Best network music streamers 2023: make your hi-fi smarter

Whether your location hi-fi strategy is simply a beautiful vintage receiver and speakers, a modern brace of powered speakers, aliases thing successful between, adding a dedicated web euphony streamer to your setup is 1 of nan champion ways to bring hi-quality integer music from your streaming services aliases section files to life. 

These internet-connected devices travel successful each shapes, sizes, budgets, and capabilities, and they activity pinch nan latest and champion streaming euphony subscription services, from Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal to Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer, and more. Connectivity options pinch web euphony streamers are vast, making them easy to hook up done input/outputs specified arsenic RCA, optical, USB, XLR, HDMI, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Chromecast, and galore more. Some web euphony streamers person their ain built-in amplifiers truthful you conscionable request to adhd speakers, while astir are meant to bring each that fantabulous integer sound to your existing system.     

Whichever measurement you go, if you're caller to nan world of network euphony streamers, choosing tin beryllium tricky, truthful we've put together this database of immoderate of nan champion to thief you make your decision. 

Cambridge Audio

Cambridge Audio CXN V2

Best wide euphony streamer

Do you expect thing but ultimate audio value from your web euphony streamer? For those of america pinch large listening expectations and money to spare, nan Cambridge Audio CXN V2 comes from nan esteemed British audio makers and should beryllium your premium web streamer of choice.

Under its sexy brushed metallic decorativeness are 2 24-bit Wolfson DACs, walled internals for nan champion sound and distortion simplification successful town, and a maximum playback solution of 24-bit/384kHz. Supported hi-res formats see FLAC, ALAC, WAV, PCM, and DSD, and you’ll beryllium capable to watercourse your tunes via Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, Chromecast, UpNp, and Roon. There’s besides autochthonal support for Spotify, Tidal, and Qobuz platforms. With Wi-Fi and LAN web connectivity, nan CXN V2s inputs see 2 USB-A ports and a USB-B port, arsenic good arsenic optical and coaxial. Outputs see balanced XLR, statement level, and coaxial and optical.

You tin besides download nan StreamMagic app (iOS and Android) to power and customize your CXN. No, it’s not cheap, but if you’re looking for a euphony streamer that tin grip conscionable astir anything, nan Cambridge Audio CXN V2 is nan constituent for nan job.

Yamaha

Yamaha WXC-50

Solid compact streamer pinch built-in preamp

When it comes to wide performance, features, and value, we judge nan Yamaha WXC-50 is simply a awesome mid-priced action for users looking for a web streamer that includes a built-in preamp, making it perfect for those of america who want to dedicate each our AV ins, outs, and EQ to a azygous device. It besides has a beautiful mini footprint and tin beryllium mounted vertically to prevention moreover much space.

Outfitted pinch a ESS Sabre DAC and an onboard euphony enhancer for rubbing up your MP3s, nan sanction of nan crippled is precise and rich | sound astatine a value that doesn’t frighten. You tin link to nan WXC-50 utilizing Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, aliases via wired Ethernet, and nan instrumentality supports respective celebrated streaming platforms, including Spotify Connect, Pandora, and SiriusXM. Sadly, location is nary autochthonal support for Apple Music, Qobuz, aliases Amazon Music.

You’ll besides beryllium capable to download nan MusicCast app (for iOS and Android) to power nan streamer pinch your smartphone aliases tablet, arsenic good arsenic nexus nan WXC-50 to different wireless Yamaha cogwheel for multi-room audio. Its $450 value puts it smack successful midrange territory.  

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Wiim Pro

Best budget-friendly web euphony streamer

Our ain Simon Cohen is simply a certified integer euphony aficionado, and a difficult seed to ace erstwhile it comes to getting him to bull to nan virtues of analog formats for illustration vinyl (we person yet to). But he's astir nan astir knowledgable personification we cognize successful this area, truthful you tin spot his review of nan formidable $149 Wiim Pro.

A nonstop competitor to Sonos' celebrated Port (it's benignant of a c copy, really), nan Wiim Pro is simply a bare-bones achromatic container that isn't overmuch to look at, design-wise. But don't fto that fool you. Like nan Sonos Port, nan Wiim Pro is stacked pinch relationship options, beingness and wireless, including RCA statement successful and retired (for connecting outer sources for illustration turntables and CD players that tin past beryllium streamed retired done nan system), coax, SPDIF optical in/out, LAN, Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Bluetooth, Chromecast, and more.

