Feel like you’re paddling upstream when it comes to choosing among the many music
streamer options out there? We’re here to help!
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We recently did a video on the 3 reasons why you should buy a music streamer. Now, we’re
here to share our picks for the best music streamers for 2022. We’ve divided our choices
into various usage and need scenarios. Let’s get right into it!
For the best bang for your buck for streaming to headphones or speakers, we recommend the
Bluesound Node or the Bluesound Vault 2i. These are smaller desktop units that provide
great UX and an award-winning app.
Do you need CD ripping plus storage for all of those digital files? The Bluesound Vault
2i Network Streamer, priced at $1,399, has a built-in ripper and 2TB of internal storage.
Featuring a 32-bit, 192 kHz DAC, the Vault 2i has a detailed and resolute sound. At just
over 4 pounds and measuring about 8.7 x 3.5 x 7.5 inches, the Vault is beautifully compact.
On the top of the unit is your touchscreen, and it’s got this cool feature where waving
your hand will light up the screen. The front of the unit features a single 3.5mm stereo
headphone jack. As for CD ripping, it couldn’t be easier: It happens automatically when you
insert a disc, and your digital files are saved in FLAC format.
The Bluesound Node ($599) is a bit bigger than the Vault 2i, at just over 5 pounds and
measuring about a foot wide and deep and about 2.75 inches high. Featuring a 32-bit, 384
differential output design DAC, it also provides a very detailed and resolute sound. The Node
has the same touchscreen on top with the proximity sense feature. The front of the unit features
a single 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. The Node is equipped with Wi-Fi or Ethernet, HDMI
eARC, Apple AirPlay 2, aptX HD Bluetooth, or USB to hear audio content from streaming
services, TV, and your own music library.
Both the Node and the Vault 2i can be wirelessly controlled with the BluOS app. You can easily
connect and integrate your music streaming services and control your device, music settings,
and more. With BluOS, you can stream from a cloud music service, podcast, Internet radio
station, or your personal music collection stored on a USB or on the Vault’s internal
storage. Hundreds of internet radio stations, premium music services like Tidal, Qobuz,
Deezer, Spotify and dozens of other music streaming services, are integrated within
the app. The BluOS platform allows you to stream your music libraries to multiple Bluesound
players throughout the home. And if you want to use Roon to stream TIDAL or Qobuz, the
Node and the Vault 2i are Roon Ready.
Another streamer choice with a CD ripper and storage that’s gonna be
a big step up is the Aurender ACS 10 Music Server, for $6,000. We love Aurender for their
amazing build quality, stellar app, and pristine sound. The ACS10 can be used as a companion
to another Aurender Music Server to expand its function and flexibility or as a fully-functional
server and streamer on its own. Available with up to 24TB of storage, the ACS10 gives
you library management and metadata editing features. For streaming, you’ve got TIDAL,
Qobuz, and Spotify Connect. The ACS10 does not have a DAC, so you’ll be connecting
it to either an external DAC or another Aurender like the A15, A20, & A30. With features like
caching music playback, a full linear power supply, and remote internet technical support,
the Aurender is designed for a premium experience.
The ACS10 is a hefty piece, weighing 27 pounds and measuring about 17x3.8x14 inches. The
unit is pretty streamlined in terms of buttons, knobs, and I/O. On the front is your power
button, your CD loading tray, and a USB 2.0 port for connecting the Acronova Nimbie for
CD ripping. (This is something you can rent from Moon Audio.) The rear features Audio
USB, USB 3.0 (for copying files from a USB hard drive), and three LAN ports. One of three
LAN Ports is 2X isolated – use this to connect to another Aurender server/player to isolate
the server/player from any noise introduced by the LAN connection. If using ACS10 as a
stand-alone server, use the 2X isolated LAN to connect directly to the router.
Something to note is that Aurender is a closed ecosystem, like Apple. As such, Aurender does
not integrate with Roon. The good news is that Aurender has an awesome app called Aurender
Conductor. Aurender is a hardware company that’s really nailed it on the software
in terms of usability and appeal. On top of that, due to its many features - much more
than I can cover in this video - the ACS10 also uses the ACS Manager companion app.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one unit, we recommend the Matrix Audio Element X2 Music
Streamer, priced at $4,399. This is a well built, streamlined, and powerful unit that
incorporates a headphone amp, streaming DAC, and preamp. The ES9038 PRO DAC gives a more
forward sound to this player, with low noise and distortion.
On the front is a large LCD touchscreen plus 4 touch buttons for playback. This is a great
upgrade over the original Element X. Swipe left on the screen for the menu. The volume
knob doubles as a mute switch. You’ve got ¼-inch unbalanced and 4.4mm balanced headphone
jacks. For streaming options you’ve got TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify, Internet radio, DLNA/UPnP
and AirPlay 2. Plus, the Element X2 is Roon Ready.
Element X2 not only has multiple digital input ports, it also has added analog input ports.
