@djones51 is correct.
The point of getting a dedicated streamer is that some may like the UI of a particular streamer, the instant on feature and the idea that there are no other services getting in the way to slow things down and cause dropouts like on a computer. There is no sound difference. Both receive the same digital file via packets using error correction. No mystery here. Networks have worked this way for decades (even before I started in the field way back when). Here is a very simple video from a Spotify engineer explaining the process.
As I have a dedicated laptop, I don't find any need for a streamer. But realistically, I stream through Alexa 95% of the time. Both methods send wirelessly to my DTS Play-Fi device.
The point of getting a dedicated streamer is that some may like the UI of a particular streamer, the instant on feature and the idea that there are no other services getting in the way to slow things down and cause dropouts like on a computer. There is no sound difference. Both receive the same digital file via packets using error correction. No mystery here. Networks have worked this way for decades (even before I started in the field way back when). Here is a very simple video from a Spotify engineer explaining the process.
As I have a dedicated laptop, I don't find any need for a streamer. But realistically, I stream through Alexa 95% of the time. Both methods send wirelessly to my DTS Play-Fi device.