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ARE SUPER EXPENSIVE STREAMERS REALLY WORTH IT

Folks I am confused why some streamers need to be so eye wateringly expensive. I appreciate the internal basics need to be covered such as a high quality, low noise power supply and a decent processor speed etc..  but that is not rocket science.

So my question is could a decent streamer outputting its data stream via I2S to a good quality DAC receiving the I2S stream be a more cost effective way of rivalling let’s say a streamer costing 5k upwards.

I have heard and digested the argument for expensive streamers quality being centred around the management of the data timing via a quality clock circuit but there are very reasonable in relative terms, DAC’s out there that have dual super high quality temp controlled clocks within, at least the equal or arguably even better than the say a 5k streamer with some sporting dual high end DAC chips etc.

So could utilizing a good quality streamer and a separate high-quality DAC connected via I2S indeed offer significant benefits and potentially reduce the need for a very expensive streamer.

I say this with the knowledge that I2S is designed to preserve and separate the Signals so avoiding the timing issues connected with multiplexing. I2S (Inter-IC Sound) separates the music signal from the timing signal, potentially eliminating jitter or at the very least greatly reducing the possibility for the pesky music killing jitter which we all could agree would lead to improving overall sound quality.

Wouldn’t this separation ensure that the timing information is more accurately preserved, even when compared to a high price streamer, leading as clean or cleaner and more precise audio data output. With I2S, the DAC can use its own high-quality clock/s to synchronize the data, which will reduce jitter and improve sound quality.

Could this possibly mean that even if the streamer has a less advanced clock, the DAC’s superior clock can take over, ensuring best  performance.

So bang for buck would it not be advantageous to investing in a high-quality DAC and using a good but not necessarily top-tier streamer to achieve excellent sound quality without the need for an extremely expensive streamer. Surely the DAC’s performance will play a crucial role in the final sound quality.

Play gentle with the pile on please....................

nubiann

Showing 1 response by mdalton

mdalton's avatar
mdalton
523 posts
 

To the OP:  Your emphasis on the clock is a mistake, imho.  The impact on sound from a quality clock/reclocking is easily measured (jitter).  The only source I know of that consistently measures jitter in streamers is HiFi News.  So I put together a small database of 13 streamers measured by HiFi News over the last few years; the two streamers costing £1k or less have jitter levels at about the same levels as the 11 higher cost streamers (up to £33k), and these are vanishingly low levels of jitter.

So that leaves only one other area of potential difference among streamers:  power supply-related noise.  And as some others have mentioned, DACs vary widely with respect to their sensitivity to noise; some are largely immune.  Unfortunately, HiFi News measurements of this - thru signal-to-noise ratios - is less comprehensive.  However, what measurements they have done on this issue suggest, again, that you don’t need to spend a lot of coin on a streamer.  There are well-engineered noise-free streamers available for £1k or less.

Finally, my own experience of streamers over the last 20 years, including a fair number of direct A/B comparisons, has confirmed what the data show.  Isn’t it great when the science and our experience are consistent?

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