With its fantabulous companion app, nan Wiim Pro delivers easy entree to a ton of streaming services, including Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Pandora, Deezer, SoundCloud, TuneIn radio, and nan database goes on.  As acold arsenic support for hi-res and lossless euphony formats, nan Wiim Pro is, yep, a pro, pinch support for lossless ALAC, APE, FLAC, and WAV files up to 24-bit/192kHz, arsenic good arsenic lossy MP3, AAC, WMA, and OGG.

Additionally, and for illustration Sonos, by simply adding further Wiim Pro devices, aliases different Wiim hardware for illustration its smaller, cheaper related nan Wiim Mini aliases nan latest and much premium Wiim Pro Plus, you tin easy grow your web passim your house.

Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

Wiim Mini

Best bare bones nether $100

Small but mighty is 1 measurement to picture nan Wiim Mini. Smaller than a lucky puck, and substantially lighter, too, nan Wiim Mini has astir each of nan features of its bigger siblings, nan Wiim Pro and Wiim Pro Plus for a fraction of nan cost. Plus, you tin adhd Minis aliases different Wiim devices llike nan Pro and Plus passim your location to create a whole-home system.

Much for illustration Sonos, nan well-designed Wiim Home app brings everything together for super-easy control. All of your streaming services — from Tidal and Spotify to Qobuz, Amazon Music, Deezer, Pandora, and much (there's nary autochthonal support for Apple Music, unfortunately) — and a cosmopolitan hunt makes uncovering what you want a breeze. Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect besides let you to not usage nan Wiim app if you for illustration to usage their charismatic apps instead. Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and Alexa support lets you group immoderate of those speakers together for multi-room listening, too, and Alexa and Siri compatibility lets you power things pinch your voice.

Connectivity is beautiful basic, though, but it whitethorn beryllium each you need. There are 3.5 mm AUX successful and retired ports for connecting outer devices to it arsenic good arsenic connecting it to a receiver/amp aliases group of powered speakers for playback. Additionally, there's a SPDIF optical retired for sending integer audio astatine up to 24-bit/192 kHz to a compatible device.

Setup and connecting to Wi-Fi couldn't beryllium easier, and nan Wiim Mini's DAC sounds awesome should you opt to not push it done a amended 1 (but you could).

Digital Trends

Sonos Port

Best for Sonos users and beyond

If you've already gotten yourself immersed successful nan Sonos ecosystem pinch respective Sonos speakers scattered astir your location but you still person an further "dumb" sound strategy that sounds awesome but is trim disconnected from nan Sonos hive, past adding a Sonos Port is an fantabulous measurement to bring everything together.

Not only will nan Port let you to entree each nan aforesaid streaming services (including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and more) that you would done nan remainder of your Sonos speakers connected your non-Sonos system, but you tin besides link outer analog sources such arsenic turntables and CD players to it via RCA for sending retired done nan system, too. Additionally, nan Sonos Port supports Apple AirPlay 2 for sending euphony straight to it shape your iOS devices.

And everything is controlled pinch Sonos' industry-leading app — there's a cosmopolitan hunt characteristic that will hunt crossed each of your signed-in services, and Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon Music users person nan action to usage those respective apps to power them, should they prefer.

Audioengine

Audioengine B-Fi

Another fund action for beginners

Maybe you’re conscionable getting started pinch web euphony streaming, and you’d for illustration a coagulated and reliable streamer that doesn’t break nan bank. If testing nan waters earlier swimming pinch nan manta rays is important, aliases you conscionable want a awesome streamer for a awesome price, nan Audioengine B-Fi should much than fresh nan bill.

Once connected to your Wi-Fi (no Ethernet action connected this model), you’ll beryllium capable to watercourse tunes from your iOS devices to nan B-Fi utilizing Apple AirPlay and immoderate music-streaming platforms you’re subscribed to. Unfortunately, though, there's nary Chromecast support, truthful Android instrumentality users are going to person to instrumentality to nan Audioengine Control app (iOS and Android), that allows you to power services for illustration Spotify, Tidal, and Qobuz, without having to move complete to different app, moreover though you can.

You tin moreover usage nan Control app to nexus your B-Fi to up to 12 different B-Fi streamers, arsenic good arsenic compatible smartphones, computers, and web retention devices. One point to note, though, is that nan Audioengine B-Fi maxes retired astatine CD-quality 16-bit/44.1kHz resolution, which isn't a bad point arsenic it still sounds great, but is not considered hi-res lossless that galore of nan awesome streaming services are offering.

Editors' Recommendations

• The champion speakers for 2023: awesome hi-fi options for euphony and more