Help settle a streaming argument!

Really depends on a couple of things. You _can_ make a streamer so bad that the DAC’s own jitter reduction system just can’t keep up, and is forced to pass the jitter on.

A half decent streamer with 10 seconds of buffer and a galvanically isolated USB asynchronous connection can be all you need.

One other issue to consider is the noise put back into the line by wall wart adapters, so getting a nice iFi supply is something I recommend.

Personally I like to keep my streamer and DAC separately, so I can choose the DAC and also to ensure the streamer keeps up to date with the latest software services and formats.

@fastfreight ​​@ghdprentice

+1 ….Big Time

u wanna fast litmus test ? Toddle down to your local bricks and mortar dealer and do a simple bakeoff .
Superior Build quality, overall design, and power supplies matter. The entirely predictable stepped up audio performance results will be confirmed … full stop.

At one time I was comparing three different streamers and three DACs.  I was rather surprised that I heard bigger differences in sound quality with the streamers than I did the DACs.

Yes, the question was answered as the DAC remained the constant and going to a better streamer made all the difference. I think your premise about pretentious CDT arguments laid bare your bias.

All the best,
Nonoise

It seems logical that the streamer (or CD transport) should not matter, but my experience has been (in both cases) that it does.