Why are so many people spending so much money to build “perfect” streaming system?

You do not need to spend 2-3k to have a decent streamer but the $80 wiim does not cut it.  I tried it and, as Stereophile commented, the bass is soft and the sound is not as engaging.  Tried IFi Zen Streamer ($300) and loved the SQ, although the UI (such as search engine) with Qobuz (through Mconnect) is not as convenient as the UI on Wiim.  

The one purchase that took me over that plateau was my new custom build streamer with amazing LPS. @sns 

Is it raspberry pi based?  Could you articulate and share a bit more details with us?  More importantly, I am interested to know how is it compared to the streamers you have owned before.  

... The Wilm unit will absolutely “cut it” for the “bits are bits “ adherents...

Charles,

I actually want wiim to sound good, at least closer to the IFi ZS, so I can keep / enjoy it. It is very affordable and the UI programming is brilliant given its compact size.  What makes it not sound as good if it does satisfy all the digital source requirements, your thoughts?

Charles,

I believe better SQ can be expected with higher end (in price) streamers. However, there is a diminished return as you know and the poor men like me is trying to find the sweet spot. Based on what I have seen/read from the reliable reviewers / Audiogoners, IFi ZS seems to beat BS Node and even streamers 7-8 times of the price. So I am sort of settled down there with ifi zs and enjoy it.

I have not used NUC previously so I had no experience with the SQ playing from NUC. But I could attest that, relative to MS-window based laptop and the fanless Macbook, the dedicated quality streamer like ifi zs defintely renders noticeably better SQ. I have been there and there is no turning back (unless wifi is out).

Yes, we should be in agreement and respect that diminishing return (DR) point depends on the individuals, disposable income level and other factors. However, if the point is so widely spread and subjectiveness driven, the DR therory is no longer valid. Basically, every price point and the corresponding performance cost ratio can be the sweet spot. Mr. A is fine with wiim, Mr. B is fine with iFi ZS, Mr. C is on the Mercury streamer, Mr. D is on the Auralic, Lumin, Aurender, and on and on. There is no diminishing return by this broad statement.

So, let us not talk about DR. Don’t talk about the big word that we could not handle. Just enjoy the music with the system we are content with. Happy new year, everyone. 😊

Yes on Ifi zs.  A few hundreds of choices. Most plays up to 320kbps mp3 / AAC.  A handful of them play flac but you do not expect the same quality of streaming.  Played with some lags so some people actually think the radio station feature is not working.