Bluesound, Cambridge Audio, Innuos, Sonore, Sonos, Yamaha. 

Thanks Rob so much. Worked out well on this one. I love it! There are lots of businesses to rip cds for you so you don’t have to do it. Innuos stands out I’d say or similar types of firms

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thanks Simon. Actually I have already ripped everything to FLAC on my NAS with EAC Exact Audio Copy over my home Gigabit Ethernet since FLAC is what our cars ICE can read. Every new CD gets ripped first before being ever played. Right now I can browse NAS files with my iPhone, connect via Bluetooth to my Topping D90 DAC and play from NAS to my main system that way, but I don't think I'm getting the best of the D90's superb resolution this way. Love your channel, keep up the great work!

It’s...the future.

I'm agree with you but Bluesound products (i bought a Powernode 2i and a NODE) are full of bugs. I mean light control, proximity control, ecc...

Thinking about a streamer to access all my music on my computer as well as Pandora and internet radio stations.

Thank you , i do try and help

Thanks for watching and great comments. Node's are terrific and I'm not a hifi snob but lots of people in the hifi community turn their noses up at them because they are cheapish and they equate price to performance. I did spend a lot of time on this, but listening goes on top of that. If you do it properly its not something you can do quickly. Id rather do them well produced and listened to/researched than the channels that do more than one review a week.

Thank you . It sure does punch above

To which one? If I had the money I would like to buy the new Cambridge EVO 150 but for my wallet the Bluesound powernode is best allrounder

Thanks very much Paul. Bw simon 😀👍

Thanks very much David. Music and graphics worked out really well in this one. The classical music definitely gives it a bit of gravitas and impact. Where would I be without Epidemic sound.

BTW - Planet Zog - just off the M25, turn right at the traffic lights! 👽 🌎 👽

Lol. They definetely must be out there. Probably doing gogglebox.

Marten Dekker thanks very much . Please note Speakers featured had model number on back - monitor audio gold 100, plus as I stated in video , I’ve listed main kit I use in description 😀👍

Marten Dekker no worries

Thank you for contributing for me and everyone else Brad.

Absolutely

What if we don't have a dac? any options that I can connect to the amp directly besides yamaha with an internal dac?

@@JTACTR If you connect your NODE via Optical or Coaxial cable you bypass internal DAC and you will use your Yamaha internal DAC

Hi Anton, thanks so much for doing that. Really appreciate it. I’m gonna do the new node 2i version 3, they are probably the stand out streamers to go for, and so popular and easy to use. I love my 2i. Bw Simon

Thank you Catherine. Nice chatting the other day, anytime you need some help with hifi....

@@13thnotehifireviews7 , Absolutely. Thank you!

Thanks Adrian , I’ll keep them coming. Am doing the monitor audio gold 100 next. I’d rather do a few really well, than the ‘stack it high, supply them cheap and easy’ reviews of ten reviews every week (an exaggeration obviously lol) as I just don’t think these people can listen enough and do the comparisons justice, when I put in what I do.

Can’t wait for your impressions of the monitor 100 , I own them and love them

Gerald Greene do like them . My pmcs are more impressive but twice price and ma more bang for buck

@@13thnotehifireviews7 I’d love to own a set of pmc one day , but I do like the golds I must say..thanks for your thoughts

Thanks very much for great comments and feedback for me. Definitely will try to remember all these recommendations for future. The node is a terrific product.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thanks Simon. This video of yours is stellar. I know how long it takes to compare just two products, so it’s amazing how you’ve compared so many and then compiled it into a video! I know I’ll watch this one several times and come back to it over and over in future. Keep up the great work 👌

I'm really interested in the Stack audio Link 2, not many reviews of it though.

