It was not my intention to write about Hi-Fi equipment but I could not resist writing about the Raumfeld Connector Two. It was a Christmas present and it replaces the laptop computer which I was using to stream internet radio via my WiFi router. The laptop also played all my ripped music from a hard drive.
The Raumfeld Connector Two was easy to set up, from an Android app which controls the device, once I figured out that it does not accept a WEP key but rather a WPA2 key. Using WPA2 meant that I had to reset all the other devices which were using my router, of which there are many.
The box itself is small and can be easily hidden. It is simple to use, it can read digital music files stored on a NAS drive by WiFi or via an ethernet cable. It reads and plays back all the major music file types including WAV, MP3 and FLAC. It also handles "HIRES". It will also read music files from a USB hard drive directly attached to the device. I have all my music stored on a portable 1TB HDD and it catalogues this drive quickly and reads it easily.
The device has its own built in DAC and analogue line outputs; these work very well when linked to my amplifier.
In my case, I use the digital optical output to connect to my external ESS Sabre DAC. The technical quality of the music played from a FLAC or WAV file,in this way, is second to none.
The Connector Two even accepts line analogue inputs and converts them to digital. The Connector Two can be used as part of a multi-room system to broadcast the music via your WiFi to Raumfeld active speakers rather like a Sonos or a Yamaha Multicast system. Technically, it it would be possible to broadcast an LP around the house via the digital connection. I have not tried this as I use the Connector Two in a stand alone mode.
The Raumfeld Connector also has built in internet radio and Spotify; all controlled from an Android or an Iphone app.
I have a Yamaha Music cast system in another room. This system recognises the Raumfeld Connector as a server attached to the WiFi router and will playback music from the attached USB hard drive. The Raumfeld Connector Two is therefore acting like NAS drive.
This is a versatile and brilliant piece of equipment which can replace a laptop for streaming music. All this for about £140 and available directly from Teufel in Germany. I recommend it.
https://www.teufelaudio.co.uk/raumfeld-audio-streaming/raumfeld-connector-p9527.html
