Digital Streaming is generating a lot of interest right now in the hi-fi industry. And so it should because the performance is remarkable. But it is also generating a lot of confusion.

What is Digital Streaming?

Digital Streaming is playing music "streamed" either wired or wirelessly from your computer or a mass storage device.

The advantages are many and varied but first amongst these is performance. Second is the fact that your entire music library is available at the touch of a few buttons, without having to search through your entire CD or vinyl collection to find that one album or that one track. This also means that you can put your music collection away in the loft and not have to worry about storage! If you are anything like me, by the time you have had a few glasses of wine finding that specific song can turn into a nightmare. Not with Streaming.

How does it work?

You don't actually need to understand this (in the same way that you don't need to understand the internal combustion engine to drive a car) but here is an outline of what you need and a simple outline of how it works.

You need a computer or a laptop and an internet connection. Your internet connection will provide you with a wireless network. The router that provides the internet connection is at the heart of Digital Streaming. From this router you run a cable to a NASDrive. This is a network storage drive that will enable you to build a music library. It will also enable you to play music when your computer or laptop isn't in use and won't interefere in any way with the opperation of that device.If you are starting from scratch we recommend QNAP NASdrives (www.ultimatestorage.com). The reason we recommend these is that they are reliable, come with a two year warranty, and are tested before being dispatched to you. Also they run in RAID, which means that there are two drives with the second always mirroring the first. The reason for this is simple; if you have a drive failure you won't lose your library!

From the router you run another cable to your Digital Streaming Device. This is usually situated in your lounge where your stereo system is. This is either connected into an amplifier and loudspeakers or in the case of some Streamers (which have built in amps) simply to a pair of speakers.

Wired or wireless?

We ALWAYS recommend wired as the best option. Wired is reliable, faster and copes better with HD files (more about these later). If running a wire is difficult, BELKIN make a couple of devices that enable ethernet to be run down the mains. These cost about £80 and an example can be found here; http://www.belkin.com/uk/networking/powerline/

Wireless is OK for new build houses and listening to low or standard definition files. Why would you want to do that though? Its like having the keys to a Ferarri but not being able to put your foot down. The main advantage of Digital Streaming is sound quality so streaming MP3 is pretty pointless in our opinion. Go wired!

Control Devices

Most streamers have their own remote. Many also come with an APP that enables you to use an i-Pad or i-Phone to control them and to access your music library. These are slick and extremely easy to use and often provide a better visual solution as they allow you to browse album artwork more effectively.

Your Library

Most of the music that will make up your library will come from your existing CD collection. Installing a program on your PC or laptop will do this easily for you. The program we recommend is DBpower amp. When you insert a CD it will take a bit perfect RIP of the CD and catalogue it, gathering all the data and artwork from online databases without you doing anything at all. One a perfect copy has been taken it will add this music to a library, storing it by artist, album, genre and all the other data which will later help you find the music you want to listen to. This process is simple and effortless. Your music will be stores as LOSSLESS FLAC files.

Of course you can also download music but avoid i-Tunes and any website that offers you MP3 or MP4. These are compressed and offer a performance lower than CD. Most website that allow you to purchase music will offer you a choice and you need to choose FLAC or HD.

HD

One of the most exciting things about Streaming is the ability to enjoy files that are in HD. A CD (for example) is 16 bit. HD music is 24 bit and as a result sounds far more vibrant, detailed and natural. The sound is staggering.www.hdtracks.com has a wide selection of classic albums that are being released in HD. More titles are added montly. Even old recordings from artists like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones sound staggering in HD and it is a near-religious experience hearing what you've been missing.

Sound Quality

Many customers are staggered that their own CD's, once ripped sound better than the actual CD and are confused by why this should be the case. The easiest way to understand this is that a CD player will take information from the CD in real-time and sufferes from jitter and error correction, attempting to plug gaps left by lost data. All of which reduces performance. Streaming draws from a bit-perfect file with NO LOSS!

More to follow.