How important is an LCD screen on your streamer?

@centralaveguy same same man! LOVE my Eversolo DMP-A6 Master! I added the TP Power Supply and that really added another level to it. 
 

I agree that some serious listening sessions later at night when the screen times out I will leave it off. But I’d say the majority I do have it on…

Enjoying reading all the replies😊

I believe the question boils down to what do you value more: 1) a pretty screen?,  2) pretty sound quality?  fI prefer SQ over a display, particularly when the display is some 10-15 feet across the room. At that distance and that screen size, to me the potential compromise in audio quality doesn't justify the screen. Does a screen noticeably degrade audio quality? Perhaps yes, perhaps no, but one thing I know for sure: it doesn't improve it. And if it doesn't improve it, then I don't need or want  it.

Like many here, I use a mobile device to control or get information from my streamers. My equipment is about 10 feet from me so I honestly don't know what good it would do to have a tiny screen that I can't read on a streamer or any other component. 

I couldn't see a display if a steamer had one. I have steel mesh doors on my equipment cabinet.

Not only is a screen unimportant, but I prefer it to not have one.   Like many here, I use my iPad as the remote screen.   I’m a very happy Innuos owner and will move up their line shortly.

My streamer has no display, just a power button and four preset buttons It uses Play Fi for streaming services but I only access Qobuz through it's app on my smart phone  Easy peasy 

I set the default to off for the display on my Naim ND555.

Not important to me. I own a Cambridge Audio CXN and a Lyngdorf TDAI - while the art work is a somewhat cool feature to impress visitors, it’s not really useful: from my sofa I can hardly read the details on the screen. I actually prefer the approach of the Lyngdorf where just icons are shown when selecting something - otherwise the display turns dark (at least in my setting).

@mesonto +1 that is useful info no matter how you get it.

Not important unless I'm checking to see that the bit rate from Roon is actually going to the streamer.

Not important, but a cool feature to have. I like displaying the album cover. 

Same opinion here.  I use a Lumin U2 Mini.  It has a pretty basic OLED display, no album art or anything.  Most of the time I turn it off because my aging eyes can't read it from across the room anyway.  I use Roon, so there's really no need to display anything on the streamer.  Anything I want to delve into is right there on my iPhone, iPad, etc.

Bottom line is I love having a display to go along with what I am playing.  Need not be on the streamer itself, though a nice feature if so.  For example, displays in Roon are awesome, for example using a browser on the 60" smart TV.  My whole family will listen then as well especially when dynamic lyrics for singalong are displayed for songs they know.  Built in streamer screen is too small for that.

SO displays are a big + in general for me.  Having on on the streamer itself ....nice feature but there are better options.  

I agree with those who say the screen is unnecessary and adds to expense and impairs sound quality.

I have universal disc players in my systems.  In my main system, if I turn off the video circuitry of the disc player, I hear more deep bass if the material I'm playing has it.  Since all my universal disc players have this option, I think that video circuitry can impair SQ, and I suspect that is true for displays (on some of those players, turning off the video also turns off the display).

I’ll be the dissenting voice and say I like it. Especially for playlists.  I don’t want to hold a tablet in my lap.  It’s distracting and unnecessary.   
 

My streamer doesn’t have a screen. I am wondering if everyone also turns off the screens on their other gear. Amps , pre amps etc. 

I don’t have a screen but would like one. I think this is because I need glasses to see my I-pad and don’t use my iPhone at home for anything. I don’t want to have to have my glasses on when I’m listening. And only use my I-pad when I’m streaming, usually its in a drawer out of sight. I’m not one to be attached to their devises. So, for much of my casual listening I’d like a screen I can walk up to and hit play on a playlist while I’m cooking etc. I also play records as my primary format, I have 3000+ records and use my streamer for mostly casual listening as well as to access my CD collection on the hard drive. So for me a screen properly implemented would be handy. I’m just not interested in paying $8,000+ for a streamer.  I also do not need a DAC and most of the lower priced ($500-$2000) units have a crappy DAC you’re paying for.

Wiim Ultra here.  It's nice to have I use the app on my phone or computer. Use the screen on the Wiim when I'm right there at the hifi.  My wife uses the screen the most as she doesn't like apps :)

I have a first generation Eversolo A6 Master Edition. I absolutely love the display. I have in the past had Cambridge, Bluesound, Audiolab and God forbid the terrible Arcam. So some with screens and others phone or tablet dependent. I absolutely love the Eversole.  After pulling my hair out with Arcam update follies I am now spoiled by the flawless operation and constant enhancements to the Eversolo. The display is handy and cool to look at for night time listening. VU meters are bitching fun.

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

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.

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. 

 

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.

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.

Ultimately, I'm with lanx0003, who states concerns about electrical noise from the display making its way into audio (or the digital stream).

