HOW TO STREAMIFY YOUR SYSTEM
Modernising your beloved system with streaming smarts doesn’t have to mean replacing kit
If you’ve already got a traditional hi-fi system you’re smitten with – speakers, an amplifier and maybe a turntable and CD player you’ve painstakingly pored over to get in tip-top shape – that doesn’t mean the music streaming door is closed to you. Far from it.
Showing your system the gateway to the wonderful world of streaming is as simple as adding a music streamer. It’s another box to house, yes, but it can add another dimension to your music listening – and, crucially, could form a multi-room environment with this streaming amp and speaker system you’ve created for another room. Choose a streamer that’s built on the same platform as the streaming amp (DTS Play-Fi, HEOS and BluOS are all recommendable open wireless multi-rooms platforms) or has the same protocols such as AirPlay 2 or Google
Chromecast, and your two, three or even four systems can play music simultaneously and be group- controlled.
Like every other hi-fi source, music streamers require care when it comes to system matching, and they should be placed on a decent rack or alternative support and connected to your amplifier with decent cabling. While most streamers will be able to connect to your home network via Wi- Fi, you should wire your streamer in by its ethernet port where possible. This method is stabler and allows for greater bandwidth, translating to optimal performance and less buffering.
Of course, if your streaming ambitions are more modest and you aren’t Spotify- or AirPlay-ready just yet, gifting your system Bluetooth (thus the ability to easily send music to your system from your phone, tablet etc) is just as feasible. Bluetooth receivers can connect to a pair of your amplifier’s analogue, or often digital, inputs and are easy to tuck behind a system component or perch on the edge of your audio rack. The best bit? Bluetooth works offline, negating the need for a stable internet connection. Buy one that supports a high-quality Bluetooth codec such as aptX or, better yet, aptX HD (the iFi ZEN Blue and Sennheiser BT T100 are two such options) and as long as your music-playing device is also compatible with that codec, you can expect decent audio quality.
Bluetooth streaming doesn’t match networked streaming for sound quality – it typically sounds more compressed and congested – but it’s reliable, affordable and certainly a recommendable launching pad for your streaming journey.