Home Multitest – Streamers up to 1000 Euro – With bonus!

Multitest – Streamers up to 1000 Euro – With bonus!

11
Streamer Shootout

Intro

On Saturday, April 29, we checked out four very nice streamers for you: the Yamaha WXC-50, Audiolab 7000N Play, FIIO R7 and the Volumio Primo. And as a bonus, we threw in a power supply upgrade. We write up the test for you here as well as show you some measurements on the streamers.

A poll on our Patreon page quickly showed the need for a multi test of streamers in the class up to 1000 Euro. And that is not surprising: around that price you can get some serious quality. However, we find the choice of streamers with dac very limited in that price range. We have therefore created a bit of a “staircase” test: an affordable Yamaha WXC-50, the new Audiolab 7000N Play and FIIO R7 and the now famous Volumio Primo. On the Primo we are going to do another power supply upgrade.

The test setup

Watch the stream

Type test
Multitest
Production country
Differs
Features
  Yamaha WXC-50
  • Build: Neat. Especially considering the price
  • Sound: Calm, neutral, relaxed
  • Imaging: Tad small, but sleek
  • Overall: Neat and widely applicable. Excellent price
  • Price: 449
  Audiolab 7000N
  • Build: Nice, basic
  • Sound: Rhythmic, tight, insightful
  • Imaging: Fairly large. Solid focus
  • Overall: DTS PlayFi is not pleasant. But the sound is good!
  • Price: 649
  FIIO R7
  • Build: Very nice
  • Sound: Detailed, tad dry
  • Imaging: Ambiance well audible. Tight in focus
  • Overall: Very flexible product. Beautifully made.
  • Price: 749
  Volumio Primo
  • Build: Playfull, neat
  • Sound: Pleasant, smooth, large
  • Imaging: Large!
  • Overall: Very fine streamer. Very affordable and upgradable
  • Price: 799

Winkels met Audiolab

Schoenmakersstraat 19
6041EX Roermond, NL
Grotestraat 23
5931 CS Tegelen, NL

Winkels met Yamaha

Sint-Antoniusstraat 15
2300 Turnhout, BE
Joseph Bensstraat 21
1180 Ukkel, BE
Pleinweg 136
3083 EP Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, NL
Hooikade 13
2627 Delft, Zuid Holland, NL
Bredabaan 1031
B-2930 Brasschaat, BE
Pelikaanstraat 126
2018 Antwerpen, BE
Schoenmakersstraat 19
6041EX Roermond, NL
Grotestraat 23
5931 CS Tegelen, NL
Parkweg 23
8084GG 't Harde, NL
Stationsweg 87
9471 GM Zuidlaren, NL
St. Ceciliastraat 28
5038 HA Tilburg, NL
Hermesweg 2
3741 GP Baarn, Utrecht, NL
Korevaarstraat 2 e-f
2311 JS Leiden, NL
Steenstraat 54
6828 CM Arnhem, Gelderland, NL
St.-Katelijnevest 53
2000 Antwerpen, BE
Beethovenstraat 9-b
1077 HL Amsterdam, Noord Holland, NL

11 COMMENTS

  1. The Primo is interesting…I’ve been using a Pi2design Mercury (CM4 rpi based streamer) with Volumio to really good effect. The software has some adjustability via pluggins that can improve the sound further – particularly Sound shield which can quiet the cpu and lower its functions while playing music. Then also a lps (all the typical things like cabling etc that you guys have covered with great care). Crazy how small and well-placed tweaks can go a long way.

    And now of course, that Eversolo DMP is looking to be yet another paradigm shift in this arena and similar price range. Would love your impressions of that one!

  2. Very nice comparison, and I know you can’t compare all streamers in this price category. However I must admit I was a little disappointed to first see my streamer in the list to be tested (cambridge CXN v2) and then noticed it wasn’t present anymore when I sat down to listen to the shootout. Still curious how it would have compared, just like the Innuos ZENmini MK3 which I also have (or the more recent model the Innuos Pulsemini). Maybe in a future test after all you like doing mega tests :-). Like the recent excellent bookshelf speaker test. In any case succes in future shootouts!

  3. Hello Alpha

    Would have like 2 see the bluesound node n130 between these streamers. Curious how it would compare.

    I ordered the new node X, hopefully 🤞 it has the same powerboard, so I could change it and hook up the sBooster. Pretty interesting product, new DAC an pretty 🤩

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