Hi @@austenbladenn7266 , it’s going really well with the Link II and the Link PSU. The build quality is astonishing and the all important sound quality is stellar. The special attention given to the ethernet port and the usb audio output definitely works. Sounds great in wi-fi mode too. Using the Link II without the additional PSU gives incredibly detailed sound with great rhythmic drive, fast controlled bass, great dynamics, great realism (fidelity) and lovely control of sibilants. It’s a spectacular product even without the added PSU. It just sounds right. Adding in the PSU brings a shade more warmth, deeper fuller bass, more body to the sound, greater dynamics and slam, maybe a fraction less “perceived” detail due to the extra body on offer, more smoothness, even better control of sibilants. It just sounds even more right! But as a tip, if the power cable on the PSU is supplied with a 5A fuse fitted, take this out and fit a 13A fuse instead. Only then will you hear the improvements and potential that the PSU brings. What’s nice is that when you buy the Link II with the PSU as a bundle, a) you save about £100 and b) Stack Audio give you the standard wall-wart power supply too so you can draw your own comparisons. Stack Audio also provide a 30-day money back offer, so you get to try it in your own listening room for complete peace of mind. If you don’t have the budget to stretch to the PSU, just get the Link II as it’s awesome even on its own. Then add on the PSU later if you get the upgrade itch. I currently use the Link II to stream Tidal and I’m using the mconnect app on my iPhone, which is going well. The Link II will stream Qobuz and Spotify Connect too, plus it has Airplay. If you have a Roon setup, this is where I think the Link II will come into its own as a Roon endpoint. I’ve never used Roon, but Stack Audio provide a 60-day Roon trial which I’ll sign up too soon. If you’re computer savvy, instead of using the standard StackOS operating system, you can use an alternative such as Volumio. Stack Audio can guide you through how to ‘flash’ the drive and install a new OS. If you’d like to know more about the Link II Austen, feel free to drop me an email on rrtind@yahoo.com and I’ll happily share more and answer any questions. I can also tell you more about my system, in which the Link II with Link PSU is the front end. I’m an hi-fi audio enthusiast, similar to Simon, so I’m happy to provide info on the Link II. Hope this helps.

@@rrtind Thank you very much for your reply! The tidal/Mconnect combination is how I'd use it. Having the flexibility to choose (and later upgrade) my DAC is the big selling point for me. Most streamers seem to have a built in DAC which hinders future upgrades.

Interesting. I didn't like Moode and preferred DietPi. With an Allo DigiOne Sig.

Thanks very much. Comparison based reviews have to happen otherwise what reviewing am I doing. Most of the time they all compete well at price, anyway, as most in this test.

Thanks for saying , will give that a go.

Good call 👍

Than k you

Thankyou very much 😀👍❤️

Thanks . Some good music for RU-vid on epidemic sound although expensive about £40 per month

Hope the volume was ok on this one too.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 It was great.

@@mladenbasic1 glad that's sorted out

Thanks. I use the mcru linear psu with my qutest sometimes, other times the supplied power supply

What sounds better as a transport only?

I watched that one and Hans is pretty comprehensive and honest with his comment about sq. lots of what bluesound do is in the utility like mqa live streams and radio stations. I’m not with him on the mytek bridge being an improved though I like some of their other products . As I’ve stressed these pricey streamer transports offer very little over the node / node 2i. I suppose the question he answered was you don’t upgrade to the new model on small sq change but the unit is good like the old model. I wonder what the designers think. Is any change worth any modest price increase and if no change then is this more a utility change eg processor etc to meet new demands on it? Pa sorry thanks for compliment

@@13thnotehifireviews7 I think Bluesound is no different than most companies today. You need to release "an upgraded" version or "new" version reasonably often because that is what consumers expect. Phones are a good albeit extreme example of that phenomenon. Anyway, I think I will take the plunge and get the 2021 node as it seems to offer all of what I need and down the line I can invest in an external DAC should I want to. Thanks again for your review and response.

