I have used a variety of DACs that range from $100 to $300 to $1000, and I can definitely notice a difference in the sound.

I typically use either a laptop or my TV when connecting to my DAC (USB for laptop, Optical for TV)

However I’ve seen streamers rise to popularity and some people seem to recommend them over TVs and Laptops as a streaming source.

Could they really make a noticeable difference in sound compared to changing out other major components (DAC, AMP, SPEAKERS)?

For example, why would I want a dedicated streamer if my smart TV has Tidal and Spotify built in? Are they not sending the same signal to the DAC that a separate streamer would?

  • Tonteldoos_ZA@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    There does seem to be many reviewers who claim benefits to better and better streamers. It’s the equivalent of better disc transports or tonearm/cartridges.

    In my experience, I used a quality USB cable from my laptop to iFi Neo. I added a Wiim Pro and there was a definite improvement. Less noise, more emotion. Then I played around with optical and two coax cables (Wiim to DAC), and one of the coax cables was the clear winner.

    I guess it depends what’s most convenient. I love that the Wiim gives me straight access to streaming over my phone. And it’s the best streaming sound I have (as of now).

    I don’t really trust TVs when it comes to streaming. I don’t know what they do to the signal. And if I take Tidal - which is my favourite on all other devices - it sounds awful over Apple TV on some lossless formats.

    I can’t say for certain whether your tv would do a good or a bad job. But I do know that streamers and even cables can make an audible difference to the sound quality.