93B Flagship Streamer
Several years ago I built an Allo DigiOne Signature streamer and was mostly very pleased with it. Since then, I put together a system for my mother using a rebuilt Mac Mc2105 and Sansui tuner. As I subscribe to Tidal, I decided to add a Dac and initially used the DigiOne. Discovering “Ian Canada,” the web site and streamers, I researched and decided to pull the trigger on the 93b Flagship Streamer kit. The build process was enjoyable and mostly intuitive; there are videos and pictures that help guide you, plus all the manuals for each board. Logic and common sense go a long way here, given there isn’t an assembly manual and, as such, might not be ideally suited to a novice; then, again, Ian was very helpful, almost immediately, upon request. While these “Ian Canada” systems are not inexpensive, they’re well worth the price, in my estimation, as the engineering is nothing short of brilliant, the quality second to none, the build process a joy and the outcome very rewarding. The monitoring led lights are a nice touch, as the thing, cute in and of itself, lights up like a Christmas tree, while the led’s are as informative as a set of Stewart Warner gauges; even my girlfriend loves it!
The Wifi signal is somewhat weak in my setup’s location, resolved the issue by using a repeater as an endpoint and an ethernet cable – 5g & no dropouts. The SQ was noticeably improved, over the DigiOne. However, I almost immediately got the upgrade bug, wondering how far I might push it, upgrading to Accusilicon AS338 clocks and adding the LifePO4 Mini/Pro 3.3v PS and UcConditioner – this combination elevated the listening experience to a whole new plateau! The system needs to time to gel, but on the very first night, was so taken, I listened for hours, couldn’t pull away, ears ringing in the morning – my old system has never sounded better!
One last point, I used DH Labs, silver coated, high purity copper, stranded 14 gauge wire to complete the process of wiring the PS, UcConditioner and two boards together – I’m mentioning this because 14 gauge is the limit, as it was tricky to double up on the output of the UcConditioner in order to supply the two top boards, the HDMI PiPro II and FifoPi Q7 III.
I’m very pleased with the outcome and quite impressed, not something easily achieved. I can’t see how anyone could be disappointed with these systems. If you love DIY, this is definitely for you!
