Do I Need a Dedicated Streamer?

@jsalerno

+1

You can use a WiFi extender plugged in next to your system. Bandwidth requirements are minuscule and a good or outstanding streamer will remove noise and supply superb sound quality. I recommend Aurender.

I have owned PCs, MACs, cheap streamers at levels from $3K to $23K.

Ok, there are getting to be too many “streamers are just PCs” in this thread. The proof to those of us that have tried most everything is the difference between a PC or MAC and a good (at the bottom end Blue stream) is simply startling. The difference gets bigger as you go to $2k to $5K to $10K to $15K, and finally above $20K, assuming you have a commiserate system. Common sense required here.. don’t pair a $2K streamer with a $1K system. Admittedly there are a few techies that have put thousands into cleaning up their network and PC and have gotten pretty good results… but this is a waste of enormous time and money for most of us (my career was in IT… like director of IT for global high tech companies… with the background to understand this stuff).

Over the years I have modified PCs… shutting down all extraneous background tasks, using special software, running my Mac on batteries and until I bought a dedicated streamer the sound was ok, but my first dedicated streamer was finally like a piece of high end audio equipment. Each increment of investment (carefully researched to be best of class… Aurender) bested the lower level models. Like some folks pointed out, it’s the source! Unless it is noise free then the dynamics and noice floor are compromised. It is like every other piece of audio equipment… it matters. Just because it doesn’t sound logical doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

This is a pursuit better pursued by listening than applying logic… well unless you have a tremendous amount of experience with the high end. The first high end digital cable I stuck in between my transport and DAC about thirty years ago destroyed any desire for me to go out on a limb with logic on why it shouldn’t matter by logic. It just does, and every audiophile and high end audio company knows it.

@flyfish77 

Good comment. A very valid approach.

This is not the approach I take, because I am in search of the best possible sound and when I do lots of intermediate steps and it always ending up costing me more. But that is my personality and values.
 

I got into streaming early on and streamed using a Mac, PC heavily modified to be quiet, cheap streamers, then finally the enormous gap between my CD player and vinyl disappeared. I climbed from $3K to $5… auditioned $10, $13, and finally bought $22K. I research the heck out of stuff and carefully choose components at a given price level. I could have cut out a couple levels and jumped up to a cost at my average component level and saved time and money. But, as I said, this is me.

The sneak up slowly, dip your toe in as a very valid approach for many people.

Lumin is a excellent quality streamer and will improve your sound quality significantly depending on your system… DAC, preamp, amp, speakers and venue.

Roon is search and recommendation software and at best will not reduce the sound quality of your system.