@@JustBrowsing777 it depends on the product life cycle so I doubt that. Most audiophile brands keep products in for a lot longer.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Yes I didn't mean they do it as often as with phones, hence I wrote "extreme example". But surely they need to put out new stuff because consumers expect "better" specs and more bang for the buck at an increasing rate. How do you market a 1 to 2 years old product? "Look at our great device here....from last year" 😀 Well, I'm no expert, you are more so, it's just my take on it 🙂

Hi Carlos, also I have my Roon nucleus connected as core and streamer to my topping D70s. I am considering to put a streamer between the nucleus and the dac. Did you ever try the node 2i in between the nucleus and the topping in your first system?

@@MrHamerhoofd Funny you should ask. I just ordered a internet switch to try just that.

Thank you, maybe I’ll try some Lumin products one day.

@@CarlosPerez-eb5er ah same interest. Just curious how that works out. This hobby makes me too curious for my wallet😉 btw I bought a Bonn n8 switch with an allo shanti power supply. Notting exceptionally different but still worth while the improvement

@@MrHamerhoofd I’m going to try using the Wi-Fi on the Node2i and try to compare it with the Nucelus while I wait for the Ethernet switch. If I come to any conclusion I’ll be happy to share my opinion if your interested.

I like Mytek. Tried the Brooklyn a while back. Review on my site

thanks v much. see description though.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 of course, totally understand 👍🏼 should have read thoroughly 🙏🏼

@@riccitone no worries at all. If I can help please let me know.

It does the job for the money, hoping to try mine with a pair of pro active Speakers soon 😀👍

Thanks as ever

I’ll try and remember and go into the video in my editing software and list it all out in the description. Much will be searchable by shazam / Siri etc. 😀

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thank you so much!

I'll check it out!

Thanks very much, have a family connection to York, Selby and Wistow.

Thanks very much 😀👍

Thanks, I’m planning a budget streamer shoot out as I’ve got 4-5 to review

Good one. Thanks . How about a bit of dub syndicate from 90s

Thanks. Cant include everything. Only what I review and unfortunately not superman.

I totally agree. I tried a Node 2i first but changed after hearing a 6000N. Different league.

Can you stream from RU-vid? On the Audiolab

Denafrips is the improver as you’d expect for a dedicated dac around the same price as the whole Cambridge. Different characters though.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thanks for the feedback.

I put my Schiit Gungnir up against my Cambridge CXN v2, the difference was negligible, the Schiit went back in the box.

Thanks Panagiotis, really glad you liked it.

I like the old school display ways, sometimes use at source gets missed with prevalence of smartphones and tablets

Please see description thanks

@@13thnotehifireviews7 I don't understand Simon, what description ?

@@chengo51 click down arrow to view my text in the description. I’m asking people subscribe to patreon or donate for advice to suit your needs. I give free reviews but if people want more in depth chat and advice and want to ensure my survival I ask they pay for it. Plus I can’t answer all these questions as so many now. Thanks.

It does sound better from the usb out than the coaxial socket. 😀🎼🎼

@@13thnotehifireviews7 I would agree with you! I use my USB out going to a Gustard U18 DDC!🙂

Thanks for comments. I might not have pronounced it as everyone does but it’s an interesting one since, reflecting, what happens when the French derivation word for hello doesn’t use an accent over the O. What about the American rowt for route. We’ve got some weird ones in the uk too….

​@@13thnotehifireviews7 Ha, it seems to be accepted both with or without the ^ accent, and the pronunciation wouldn't vary much if at all in any case. Usually an ô anywhere would sound slightly more closed and emphasized but nothing as radically different as route/rowt. Curiously enough, dictionaries are not very generous on that allo's etymology, nor do they seem to connect it with hello at all, but I came across a possible connection to "hallo", not the german version of hello, rather the word for "I'm listening" in hungarian, which then makes the most sense indeed.

But if in the US it’s said rowt, that’s a development of language in a country so who is to say it’s wrong. We can too pronounce other countries towns as we like - BirmingHUM or birmingHAM depending on own dialects. DAYTA or DARTA . The point is in hifi its easy to get pedantics - see what I did there. Lol 😂

​@@13thnotehifireviews7 aha, no argument there ! Reminds me of the Moog "debate" in another easily pedantic sphere, surely a pretty sterile thing to hang on to yet it's still interesting to know how the man had it pronounced historically.