These little squint-and-poke displays are a symptom of "feature packing" that happens on everything from cell phones to cars. In the fifties, it was fins and chrome. That was followed by "more bright colored lights and controls". More automatic stuff. Complex user interfaces with options in deep menus. 

What happened to "form follows function" and "ornament and crime". Those ideas speak to utility and minimalism. 

Whatever people say about LPs, I am confident that even in my last days on earth, I will still know how to operate my turntable with ease.

I keep my Aurender A1000 in critical listening mode, which turns off the front screen among other electronics in the Aurender. To me it sounds better in critical listening mode. So I do not get the screen, just do it all from my iphone.

LCD screens tend to add noise, my Esoteric has a very limited screen and I use an iPad for ROON, so no it’s not important at all.

Critical listening mode on my Aurender. Screen off. 

It’s nice to have.  Every now and then I leave my phone in another area and instead of retrieving it to use the app I use the touchscreen 

Not important your app is your display , the innuos sence app is very good.

Yeah, concur with most ... not necessary as it's too far for functionality sake.  I use it as a VU meter.   Sometimes kuhl to watch it bounce around

The bigger the screen, the more the Noise. I only realised how much I didn't need a screen when I moved from Eversolo DMP A8 to Lumin U2. Suddenly the capability of the streamer trumped everything else - as it should. I use Roon or Lumin app, therefore no dependency on a screen at all. 

What are they for ? Can you even see them 8-10’ away? My Innuos doesn’t any & you control the unit w/ their app on a iPad. Seems to me the $ allocated to them would be better directed to improving sound quality. 

Not important to me my Auralic Aries has a screen but I have it set to off it just comes on for a few seconds when the track changes. It's too far away for me to see clearly anyway though it does look nice.

I chose my Pulse specifically because it has no screen. I don't like any additional light in my room or electronics in my components. I even use little black stickies to cover unnecessary LEDs. I place them so just a sliver of light peeks through. 

I cant see that far

Love it!  It actually gets people to take notice.  I have one with and one without.  I use displays in Roon though with both.  Full size  tv screens are even better! Roon controller on a tablet displays nicely as well.  So less important with Roon. 

For me, the screen is completely unnecessary; I have it disconnected. I use an iPad to control my LUMIN, and I even have the Ethernet LEDs turned off, all to avoid any noise, no matter how theoretical. My DAC also works with the screen off.

Sonics is king with adequate functionality. Only need tolerable appearance 

WAF also important - self preservation 

Not important at all to me.

I can do everything better on my iPad, so I don't need to squint to read a tiny lcd screen.

I have an Aurender streamer.

Wow, unanimous! I do use my IPad but I just love the idea of being able to see it on the screen, I think aesthetically it adds a nice classy touch-even if impractical. Plus a lot of times I’ll have music playing just for background and I like the idea of just looking at the screen rather than scrambling for my iPad if it’s a song I don’t recognize…

I always turn screen/display off. I wish manufacturers directed the efforts towards improving digital circuitry and minimizing noise and jitter instead of including a screen that’s just a redundancy when all streamers are controlled via smart phone or tablet. 

Not important to me at all.  I control my Innuos Zen MK3 through Qobuz or their Sense app with my phone or tablet and I don’t need more light in the room.  

I don't care much about having a display on the streamer, given that it is across the room, but the Volumio Rivo Plus has HDMI out to display the user interface and, more importantly, the metadata on your TV. That is a rare feature on streamers.

All my equipment digital displays are turned off for maximum sound performance.

For streaming, the only screen I need is on my tablet. And it's much larger than any streamer screen on the market.

I use an iPad and consider the screen on the streamer totally unnecessary.  The great convenience of a streamer is best accessed through an iPad or on a smart phone.  

Aurender has a Critical Listening mode that turns off the display for improved sound. It does and I keep it off. 

For clarification noise is not referring to hearing a buzz, hiss or some noise through the speakers or mechanically inside the unit. Noise in my example simply refers to obscuring the signal and letting other artifacts through that smear the signal.  A simple test in a reasonably resolving system is to turn off as many LEDs, displays etc… that your system allows and listen over time. I have certainly heard it over the years. Some may not as with everything audio it is subjective to gear and listener. 
 

I wanted screens on my streamers. I thought it would be cool. The only streamer that I have setup thus far is the  Wiim Ultra. I hardly ever look at it. I usually just look at my phone. The screen on the Ultra just doesn't seem practical for control use.

I also have a Holo Audio Red and a Bluesound Node Icon for other systems that I haven't setup yet. I have a feeling that it's  not going to matter whether they have a screen or not, but I still think the screens are cool. I don't have any thoughts at the moment as to whether there is a noticeable noise difference.

Not important to me