Are streamers digitally enhanced?

To put a coda on this discussion, I spent an hour with Gemini as an EE professor, explaining the fine points of digital streamer design. It confirmed the primary of clock and PSU, but also mentioned another variable. 

FLAC is a lossless but still digitally compressed file that has to be converted to PCM and the quality of that conversion depends on both hardware and software. The lower tier of streamers use off the shelf computer versions, while higher end ones use specific chips and in-house specialized software to do the most bit perfect translation. 

Apparently few audiophiles are curious about the technology underlying digital sound. We'll go on for hours about tube types, but chips and software are somehow uninteresting. Personally, I find all aspects of audio technology fascinating. 

@mashif I, for one, learned something from the discussion, especially from your Coda above. I would only add that some manufacturers, like Auralic in my experience, will give the user the option of adding DSP functionality through configuration software options. Whether or not the default configuration also includes such optimization is still an open question for me. 

Unfortunately your “studio engineer” friend doesn’t know much. 
 

streamers that output less electrical noise in the digital output will sound better. 
 

adding a quiet power supply to a streamer (or a better power cable if it’s built in) will result in better sound. 
 

so will using a better quality USB or toslink cable.
Though I have been unable to hear differences in coax cables, but haven’t experimented much with coax. 
 

@dogearedaudio

big ++ and 👍🏽👍🏽 for laying it out right!!

@sudnh 

I can assure you that both my friend and I have forgotten more about audio during our 40 year careers than you will ever know. But I appreciate you informing me that better components result in better sound. That’s apparently the one thing you know.