Thanks for comments, please see description. 😀👍

Will try and do a list later and post it into the description later. A lot of them come up if you Shazam them or Siri on iPhone etc.

Thank you, please sign up to patreon and I can help you. Best wishes simon

Thank you too

Thanks so much, probably but if you want more in depth advice to discuss the system please see description, and go from their if your like.

Ps I get so many requests like this I can answer them all hence why I ask what I do.

Thank you. I haven’t tbh but I might try and get the inexpensive one for my new node 2i review, I think it’s the SOtM 200neo around £500 in the U.K.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Hans Beekhuyzen rates SOTM as arguably the best of all so it would indeed be interesting to hear your view if you can source a review one

They are all fairly similar at around this price point. A lot comes down to utility. The node strikes me as standing out from the SOtM with what is probably similar sonics, because remember the new node has a usb2 output so being Roon ready it could be used like the SOtM, which basically makes it more versatile if ever you wanted to use MQA features, the bluos app, or its analogue outputs, MQA live streams etc. As I understand the SOtM is just an end point for varying types eg Roon etc.

No it’s based only on what I have had

@@13thnotehifireviews7 well just saying, you’re missing out by not reviewing Lumin products. They are outstanding streamers at their pricepoints.

@@todddelgiudice8258 I’m sure there will be a time…..When you review hifi, there is so much to review, you can’t review everything because people forget doing videos reviews to this quality isn’t a quick job. This one video took weeks and there is only 52 weeks a year. I look at it as …getting a good selection, and job done.

Can you clarify that , sometimes people ask me what I said and it’s some time ago when I made the vid.

Hi Matthew, Thanks for nice comments, but I can't answer all these . This video has gone ballistic as am sure you can understand. If I answered all questions I'd be doing it full time for the last 2-3 days. Coming to me on website em address too! Thats why I answer donators and patreons now.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 THIS is the true road to greatness... Keep it up 💪🏻💪🏻

That’s covered in basics too 😀👍 same thing but with streamer without dac.

Thanks for comments. Happy to chat but please read description

I'm not sure tbh Simon because I haven't tried that bridge but I suspect the new Node (now just called Node not Node 2i version 3) is the better proposition; BluOS, MQA, MQA live streams and radio stations adds choice (whatever view on MQA). Plus they are adding a USB2 output from the new Node and Bluesound are always adding new utility to their range and this might be a reason for the new powerful processor of the Node (not sure), plus Roon Ready, if you ever did/do that or want to. Don't be thinking that because the LimeTree is pricier it is *necessarily* better than the node. I'm hoping to try the new Node as I said in the video. Hans Beekhuyzen just did a video on it.

Thank you

Could try as I’ve been trying to review something from arcam fro a while. Good call. 👍

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thank you.

This was based on what I’ve tried. It’s not always possible to review what you want due to what brands want to send. I have tried silent angel switches

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Understand. Thanks.

new node (not called the node 2i mark 3 as I said in the video) is out now or soon, so get that one is my advice.

Be aware that the node is not UPnP compatible.

Jf Grimonster bluesound say “Bluesound is able to connect to Windows, Mac, Linux and most NAS systems using conventional file sharing methods.”. I mainly use mine with Roon as it’s the granddaddy of streaming software

@@13thnotehifireviews7 i may be wrong but i dont think it can be controlled by an app like bubbleupnp. I currently use allo digione with volumio and the digione appears as a renderer. Easy.

Thanks, I’ll look into this for sure in next node review

Thanks very much, haven’t tried that tbh

Not with you by saying what’s wrong with streaming dacs?

Good much better than its onboard one

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thanks. I wish someone would make a simple, affordable, decent quality streamer with a listenable dac and a few basic options for digital out like USB, coax, etc. Why is that so hard?

Jon Beck that’s the node 2i isn’t it. Can’t expect the Earth as all this stuff costs time to develop.

