New Plex user FLAC streaming questions

General Discussions
1

Hi everyone.

I am a total noob to these things, so I am hoping that someone could tell me whether I am streaming the best way possible, and, possibly provide me with some alternatives that might give me better quality.

My Hi-Fi system:

Jamo D600 speakers
Yama A/V receiver (Old, but gold) HTR 6160
Plex server: Laptop running Windows 10
Plex player: Samsung Smart TV app (Samsung TV connected to A/V via Optical out)
I use a PS3 for my Blu-Ray or music CD discs connected to the receiver via HDMI
My next purchase will be an integrated amplifier to run my front stage.

Reading about DACs and NANDS etc. just confuses me. My receiver is not network capable, but it has HDMI.

I don’t really want to spend a thousand dollars on a music streaming machine if I don’t need to when Plex can losslessly play my FLAC files. What can I do better? When I click on my dashboard, it shows “Direct Play” to the Samsung TV app, so I assume all is good?

Would it benefit me to purchase a DAC or a music streamer? I also read things about the Nvidia Shield, but if my TV app already supports direct play is it even necessary?

I’d like to get as close to lossless as I possibly can.

I would appreciate any help from the audiophile experts here :slight_smile:

2

Yes.

Most won’t work with Plex directly. Because you want a real Plex client and not some generic DLNA client.

The shield is a nice upgrade though. It is fast and handles most video formats well. But that is not that important for music.

If you were to get a Plex pass, you are able to use loudness levelling and sweet fades with the Shield.

It is beneficial to connect the shield per hdmi to the AVR, and then the AVR to the TV. (At least if you want surround sound)