OP,
Steamer upgrades made a difference in my system. My A/B testing were double blind with friends as test subjects. I used to be a skeptic about streamers - trying to understand how a streamer could possibly make a difference above and beyond Sonos and Bluesound - I mean my SQ was already tremendous.
But then I took a risk and purchased a better streamer (more expensive) and it was a very significant upgrade for me. Yes, I then purchased an even more expensive Streamer and there was still a noticeable SQ uptick (more openness, more immersion in sound - would be the best way to summarize it) The difference was almost the same as when I upgraded my Denon SACD player to an entry level Esoteric SACD player and then to higher- end Esoteric SACD player - with different levels of improvements along the way.
I could go on about the differences in SQ (or why I think there are differences), but could you perhaps describe your system in some detail? It would be helpful to know this in order to better answer your original question. Because - yes, in some (many) cases, upgrading to a more expensive component (steamer) may make no difference within a particular system - most of the time it depends on the rest of the chain.
Regards.
Steamer upgrades made a difference in my system. My A/B testing were double blind with friends as test subjects. I used to be a skeptic about streamers - trying to understand how a streamer could possibly make a difference above and beyond Sonos and Bluesound - I mean my SQ was already tremendous.
But then I took a risk and purchased a better streamer (more expensive) and it was a very significant upgrade for me. Yes, I then purchased an even more expensive Streamer and there was still a noticeable SQ uptick (more openness, more immersion in sound - would be the best way to summarize it) The difference was almost the same as when I upgraded my Denon SACD player to an entry level Esoteric SACD player and then to higher- end Esoteric SACD player - with different levels of improvements along the way.
I could go on about the differences in SQ (or why I think there are differences), but could you perhaps describe your system in some detail? It would be helpful to know this in order to better answer your original question. Because - yes, in some (many) cases, upgrading to a more expensive component (steamer) may make no difference within a particular system - most of the time it depends on the rest of the chain.
Regards.