Music Streaming System

[Driver101]

Looking to add a music streaming system into a room.

Looking at the black Friday deals I see the Cambridge Audio Evo 75 reduced to £1199. Another I like the look of is the Audiolab Omnia reduced to £799.

What would be appropriate quality speakers for one of these steaming systems? Dali Oberon 5?

Any better alternatives or package buy deals?

TIA.

[Nomme de Plum]

Have you looked at active streaming speakers Kef LSX or LS50II? Buchardt do a couple of good ones along with Dynaudio.

I have the LSX with KC62 sub although about to upgrade.

You can use phone, tablet or computer to stream Tidal or similar. I use Roon which i used to run from a MacBook Pro but now from a Intel NuC which i built.

[Percy Cushion]

Have a look at the Eversolo DMP-A6 as it gets fantastic reviews

[Semmelweiss]

WiiM Pro or Pro Plus

[Driver101]

I'm looking for a just add speakers system.

A TV will also be connected through it.

[Sporky]

I really like my Bluesound Powernode 2i. I have a pair of Cornered Audio C5s with it, and (because more bass = better) an SVS Sb1000 Pro. To be fair the C5s aren't exactly thin, but I wanted some extra extension.

[mgv8]

Nomme de Plum said:

Have you looked at active streaming speakers Kef LSX or LS50II? Buchardt do a couple of good ones along with Dynaudio.

I have the LSX with KC62 sub although about to upgrade.

You can use phone, tablet or computer to stream Tidal or similar. I use Roon which i used to run from a MacBook Pro but now from a Intel NuC which i built.

I have some LSX in my office and are very good. For living room would go for there big brother with a sub would take some beating.

[Nomme de Plum]

mgv8 said:

Nomme de Plum said:

Have you looked at active streaming speakers Kef LSX or LS50II? Buchardt do a couple of good ones along with Dynaudio.

I have the LSX with KC62 sub although about to upgrade.

You can use phone, tablet or computer to stream Tidal or similar. I use Roon which i used to run from a MacBook Pro but now from a Intel NuC which i built.

I have some LSX in my office and are very good. For living room would go for there big brother with a sub would take some beating.

My Daughter has a pair of the LS50IIs and they are fantastic. Great value and very easy to operate. They can also play tv sound via ARC.

[jimmytheone]

Driver101 said:

I'm looking for a just add speakers system.

A TV will also be connected through it.

I was looking at exactly this yesterday and the Technics SA-C600 popped up via whathifi as an alternative to the Omnia

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/technics-sa-c600

Obviously not quite the bargain the Audiolab is but more "musical" apparently.

I've not heard either, will be interested to know what you go for

[toon10]

As ever, auditioning is vital. I have some very average Monitor Audio Silver 6 speakers and wanted to upgrade my streaming options. I ruled out the Bluesound after having one of their speakers and quickly selling it on. I had my heart set on Cambridge Audio (think it was a CXA81 amp with CXN v2 streamer) so tried them with my speakers and they sounded lifeless and less dynamic than with my cheap basic Yamaha RN602 amp which cost a lot less.

I ended up blowing my budget and getting a Naim Nova which does the job. I still need to upgrade my speakers at some point, but it sounds much better. We all like different things when listening to music and I prefer a more warm, punchy, bass heavy sound over how the artist intended but the CA equipment disappointed me personally. Might have just been my speakers in fairness or the demo room setup.

If budget will stretch, a Naim Atom with some decent speakers is a worthy investment.

[Driver101]

jimmytheone said:

Driver101 said:

I'm looking for a just add speakers system.

A TV will also be connected through it.

I was looking at exactly this yesterday and the Technics SA-C600 popped up via whathifi as an alternative to the Omnia

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/technics-sa-c600

Obviously not quite the bargain the Audiolab is but more "musical" apparently.

I've not heard either, will be interested to know what you go for

A free pair of earphones with that offer. It looks good.

