[flaskebent]

I am the happy owner of an Arcam av9 which I am thinking about feeding with a Logitech transporter. Right now I am using my pioneer LX71 bluray player as a cdplayer (which is connected to the av9 analog and optical) and was considering to buy a stand alone cdplayer (Arcam cd37) but in the meantime I got the idea to have a nas server there will feed a logitech transporter. I will of couse have to rip my entire cd collection and store it on the server.

How should I connect the transporter to the av9 to get the best sound. should I use the optical connection and let the av9 do the digital to analog conversion or should I analog output from the transporter and let it do the conversion? Or is this idea not really any good?

[Clsmooth391]

You'll be wasting the DAC of the Transporter if you bypass it via optical which defeats the purpose of spending so much on the streamer. IMO you should use half decent analogue cables.

[flaskebent]

Okay I understand if I want to make a digital transfer between streamer and av9 I can be content with a cheaper streamer but which one have the same possibilitys as the Transporter. I am thinking about: radio and wireless transfer.

Would it be better buying the Transporter using the analog transfer between av9 and the Transporter.

[Druboo]

Originally Posted by flaskebent

Okay I understand if I want to make a digital transfer between streamer and av9 I can be content with a cheaper streamer but which one have the same possibilitys as the Transporter. I am thinking about: radio and wireless transfer.

Look at the Transporters baby brother Squeezebox 3 aka Classic. Its replacement the Squeezebox touch, or Sonos. Lots of discussion in Streamers and Network Misic Players Forum

Originally Posted by flaskebent

Would it be better buying the Transporter using the analog transfer between av9 and the Transporter.

Yes and while you're about it hit the 'stereo direct' button as well.

I only ever use the AV9's dsp if I know there is a heavy bass track to give the sub a work-out.

[Clsmooth391]

Originally Posted by flaskebent

Would it be better buying the Transporter using the analog transfer between av9 and the Transporter.

Yes, think so too. Have you actually bought the Transporter or are you considering it? If you haven't bought it, you should take a look at the Linn DS streamers.

[cjohnson6]

I used to have a Transporter hooked up to an AV8. I preferred the analogue output over the digital ( co-ax ). But, I sold the Transporter after 6 weeks because it would lock up and I preferred the sound from my CD36.

[flaskebent]

Originally Posted by Clsmooth391

Yes, think so too. Have you actually bought the Transporter or are you considering it? If you haven't bought it, you should take a look at the Linn DS streamers.

No I have not yet bought it and I have been looking at the Linn streamers but they are insanely expensive here in Denmark. But no doubt they must sound amazing. I was thinking I can start with the transporter

[craigd]

Have you considered a Sonos + a good DAC?

[spl23]

Or even just a Sonos and the DAC in the AV9. The only possible reason to buy a Transporter is if you are going to use the analogue outputs because the DAC in the component you are feeding isn't up to much. If you have (as you do) a preamp with a decent internal DAC, I very much doubt you will notice much difference between the digital output of a Sonos, the digital output of a Transporter and the analogue outputs of a Transporter. (Although I would hope that the analogue out of a Transporter would be better than the analogue out of a Sonos...) So you may as well save the cost of the Transporter and go with the digital output from a cheaper streamer.

I have a Sonos with music stored as Apple Lossless on my NAS, and when I fed HDCD content from the NAS to my old Denon AVR3805, it correctly identified it as HDCD and decoded it accordingly - this indicates that the bitstream from a Sonos is bit-exact to that from a CD. (As it should be...) There might be an argument to suggest that jitter from the Sonos will be higher than that from the Transporter, but it is arguable how audible an effect that will be by the time it has passed through the AV9.

[flaskebent]

Originally Posted by craigd

Have you considered a Sonos + a good DAC?

Are the dacs mounted in my Arcam av9 not on the level of good?

[Clsmooth391]

They're good but you can get much better. You will need to spend a fair bit though to get a decent improvement eg Chord DAC 64.

[Clsmooth391]

Sorry wrong thread

[craigd]

Originally Posted by flaskebent

Are the dacs mounted in my Arcam av9 not on the level of good?

I have owned both a Sonos -> AV9 and a CD36 -> AV9 and I thought the CD36(using analogue outs) gave a better sound. Over digital out they sounded identical.

I did own the CD36 before the Sonos however, and for the sake of saving the £££ you would spend on a DAC that beats the AV9's it is worth saving your hard earned. I have now replaced the AV9 with a Lyngdorf stereo amp/DAC (TDAI2200) and the £250 Sonos sounds fantastic through it.

To spl123 - Agreed, the analogue out on the Sonos is poor. I also would hope that the Transporter beats it here.

To the OP - it is also important to consider the user interface, remotes, etc.. of the streaming device. Sonos is very good here and I am not sure how Linn/Transporter compares. If you buy a Sonos for £250 and then want to upgrade to Linn you haven't wasted much money, if you buy a Linn/Transporter and it is comparable to the Sonos you have...