Johnkiwi Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Posted in general advice also: Ive been considering buying a ripper/storage/streamer to sit alongside my bw 805s & mcintosh 6900. My pioneer cd player crapped out after 20 years of good service. I havent yet come across an objective analysis/comparison of whats available in the mkt and would appreciate some feedback from members experienced in this. I want keep my system real simple and reasonable quality sound. My primary interest is the Innuous Mini Mk3 at about $1800 or so, the Vaulti 2i was an interest but appears the Innuous better quality all round... am I right? Is there anything else on the mkt that does the lot in one piece of kit? Is there an online resource that does side by side comparisons - surely there must me at least half a dozen of these on the mkt? Appreciate the feedback. JH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphy Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I was going to recommend the Bluesound Vault 2i. Maybe find a retailer that has both and A/B blind test them? I've seen a couple of good reviews of the Innuos streamers, perhaps you could find something on youtube that has compared them 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agelessgoodguy Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 On here are some very good amp repairers, why not get them to re-cap your McIntosh and fix it seeings though you are/were happy with its sound, this would save you heaps.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I couldn't think of any with a ripper besides the 2 already mentioned. Antipodes used to make them but the ripper is separate these days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patjoy Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 What about Cocktail Audio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pulinap Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Innuos is generally better than most out there (for the same price)...try to get a used Zen MKII - better than Zen Mini MKIII Also their online support service is pretty good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnkiwi Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 1 hour ago, agelessgoodguy said: On here are some very good amp repairers, why not get them to re-cap your McIntosh and fix it seeings though you are/were happy with its sound, this would save you heaps.... read my post I am looking for a replacement for the expired cd player... nothing wrong with the amp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnkiwi Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 1 hour ago, patjoy said: What about Cocktail Audio? I get the impression from various reviews that it's performance and build is mediocre - nbut thanks for commenting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnkiwi Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 2 hours ago, dolphy said: I was going to recommend the Bluesound Vault 2i. Maybe find a retailer that has both and A/B blind test them? I've seen a couple of good reviews of the Innuos streamers, perhaps you could find something on youtube that has compared them The comparisons I've read state the Innuous as better -thanks for your comment 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Aria Piccolo> Review of the older model>>click review of the newer Piccolo Plus>> click Might be of interest to you in your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony1 Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 The quite new model Aurender ACS10 has everything you could ask for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunno77 Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I think there is a bladelius as well. There has been one for sale on here a few times Not sure if any work as a CD player though? I'd be more inclined to use a pc to rip the CDs and attach a harddrive to the streamer dac or network. Plenty of great streamer dacs that work like this from Cambridge audio, Primare, Naim, Linn etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
was_a Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I'd actually avoid branded streamers. They have average sound quality and are very inflexible in terms of hardware upgrades etc. I have a top-line Marantz disc-spinner with similar amp and speakers to yours (similarly priced at least), but as luck would have it I'm spending far more time living in a smaller place close to where I work. Where my audio source is a computer. So in recent months I've started making small upgrades to this Audio PC and I'm surprised how close I'm getting to really good digital replay. For the longest time I've been the loudest skeptic regarding servers and streaming solutions, but my opinion has changed. That's why I'd recommend as the best value solution a Nimitra server from Thailand-based Fidelizer. The owner knows what he's talking about and uses $20K CD transports as his reference. Computer audio is finally maturing and even I am coming around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRSDarwin Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 (edited) Hi Johnkiwi Something a little different for you to consider, rather than a one box system. A Roon Nucleus running Roon software with 1 or 2 TB SSD (but no ripper) feeding a DAC to your Macintosh. The Roon Nucleus needs to have an ethernet connection to your router and the internet. Roon is great software for exploring, organising and presenting your music (especially in conjunction with Tidal or similar service) with the ability to do so in ultra high quality (hi-res DSD and PCM and MQA) and multi-channel. Not cheap, but for me has been value for money. Good reviews in Stereophile and very good website explaining what it is and how it works. You need to run Roon on something. I started with a traditional computer but have now migrated to a Roon Nucleus (which is really a screenless computer dedicated to managing [and storing] music). The Roon Nucleus has a great White Paper on its design decisions, including the decision NOT to include a ripper. Well worth the read as food for thought. I have a separate CD ripper (not that expensive) connected by USB to home computer and use dbPoweramp to rip CDs which are saved (through the ethernet connection) to the Roon Nucleus SSD (over 450 CDs at the moment). I added Roon software, a Roon Nucleus (connected by Ethernet to home network and NBN) with 1TB SSD (which you self install) and a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ to my main system. It has proved sensational because of the format, presentation and information provided by Roon, integration with Tidal (which I subscribe to and helps me find CDs to purchase), integration with Sonos (which I already had), ability to play MQA files and reliability. Photo of Roon Nucleus (black box on top of glass shelf on the right) and Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ (Silver box on glass shelf on left) below Good luck. Edited August 30, 2019 by KRSDarwin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pulinap Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Lot of options....but only few of them have all the features that OP is after... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiya Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 NAD M50.2 https://nadelectronics.com/product/m… This might be of interest. Do not know much about it but seems to be a hamburger with the lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
was_a Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 10 hours ago, pulinap said: Lot of options....but only few of them have all the features that OP is after... Helpful - thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnkiwi Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 On 28/08/2019 at 9:24 PM, Anthony1 said: The quite new model Aurender ACS10 has everything you could ask for. nice but for the price.. thanks for your comment though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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