Together, the duo makes a very credible attempt at a state-of-the-art streaming transport without the stratospheric price tag often accompanying such devices. On the streaming side, Stack enlisted the services of noted digital guru John Westlake, a man responsible for highly-regarded digital gear from Audiolab, Peachtree Audio and Cambridge Audio. He has a strong background in the principles of chassis damping and vibration control. Proprietor Theo Stack is clearly an analog guy, with Stack Audio known for its upgrade kits to the iconic Linn LP12 turntable. The Link II is a dedicated streaming audio transport, designed from the ground up to deliver pure audio signals free of unwanted distortion. It sells for US$1355.08, the exchange rate likely responsible for the lack of a nice round number. Under consideration here is the (Roon Ready) Stack Audio Link Streamer II. Once that’s sorted, I look at more standard considerations like price and output options to seal the deal.
Nowadays the biggest variable is whether I want a headless device, solely controlled via tablet/laptop/smartphone, or something with a display and perhaps its own set of front-panel controls.
Did I want a device to leverage existing protocols such as UPnP or Logitech Media Server? Or a more proprietary solution like an Aurender? How about a Mac Mini running Audirvana, or a Windows machine using JRiver Media Center, or an MPD-based Linux box? I’ve been through all of these and more, each bringing its own unique strengths and weaknesses to the table. Beyond the obvious such as price and connectivity, there were some core functionality aspects to work out. Pre-Roon, choosing a streaming playback device involved a somewhat complex set of decisions. It’s a sacrifice that’s no sacrifice at all when we consider that Roon will talk to (its own) Roon Ready code sitting running inside a network streamer, as well as Apple’s AirPlay, Google’s Chromecast, Squeezelite and Sonos. And being an avid Roon user limits my selection of network streamers to those that are Roon-capable.
I first jumped aboard the Roon train back in 2015: music streaming software that levelled the playing field for manufacturers, allowing hi-fi product designers to do their job without being hamstrung by the software side, an area that was – and still is – the weakest link in many a streaming product.
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