Slim Devices/Logitech Transporter

[navier_stokes]

Basically I am looking to upgrade a few components of my system and am looking to slim it down to just an amp and wireless streamer/DAC.

Would the above transporter be the best, quality solution for a "reasonable" price or would a separate streamer/DAC combo be better? What are the wireless audiophiles out there using? It has to be able to stream Apple Lossless...

Ta!

[DavidY]

Hi, many 'audiophiles' prefer the At Tunes SB+ over the transformer for audio quality, it's not quite as flexible (no balanced outputs, no DAC input and no 96kHz file capability) but the sound quality is sublime. (I have one!)

www.at-tunes.co.uk

davidy

[Plotloss]

navier_stokes said:

Basically I am looking to upgrade a few components of my system and am looking to slim it down to just an amp and wireless streamer/DAC.

Would the above transporter be the best, quality solution for a "reasonable" price or would a separate streamer/DAC combo be better? What are the wireless audiophiles out there using? It has to be able to stream Apple Lossless...

Ta!

The Transporter is an utterly fabulous bit of kit.

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

The only thing I can add is that getting my Transporter was one of the best purchases made in a long time, audio wise (and having it bought as a present was even nicer ).

It's very nice to use and well made, but the sound quality is the best I've heard from a streaming device. To be fair I've never listened to it against the SB+ type things but I know it made my friend unhappy when he put it up against his expensive stand alone DAC I'll try to find what it was (I just can't remember the name at the moment).

[navier_stokes]

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

The only thing I can add is that getting my Transporter was one of the best purchases made in a long time, audio wise (and having it bought as a present was even nicer ).

It's very nice to use and well made, but the sound quality is the best I've heard from a streaming device. To be fair I've never listened to it against the SB+ type things but I know it made my friend unhappy when he put it up against his expensive stand alone DAC I'll try to find what it was (I just can't remember the name at the moment).

It does seem a very neat bit of kit, and you don't have to have the hassle of connecting a streamer and decent DAC separately. Do you channel other digital sources through it for the DAC capability, i.e. DVD/Blu Ray output? How does it fair?

Also, do you think it's overkill in combination with a £1-2k amp/speaker combo (hi fi rather than home cinema)?

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

navier_stokes said:

It does seem a very neat bit of kit, and you don't have to have the hassle of connecting a streamer and decent DAC separately. Do you channel other digital sources through it for the DAC capability, i.e. DVD/Blu Ray output? How does it fair?

Also, do you think it's overkill in combination with a £1-2k amp/speaker combo (hi fi rather than home cinema)?

I have pushed my DAT player and PC output through it and it works fine, but to be honest 99.99% of the time it just streams. Overkill? No absolutely not. The system we have it wired to cost less than that. You can't have too good a source

[navier_stokes]

DavidY said:

Hi, many 'audiophiles' prefer the At Tunes SB+ over the transformer for audio quality, it's not quite as flexible (no balanced outputs, no DAC input and no 96kHz file capability) but the sound quality is sublime. (I have one!)

www.at-tunes.co.uk

davidy

Did you compare it to the transporter and is there much of a price difference?

I can understand why you'd get a better sound compared to a standard SB, but both the SB+ and transporter have upgraded DAC's so it would interesting to have a comparison between the latter two. Can't say I'm a fan of the wood though

[navier_stokes]

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

navier_stokes said:

It does seem a very neat bit of kit, and you don't have to have the hassle of connecting a streamer and decent DAC separately. Do you channel other digital sources through it for the DAC capability, i.e. DVD/Blu Ray output? How does it fair?

Also, do you think it's overkill in combination with a £1-2k amp/speaker combo (hi fi rather than home cinema)?

I have pushed my DAT player and PC output through it and it works fine, but to be honest 99.99% of the time it just streams. Overkill? No absolutely not. The system we have it wired to cost less than that. You can't have too good a source

Just out of interest, what systems did you and your friend have connected to it when comparing?

Cheers

[DavidY]

I'm not a fan of the wood either!

No I've not directluy compared with a Transporter, though I have heard a Transporter. Of all the comparisons that I've read, only one guy has preferred the Transporter and then only using the balanced outputs.

The SB+/Transporter will stand up in virtually any system, I have been using the SB+ direct into a £3k Power Amp and into for £5K speakers, it is just superb

I also have an upmarket DAC/Processor (£4K when new!) and comparing an SB+ v SB3/Duet Digital Out into DAC Processor, there is very little difference, more of a difference in presentation than in quality, at at this level it is very subjective.

Whichever you choose you'll have a cracking piece of kit

davidy

[SJobson]

navier_stokes said:

DavidY said:

Hi, many 'audiophiles' prefer the At Tunes SB+ over the transformer for audio quality, it's not quite as flexible (no balanced outputs, no DAC input and no 96kHz file capability) but the sound quality is sublime. (I have one!)

www.at-tunes.co.uk

davidy

Did you compare it to the transporter and is there much of a price difference?

I can understand why you'd get a better sound compared to a standard SB, but both the SB+ and transporter have upgraded DAC's so it would interesting to have a comparison between the latter two. Can't say I'm a fan of the wood though

The Transporter is slightly pricier but does have the ability to deal with 24bit/96kHz material and can act as a DAC too. Neither justify the outlay over a Squeezebox Classic and separate DAC, in my opinion, though if a new version of the Transporter were to be released which could cope with 24/192 files then it might tempt me, purely on the basis of future proofing.