Point of diminishing returns for a Network Streamers?

I don't care what audiophile reviewers say or what ASR type of fanatic websites "measure". I trust my years, so this is my personal take, based on my gear. 

I heard a very clear upgrade in sound going from Bluesound Node (2021... which I think was Bluesound Node 3.. they dropped the "2i" etc) to Limetree Bridge II. Smaller device, no nonsense, and in over-sampling mode it's super sharp. 

Didn't take too long for me to become curious about the upgrade I'd get from moving to Lumin UI Mini, which gets raves here and on every website I've seen. So I spent 2.5 times the money I'd spent on Bridge II. Realized it only works with a LAN cable... so moved all my stuff around to do that. I heard very little upgrade from Bridge II to UI Mini. 

YMMV. For me, Bridge II is  a sweet spot. I use Tidal, and from streamer it goes into my RME ADEII DAC, then into my Dynaudio powered speakers. I'd hear more of a sound difference upgrading the DAC or even the speakers than from upgrading the streamer. Schitt Modius to RME was a whole different world. 

“I’d hear more of a sound difference upgrading the DAC or even the speakers than from upgrading the streamer”

@julie_priest

Exactly! Given your rest of your system, I am not at all surprised by the very small improvement from U1 Mini. You may find the preamp in your DAC good enough but I bet adding a good preamp between your existing DAC and powered speakers should yield a better sound experience than the U1 Mini upgrade. If its me, that’s where I focus on before attempting to change out DAC or Speakers.

Good CD transport with good dad sounds way better that streaming.

Interesting topic.

However, IMHO, the discussion is quite haphazard as, perhaps, our forum knows a lot more about amps, preamps, analog sources, than perhaps the new digital stuff.

I’d suggest we first zone in on what qualities are important in a streamer. Decide on what attributes are really important rather than just naming the names of the 5000 or so streamers available. Then, name the streamers with the attributes that we feel are important towards improving SQ.

Does using a good linear power supply generally help? Is one better off with some PC / Mac running Windows / MacOS or should one use a barebones computer (like a NUC running Roon Rock)? Is galvanic isolation important? Should the streamer be connected to the DAC directly via a cable? If so, which kind of cable (this might be DAC-dependent)? Or should it go through via a network bridge (as Roon calls it) or a Network Audio Adapter (as HQPlayer calls it)? If so, then should the bridge be connected to the streamer via ethernet? Is there a benefit to using fiber optic cables instead (perhaps, using a device such as an opticalRendu)? If so, do ’audiophile grade switches’ make a difference? Should one use a reclocking device to improve jitter performance? Does using a good power cord into a source component (like a streamer and a DAC) make a bigger difference than using a good power cord into a downstream component (like a power amplifier)? Would my streamer need a good power cord? Does the quality of cable connection between the streamer --> network bridge / NAA or streamer --> DAC matter? Does the length of the cable & / or impedance matter?

Yes a linear power supply is a definite plus.  I have a Lumiin U1 Mini and with the external power supply, it is a great product for streaming.  May upgrade at some point later but for now but very happy with the Lumin.  Nice sound stage, good depth and width.  Good micro detail especially on the hi res stuff.  Using Qobuz as the source.