See description.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 i am sorry what did i missed? Is that mean you haven't tried your hegel h390 network feature? I am only asking because i have hegel h120 and I wanted to know if an external streamer would be a good upgrade? Thanks.

I can’t answer every question as don’t have time and I get hundreds a week - please read description - if you want me to help please subscribe / PayPal

Shazam is best

Haven’t tbh, I’ll give it a go. Thanks for suggesting.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Oops it’s the Samsung T7. T7 500gb cost me £55 on special offer, so not a big outlay. I use .wav format to give the Bluesound as little as possible processing to do, but I don’t know if that really makes any difference. You know what us audioheads are like... Streaming sounds flat by comparison.

@@VisciousHippo I’ll remember your comment for my next node video. I’m a bit dubious tbh.

Not sure, you can Shazam most of them. I use the copyright free service, epidemic sound.

Thanks very much. See description

If you play via a iPhone is great, I play qobuz straight via AirPlay and my cd collection via Mconnect

Thank you. Not from the Innuos hard drive

@@13thnotehifireviews7 yeah I got that from the review. Interesting. Thanks man. Have a great day

@@13thnotehifireviews7 as a musician of over 40 years I find this stuff fascinating. I urge you to find a Marantz HD DAC1 and try it. Supremely musical. And when I say that I mean it’s timbre is amazing. I have a denafrips Venus II on loan and it isn’t as good. The best DAc I’ve tried compared to the Marantz is the benchmark DAC3. Still not as good as the Marantz. And trust me I love benchmark. I have their AHB2 amp and LA4 preamp. Driving a pair of Proac DT8 speakers. Try and find a Marantz HD DAC1. Seriously good. Cheers

I had the benchmark for a while but didn’t review it. Marantz is, I think, a more incisive sound so sense you are preferring that. The DT/8 are a full bodied speaker so for tonal balance and based on your likes, also check out Mytek.

I’m now answering these types of enquiries via patreon where happy to help 😀

@@13thnotehifireviews7 ok:) dont have that yet.

what gave you that idea Gary. I do, just using it now in fact. My tests of these streamers were/are into the Hegel too. It's a great DAC inside it, comparable to the Chord Qutest. See other video.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thanks for your great and interesting video’s. Yes I do remember one of your videos commending how good the Hegel H390 amp and DAC are, so I bought one and never looked back. 👍

I'm loving mine with the RME and Sonore OpticalRendu going into the USB input of the Hegel atm, in DAC LOOP mode (Hegel reclocks signal). Didn't realise you can use the USB input into the Hegel from the Sonore in DAC LOOP - any of the digital inputs I think . Sounds very good indeed with the Monitor Audio Gold 100's and my PMC's

Just to say I didn’t condemn the innuos because streaming off its hard drive could still be streaming, and for that it is very good. Hence why number 2.

Galvanic isolation typically refers to a situation with usb interfaces as far as I understand it. Some brands do recommend WiFi like Auralic but I’ve never heard WiFi sounding better to a networked connection and vice versa, and if it is the case I suspect it’s product dependent too. I wouldn’t make it a consideration in other words. Get both then you might try and compare.

The new node will be having all the functionality of the SOtM when usb output is sorted.

The internal drive playing off yes but not streaming off tidal etc. Put it this way I’d take a hundred opinions off people deciding or trialing out of a hundred people, but I’ve always found it hard to take opinions off people who have bought because there is huge bias in hifi to satisfy the money spend. And I’ve been there myself. Not least we are often always talking small changes mostly, anyway.

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Actually, the Bluenode belongs to my friend. My friend has since sold his Node 2i. Same results at his place, my Innuos verses his Node 2i. He got a Innuos Zen Mk3 now. The difference in sound is heard with streaming Tidal in both our systems.

See description for requests and see other video

@@13thnotehifireviews7 noted. Good luck.

Thanks, I think you mean the RU-vid ads I don’t choose. You don’t get to chose not to have ads nowadays . Google choose for you. Anyway I make limited income off the ads, and you get the vid free. Only saying……..😀