How important is an LCD screen on your streamer?

Obviously, displays on streamers are necessary. Primarily to make money for manufactuers. As @soix so eloquently opines, they are baubles on a bull. But, baubles are bright and shiny and, for some, enhance the perceived value of a possession, if not the sound. That's okay. Caveat emptor: manufactures probably don't produce streamers with displays to enhance functionality but rather to improve the pleasure we take in looking at what we own. Such a motive is not limited to streamers.

My streamer is not visible from my listening position and screen is turned off for SQ.  For parties I cast the iPad app image to an 85" TV to show cover art/track info.

I hear most of you. And I bet most of you are nearly as old (if not older) than my 67 years. For us, we "get it". Adding a cheap LCD screen to a device at a certain price point will likely add a small amount of signal noise. On the opposite hand, good engineering here in 2025 could make that noise go away - at a price. I doubt the displays used on SpaceX's Crew Dragon leak noise into the data streams.

So, we make do with using our phones, tablets, even computers to control our streamers. 

But I can guarantee you anyone younger than 30 getting into streaming would want a display. Why? Because they are used to it and *expect* one. So, the lower end market that is trying to lure these newbies does what it must. 

On the other hand, I wish more streamers had HDMI out for connection to a TV to display album artwork, resolution and bit depth, and more, one that doesn't require jumping through Roon hoops like John Darko does.

For us old guys listening alone in our sweet spots we might not need one, but if you want to make listening a communal experience, having all that on a nice sized TV can help. 

 

It's necessary for making menu changes, but other than that, I keep it turned off.  I recently had to replace the screen in one streamer and have another that is pixelated.  It's one of the most likely points of failure.

Not important. I can view details of the album or track on my iPad/iPhone. SQ is the most important.