Nomenclature for streaming

Vast majority of streamers are in fact servers as well. There are also streamers that don't have the capability of acting as a server, these could also be called renderers. A streamer with server capabilities has the capability of storing your music library  and running music player apps such as Roon, Audirvana, etc, some run proprietary apps as well., this interfaces directly to dac or 'converter' as you called it. Then we have streamers/renderers incapable of storing libraries, these devices act as renderers/endpoints for music player. Essentially, all streamers are computers modified and optimized for a single purpose of acting as a music player via  music player apps. The streamer/renderer is simply a more elemental computer than the streamer/server.

The streamer/renderers were designed for a single purpose and that is to act as an output for various music player apps such as Roon, HQPLayer, Spotify, Squeezlite, the idea being by segregating the output from general service computers or other streamers sound quality can be improved. An example of this, and what I run is, Roon Core on custom build streamer/server, Roon Endpoint on Sonore OpticalRendu, the Euphony operating system running on my custom build calls this Bridged Mode. I can also run both Roon Core and Endpoint  on my custom build streamer which negates need for the Sonore OM. In my comparisons running Roon on two streamers provides superior sound quality vs running on one streamer.

So the above a relatively complex setup, three discrete components optimized for a single task. You can also go the all in one box route, streamer/server/dac integrated for direct connection to dac. And then there is streamer to dac setup, this likely the most used setup.

Seems to me you have a pretty good understanding of how things work, its the discrete renderer/Endpoint component that confuses people.

@sns 

+1 

Server... internal storage. 

Streamer only... no storage

Thanks for trying - it's not you, it's me. . While it is likely that I am having a bit of a block in my comprehension (that can happen to me at times), I still think we are spitballing some language. I was looking at a ad for HiFi Rose today, and they are selling what they call a "Network Transport." Which seems to me to be a Streamer/Player but no DAC. 

My own set up is a Small Green Computer "SonicTransporter." My unit includes  ripping ability plus internal storage, and is called a Music Server. But they sell other products that do not have ripping or storage, and they call those a Music Server, too. 

I also have a Sonore Optical Rendu, which they call a Music Player. Or a Renderer (thus the "Rendu," I guess). And of course I have a DAC. Like SNS, I have three boxes (plus auxiliary boxes like power supplies and optical converters). But then I read about a Network Transport, and have to try to figure out which of the Big Three (Server, Player, Converter) does it contain. I wish we had simpler language for it. And I bet we will, in the future, as this segment matures. 

I sympathize with the OP.  The streamer vocabulary has definitely evolved over time.  I think some of this was due to the change in function.  Originally people used these primarily to play files from a hard drive.  Eventually the commercial streaming services rose up and now most people use the term ‘streaming’ to indicate that they are playing files from such a service.  Those of us that play files in local storage are doing something else, but not streaming.

  The ‘renderer-server’ lingo is IT in origin.  Streamers after all are just networking computers 

Just to add fuel, any streamer, server, or cd player that does not include a dac, is called a transport. 

I agree, calling it a Network Server further complicates the matter. I suppose its technically correct as it is connected to a network, but why the extra nomenclature.

And then we haven't even gotten into the network aspect of streaming, routers, switches, various devices that clean up network, I could go on and on.

And we can also get into interfaces such as usb, I2S, HDMI, ethernet, proprietary interfaces.

Cool thing about streaming is if one likes complexity plenty to delight. Simplicity also possible, a single streaming component can incorporate the streamer/server, dac, internal storage for cd rips and volume control (analog for no bit stripping). This connects directly to amp.

I call mine Frank.

Most is self explanatory.  The N200 doesn’t have an internal DAC, but can hold up to two drives, making it a server.  I use a Synology NAS and it works great. A few weeks ago, I found a brand new 2T external drive and put a bunch of music on it and plugged it into the back. I could not hear any difference between the two, but I could hear the external drive spinning up every now and then. Using an internal SS drive would probably be the best,  but I’m happy using the NAS.

I also use Synology NAS, for years  cd rips on this provided better sound quality vs streams, only in recent years have streams caught up. One consideration in choosing NAS vs internal storage is EMI/RFI radiation. Routers with wifi enabled are number one culprit here, HD's also give off large amounts of this, the internal drives should be well shielded, with the NAS this less important.