Newbie to Music Streaming

[Clark2]

I'm a classical music fan (blues, folk, bluegrass OK too) having trouble bringing in good FM stations. Maybe streaming is a viable alternative? I hope this is the right forum for these questions.

I have an old audiophile stereo system that I'm upgrading component by component. Now I've come to the tuner, an ancient Yamaha CT-800 that will not acceptably quiet the two non-commercial classical stations in my area, even with a decent antenna in my un-insulated attic. (In part this is because it apparently cannot eliminate the HD self-noise on the stronger station.) Should I get a new tuner, maybe an antenna amplifier, and try again? Or should I give up on FM and consider streaming, about which I know almost nothing? Specific streaming-related questions:

1) I have good Wi-Fi in the house, of course, but I also have the prejudice that streaming source material is compressed to the point that does not compare in sound quality to a good FM station, let alone a CD. Am I wrong?

2) If there are any classical-music fans here, are there satisfying classical streaming services that have good enough bit-rate/compression algorithms to satisfy?

3) I would then need a new "tuner" (or whatever it's called) to connect to my Wi-Fi and convert to analog for my new amplifier. What's the simplest, minimum frills (and no video) way to do this and still get audiophile sound quality? (I should add that my new Yamaha A-S501 amplifier has only optical and coax digital inputs to an internal DAC (I suppose) of unspecified quality (!), so I might need something with its own high-quality DAC.)

Guidance greatly appreciated! -- Clark2

[clpetersen]

Below is a link to a specialist radio company, that also makes antennas and even streamers.

As a start to streaming, consider the Sonos 'Connect'. Try to use it hardwired into your ethernet, but wifi will work just fine. You can tell Sonos not to use any compression. One of the best apps/interfaces and connects to nearly everything. You can always move on from there. Inexpensive compared to most.

Lastly, there are posts on this forum for classical music streaming, but for starters, try the stream for WQXR (New York City FM station, if not familiar with them)

http://www.magnumdynalab.com/about/

[Clark2]

Originally Posted by clpetersen

...As a start to streaming, consider the Sonos 'Connect'. Try to use it hardwired into your ethernet, but wifi will work just fine. You can tell Sonos not to use any compression. One of the best apps/interfaces and connects to nearly everything...

Great suggestion! It's inexpensive enough that it's worth a try. Not clear from online guides, however, how to "tell Sonos not to use any compression." (Maybe there's a more comprehensive guide?) Does this mean to connect only to sources that don't compress? -- Clark2

[Clark2]

Anybody want to comment on the Bluesound Node 2 in comparison to the Sonos Connect as a reasonable starting point? It's on sale because of the newer model and cheaper at my dealer than the Sonos on Amazon. -- Clark2

[clpetersen]

I have looked at the Bluesound - also very good. It plays more formats than the Sonos if you have high-resolution digital files. The Sonos app is generally regarded as more mature.
For compression, it is a setting in the Sonos app - basically applies if you streaming to multiple locations in a limited bandwidth WiFi set-up.

So, if Bluesound is less expensive, consider it. Esp. if you have just one zone.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by Clark2

1) I have good Wi-Fi in the house, of course, but I also have the prejudice that streaming source material is compressed to the point that does not compare in sound quality to a good FM station, let alone a CD. Am I wrong?

Yes. I stream high resolution music from Qobuz that is equal or superior to FM.

2) If there are any classical-music fans here, are there satisfying classical streaming services that have good enough bit-rate/compression algorithms to satisfy?

See above. The repertoire is pretty good, too, but it is not universal.

3) I would then need a new "tuner" (or whatever it's called) to connect to my Wi-Fi and convert to analog for my new amplifier. What's the simplest, minimum frills (and no video) way to do this and still get audiophile sound quality? (I should add that my new Yamaha A-S501 amplifier has only optical and coax digital inputs to an internal DAC (I suppose) of unspecified quality (!), so I might need something with its own high-quality DAC.)

Almost any laptop and a decent DAC will do the job.

[nicoff]

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

Yes. I stream high resolution music from Qobuz that is equal or superior to FM.

See above. The repertoire is pretty good, too, but it is not universal.

Almost any laptop and a decent DAC will do the job.

I totally agree. Streaming will give you more options and better sound quality than FM.

Currently I am using both Tidal and Qobuz for music streaming services (Tidal seems to have a bigger library at the moment).

I am also using Roon which I strongly recommend. Roon has "Roon Radio" which can stream music based on your taste. Once you get the hang of it, you will ask yourself why you didn't try streaming earlier.

[Clark2]

Originally Posted by nicoff

...I am also using Roon which I strongly recommend. Roon has "Roon Radio" which can stream music based on your taste...

nicoff -- I'm still trying to get my mind around this streaming stuff. I now know something about Tidal and Qobuz -- apparently great subscription services for lossless streaming. I never heard of Roon until now. Is it a device (streaming hardware like Bluesound Node), a service (Web content source) or both? -- Clark2

[nicoff]

Rather than trying to explain what Roon is, go to roonlabs.com to get a better explanation.

I use Roon to manage my music library and to send/stream my music selection to a player.

Roon helps me find music from my library or streaming service (Tidal, Qobuz) to play via my music player.

Roon can also do partial decoding of MQA files.

I can also incorporate digital room correction to my music via Roon.

I think of Roon as a "device" that costs a one time fee of $500 that I can use forever.

[Clark2]

Originally Posted by nicoff

...Roon helps me find music from my... streaming service (Tidal, Qobuz) to play via my music player.

The above limited goal is the part I'm potentially interested in. (I don't expect to transfer my large CD and vinyl collection to hard drives.) I did look at the site, but I must say it didn't explain much to me. Here's a specific question that you might be able to answer:

If I already have streaming hardware (e.g., the Bluesound Node 2, which I'm currently heading for), how might I use Rune to program music through it from Tidal and/or QoBuz? Or is this question ill-posed? -- Clark2