Vinyl turntables with phono outputs, CD players or other devices with analog outputs can be
connected to your modern digital audio system by Element X2. There are high, medium and
low input gain options available to adapt to the different output levels of the front-end
device. A USB-C port allows you to connect an external hard drive with your own digital
files. With the MA Remote App, you can access your network music, streaming apps, settings,
and more. Plus, a great remote control included. The Bryston BR-20 is a fantastic option for
an all-in-one front end for a speaker system, but you can also use it with headphones. The
BR-20 incorporates a preamp, DAC, network music streamer, and headphone amp. We call
it “everything but the kitchen sink.” Plus, you get the option of adding a photo
stage (for connecting a turntable) and HDMI card. We adore Bryston for their excellent
build quality and clear, natural, organic sound.
Let me point out a few things on the front of the unit here. You’ve got your analog
input selectors, digital input selectors, and a ¼ inch headphone jack. You can connect
up to 14 analog and digital source components to the BR-20. So on the rear of the unit,
you’ve got 2 RCA single-ended analog stereo input pairs and 2 XLR fully balanced stereo
input pairs, 2 XLR balanced stereo output pairs, and 6 high-resolution digital audio
inputs with balanced digital to analog decoding. There’s also your internal streamer USB
accessory, and the optional HDMI I/O module. When fitted with the optional HDMI module,
these ports will be available.
You can control playback of your BR-20 through Bryston’s Manic Moose or through Roon. This
is totally a personal decision. One thing to note is that if you want to stream internet
radio, you’ll need to use MM, as Roon doesn’t do this. Note that Manic Moose is a web interface,
not an app. To use Manic Moose for music playback, connect the BR-20 via its Streaming Ethernet
port to your router, open my.bryston.com in a browser on a connected device and click
the link that corresponds to your BR-20. From here you will see your dashboard, which will
give you access to a variety of settings. You’ll want to click on Media Player.
Now, if you’re looking for more portable options, here are a couple of great recommendations
from Chord Electronics.
First, you could pair the Chord Mojo 2 DAC/Headphone Amplifier ($775) with the Chord Poly Wireless
Streaming Module ($800). Chord’s FPGA-based DACs are phenomenal, and the Mojo 2 is no
exception. The Mojo 2 has a full and musical sound, with great depth and detail. Mojo 2
offers several ways to connect to digital devices, including smartphones, tablets and
laptops, plus two 3.5 mm headphone outputs. Digital inputs include fast-transfer USB-C,
Micro-USB, optical and coaxial, with charging via a separate dedicated Micro-USB input.
It’s got these spherical, color-changing control buttons, and a new menu button offers
navigation through a new range of features.
When connected to the Chord Mojo 2, the Poly is a high-resolution wireless network music
player, streamer, SD card playback device with high-resolution wireless playback controlled
by your smartphone. Poly can access music by streaming over Wi-Fi, including from Roon,
network storage devices, and collections stored on SD cards. The Poly supports PCM files up
to 768kHz resolution and DSD64 to DSD512. For a step up, you can pair the Chord Hugo
2 DAC/Headphone Amp ($2,950) with the Chord 2GO Wireless Streaming Device ($1,500).
Now, the Hugo2 is not as tiny as the Mojo2. It’s still pretty small, but it’s not
quite pocket-sized. The Hugo 2 is going to give you a more neutral sound than the Mojo
2, and you’re going to get even more of those microdetails in your music. Plus there
are filters for tweaking the sound. And the 2GO is a supercharged version of the Poly,
with the addition of an ethernet port and more storage (up to 4TB of SD card storage).
Plus, additional inputs and outputs make it easy to incorporate in a home system.
Finally, if you’re looking for a top-of-the-line, no holds barred, full-featured, headphone-focused
streaming option, check out the dCS LINA. The LINA is three units: a streaming DAC,
headphone amp, and master clock, each available for individual purchase. The DAC features
dCS' patented Ring DAC system, digital processing platform, and Expanse technology. It's fully
balanced and compatible with all digital audio formats. There’s a nice touchscreen display
and plenty of connectivity options on the rear.
The headphone amp has a dual 3-pin balanced XLR, right and left channel; a 4-pin balanced
XLR; and a single 1/4’’ (6.35mm) headphone jack. The master clock, meanwhile, while not
necessary, is going to be the icing on the cake. Does not having an external clock mean
you can't enjoy your music? Of course not. But when you are trying to squeeze out every
last drop of performance, adding one is the next upgrade.
Playback and settings are managed through the dCS Mosaic app, which is compatible with
UPnP, USB, Internet Radio, TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, Spotify via the Spotify Connect app, and Podcasts
via Airable. The LINA is also Roon Ready, so you can use Roon for streaming.
Now, the premium nature of the LINA is reflected in the price, as all three pieces together
are sold for nearly $30,000: $12,750 for the DAC, $9,100 for the headphone amp, and $7,300
for the clock. That being said, this is a truly end-game system with sound that’s
gonna blow your mind.
In this video, we’ve shared several that have risen to the top of our list this year.
If you have any questions or need help choosing a streamer, drop a comment below or reach
out to us. Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss any of our
audiophile-related content. Thanks so much for watching.