Thanks for your comments. I read up on all this and it seems I can benefit from a server. Even so, some people state the iMac is fine. But it seems reasonable that a server will constitute an improvement. Thanks again.
Benefits of a "streaming hub"?
Greetings. Pardon my ignorance but I am curious about a streaming hub or server for my digital files. As it stands I ripped all of my classical and jazz CDs onto high res files on my MacBook Pro. I play them via the USB cable hooked up to the Exogal Comet/Ion "power DAC" combo and am perfectly happy with the sound. I added Roon because it seems to be an improvement and the cataloguing and indexing they offer is excellent. What exactly will a streamer do for this setup? I am happy with everything now but have noticed that there seems to be a big market for streamer devices many of which are advertised as "optimized" for Roon. I still play a lot of my favorite CDs (I kept the really good audiophile import ones) as a convenience, and often listen to LPs on an old Thorens hooked up to a vintage system from 1985--thus my lack of knowledge about more recent digital advances. But to me digital sounds fantastic and is a huge convenience. Many thanks, rt