“what determines the quality of the sound”
I am in a camp where everything matters. Starting with your network, noise rejection, power correction and to the last cable between your streamer and DAC.
A brand ‘X’ streamer will sound different over WiFi vs hard wired with Ethernet cable from your router. A device like ‘Net Isolator’ between your router and streamer further lowers the noise and let the music flows more naturally. The Ethernet cable between your router and streamer changes the sound..... the devil is in the details.
There are plenty of great choices today when it comes to picking up a high quality streamer. I recommend checking out streamers from Aurender, Lumin and Innuos. They all use very high quality parts, immaculate design, ease of use and comes with 30 days in-home trial. I have intentionally left out Bluesound Node 2i.....as good as it is, it’s not in the same league as aforementioned brands even when paired with an outboard DAC.
Also read up on Roon and see if that’s an important consideration for you. Once you hear couple of streamers in your system, you will be able to pick up how they convey detail, the timing, mid’s, high’s and low’s.
Let your ears be the guide!
I am in a camp where everything matters. Starting with your network, noise rejection, power correction and to the last cable between your streamer and DAC.
A brand ‘X’ streamer will sound different over WiFi vs hard wired with Ethernet cable from your router. A device like ‘Net Isolator’ between your router and streamer further lowers the noise and let the music flows more naturally. The Ethernet cable between your router and streamer changes the sound..... the devil is in the details.
There are plenty of great choices today when it comes to picking up a high quality streamer. I recommend checking out streamers from Aurender, Lumin and Innuos. They all use very high quality parts, immaculate design, ease of use and comes with 30 days in-home trial. I have intentionally left out Bluesound Node 2i.....as good as it is, it’s not in the same league as aforementioned brands even when paired with an outboard DAC.
Also read up on Roon and see if that’s an important consideration for you. Once you hear couple of streamers in your system, you will be able to pick up how they convey detail, the timing, mid’s, high’s and low’s.
Let your ears be the guide!