Help settle a streaming argument!

carlsbad2

Playing moderator here: Nobody has said what an expensive streamer does differently than a budget streamer.

Yes they have. Perhaps you just don't care for the explanations.

arafiq

The question that OP posed was answered by many. Now the goal posts are shifted - "but why does it sound better? give me concrete proof!" 

It's a game some play here. In this thread, a difference was established and measured, but a measurementalist objected that the difference wasn't "significant":

Significant" ?   I think some folks should look up the word in the dictionary.  Different? Yes, but tiny, tiny, tiny unless you are letting your belief system modify what you hear vs. the actual sound. 

"Significant" is obviously subjective but to this guy, you're a victim of a "belief system" unless you accept his "belief system."

polkalover

... its not a belief system when its digital ...

Insisting that a demonstrable, measurable difference is  "insignificant" is a subjective judgment and so very much part of a "belief system." It doesn't matter if we're talking digital, analog or kumquats. A difference that may not matter to me may make a very big difference to you. Anyone who insists his preferences are the only valid preferences, or who attempts to disguise a preference as a fact, is very much promoting a belief system.

stuartk

There is nothing inherently "pretentious" about choosing separate transport and DAC over a CDP.  For many of us,the former route is a superior choice due to what we hear ...

Of course. It's also more practical because you can replace the transport as it ages out (they are all subject to mechanical as well as laser wear) without replacing the DAC. Or, you can upgrade your DAC without replacing the transport. Typically in  audio, I prefer separate components for flexibility.