Another view of how we can consume digital media

uglymusic

I noticed this snippet about the NAD C 446 Digital Media Tuner on AudioStream.

At first sight, I wonder if it's a bit techy for people wanting something turnkey, and too limited and inflexible for those happy with a computer and software. 

mattlynch

hi Dave , yeah i would go with your observation , all these streamers are still very new in the grand scheme of things , personally i cant see any advantage of them other than they can be stacked in a rack full of same manufacturer's equipment , perhaps in a year or two we may see a very high quality DAC with various inputs that is also a streamer/digital hub (to cut down on the ever increasing number of boxes needed in the digital world ), with a clever interface such as that on the squeezbox touch and we may have something that is of true advantage , 

at the moment ,all the streamers i have read about just seem to be aimed at specific user groups rather than trying to move the game on, digital file playback systems are the future but i have yet to see a device that can truly be regarded as 'the way to go' .but, as mentioned its all still in its infancy and when it grows up a bit i feel we will be in for a treat.

Alan

I can't see why a good streamer (probably on Linux) shouldn't be incorporated with a DAB tuner and it's own decent DAC, also with a digital out for a DAC. A digital all in one box. I don't mean a statement system (we're kidding ourselves if we think MACminis and laptops are 'statement' when an Aurender transport costs around 7 grand, though whether or not said statement transport is worth the difference is another argument). I am talking about something that is simply good enough. Like what I/we have, or better, but simpler.

I don't think streaming has a future if we are stuck with MACminis and all that fluff - it's hardly a demanding task to stream audio and it should't be so complicated. I don't really want a computer involved in my music experience. Why not bung a well implemented bit of hardware into a box with an appropriate OS that runs completely being the scenes (probably linux) and robert's your mothers brother. I would envisage using either a display on the front of the box (a la CD player - remember them?) with the option for a TV screen display, which would be useful for browsing the library. Maybe something that can screen share with phones and tablets as well. Not too hard, shirley?

I would love to get away from computer audio just to get decent sound from digital.

uglymusic

Now, why do I find computer audio so simple?

It's only a piece of hardware, a piece of software, a USB cable and a power lead, after all.

Alan

I don't doubt that you do, and TBH the nerd in me enjoys some of the 'fluff' I mentioned above, but HiFi traditionally sits in a rack & just works (sorry, Apple!). Unless you play gramophone discs that is.

If, as you say "It's only a piece of hardware, a piece of software, a USB cable and a power lead, after all", then why do I need to have audiophile playback software, learn about audio-midi, have to reboot if I 'sleep' the MAC too many times so it finds the iTiunes library again, use a mouse & keyboard etc. To be truly accessible, HiF digital audio needs to have a really simple UI, be ergonomically designed and have a remote control. It needs to be like a HiFi box or an AV box again, not a computer.

I was just envisioning where the industry could take digital playback hardware that is accessible to all in the same boring way a CD or DVD player is. So Wives & kids can play it without learning the ropes or changing some parameter somewhere.

I guess that as a consumer (rather than a nerd  - just for a minute) I want to see fantastic sounding, idiot proof anonymous boxes stocked in richer sounds for £200 - £600.

uglymusic

I'm sure we will see just that, but the tweakers won't like it!