why expensive streamers

In addition to what others have said, there is a difference between streaming and data transfer via a bit perfect FTP.  Banking, nuclear weapons, government records, etc can't tolerate dropped bits.  they can't just guess what it should have been via interpolation.  So they use a checking program and will not terminate the file transfer until it is 100% verified.  That is why in the early days of the internet it took forever to download files and sometimes they would fail because they couldn't get to 100%. 

You don't have the luxury of this for streaming.  thus dropped bits are estimated by the streamer and the music must go on.  Thus we do everything we can to prevent dropped bits.  And it is quite audible.

Jerry

Everyone keeps talking about noise.  I guess this is natural.  but that isn't the main problem.  The problem is dropped bits.  If a bit is missing, a streamer has to improvise.  guess.  fill it in, often with an interpolation.  So there is no noise generated by that, just an inaccuracy.  I think of it as rounded edges and thinned out middles.

The error correction people keep mentioning is generally not the correct term.  For file transfer, there is data correction available.  It will go back to the source and get the correct data.  For streaming, there is not data correction, there is just "data error handling", perhaps "data error mitigation".

Jerry

@nigeltheflash My understanding is from streamer manufacturers. I referenced googling because I thought YOU would believe it better if you read it on the internet.  Indeed it is hard to find this info. 

Jerry

@nigeltheflash I read it quite a while ago and wish I had bookmarked it as it was quite the revelation to me.  I too struggled with explaining why if the excel spreadsheet you send me is perfect, why is the streamed music file imperfect.  I'll find it again someday but I'm pretty tied up right now.  

It was in the public domain, it was a thread on a forum, not this one I don't believe, where some industry people participated.

Jerry

@nigeltheflash either you didn't read my first post in this thread or your read it and didn't believe it.  After all, I'm just a rando on the internet.   

The difference you, and others in this thread are missing, is that 99% of all data trasfer in the world is done for business and is indeed bit perfect.  Business, govt, and individuals need their files to be perfect.  You'd hate it if you bank dropped a zero when it downloaded your account data.  

Streaming can't use the error checking protocols that achieve bitperfect file transfer. Thus, dropped bits and the streamer's attempts to deal with it. Otherwise, there would be no market for high end streamers, silver digitlal cables, or anything high-end digital audio.  We could use all the same equipment that you use at work to achieve bitperfect file transfer inclding generic cables in plastic wrappers.

I've spoken to many IT professionals who don't know the dirrerence because they spend their entire career in business where bitperfect is an non-negotiable requirement.  

So I'm not interested in arguing and this is the second time I've explained the difference in this thread.  So I'm done (unless someone shows up who really understands streaming and can add to my understanding.)   I did some googling before I responded here, knowing people will be more likely to believe it if they can google it,  and google doesn't get any answers.  Google explains bitperfect well but discusses streaming in general terms.  

I do acknowledge that I could be wrong.  I'm no a streaming expert.  I'm a physicist who had to dig really deeply to understand this and of course my sources could have been wrong.  but I'm usually pretty good at sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Hope you system sounds great,

Jerry