Richer Sounds dropped another £100 off the Cambridge Audio Evo 75. It's now £1099. It has dropped in price a couple of times for BF so I hope that's the best deal now.

[Zoon]

NAIM Muso?

[Narcisus]

Nomme de Plum said:

Have you looked at active streaming speakers Kef LSX or LS50II? Buchardt do a couple of good ones along with Dynaudio.

I have the LSX with KC62 sub although about to upgrade.

You can use phone, tablet or computer to stream Tidal or similar. I use Roon which i used to run from a MacBook Pro but now from a Intel NuC which i built.

I’ve had a pair of LSX for about 3 years they are great.

I’ve been on the fence about a sub is it worth it and how much do you want for yours

[Nomme de Plum]

Narcisus said:

Nomme de Plum said:

Have you looked at active streaming speakers Kef LSX or LS50II? Buchardt do a couple of good ones along with Dynaudio.

I have the LSX with KC62 sub although about to upgrade.

You can use phone, tablet or computer to stream Tidal or similar. I use Roon which i used to run from a MacBook Pro but now from a Intel NuC which i built.

I’ve had a pair of LSX for about 3 years they are great.

I’ve been on the fence about a sub is it worth it and how much do you want for yours

I think with a small speaker like the LSX a sub is essential unless you accept listening to highly compressed music. I also use the KC62 for the surround sound system although it does necessitate swapping the input cable.

I used to run a Merdian system but they annoyingly stopped developing their model 861V8 which was their flagship surround processor. My living room now is much smaller at 4.5mx7.5m so the Meridian 7000s had to go but the LSX are not really big enough so looking for some larger active speakers.

I think many people do not realise what a huge difference room treatment and or DSP makes to tailoring the sound to the room so in my opinion should at least be researched.

Edited by Nomme de Plum on Thursday 23 November 11:27

[NDA]

Narcisus said:

I’ve had a pair of LSX for about 3 years they are great.

I’ve been on the fence about a sub is it worth it and how much do you want for yours

I have a pair of LSX's too - I had them a few months and then upgraded to the LS60's. I should sell the LSX's as they're unused.

As to a sub - they make a big difference to any speaker set up. I added a KC62 to my LS60's - even though they already sport 8 bass drivers. The additional weight to the sound is remarkable. A sub would be transformative for any stand mounted speaker.

[rodericb]

Semmelweiss said:

WiiM Pro or Pro Plus

There is now a WiiM amp which is like the Pro Plus but with an inbuilt amp. 60w per channel into 8 ohms.

https://www.wiimhome.com/wiimamp/overview

[JimJobs81]

Zoon said:

NAIM Muso?

separate speakers = better sound stage

[JimJobs81]

Nomme de Plum said:

I think with a small speaker like the LSX a sub is essentia

Yes! a 8" or larger diameter speaker is needed to reproduce the frequencies.Otherwise you are not hearing the music as intended.

[dave123456]

Not quite the same but I added one of these:

Logitech Wireless Bluetooth Audio Receiver, Bluetooth Adapter for PC/Mac/Smartphone/Tablet/AV Receiver, 3.5mm Audio and RCA Outputs to Speakers, One-Push Pairing Button, UK Plug - Black/Blue https://amzn.eu/d/fiBNhK8

To my hi fi amp, reconfigured the Samsung Bluetooth headphone connection to connect a tv phone connects also, sound and reliability are pretty good, and you can continue to use your existing speakers and set up.

[Semmelweiss]

rodericb said:

There is now a WiiM amp which is like the Pro Plus but with an inbuilt amp. 60w per channel into 8 ohms.

https://www.wiimhome.com/wiimamp/overview

They look ok to be honest but I've got a Class-D Transistor Amp/Valve Pre-Amp (streaming) that I'm happy with. The WiiM Amp has the bonus of HDMI ARC input so handy as a Dual purpose Audio/AV Amp.