Anyone heard any differences between streamers (streamer only, not DAC)? Or better yet, done any blind testing of different streamers (not using any built in DAC). I am asking about only the streamer hooked to an external dac with a high quality streaming service? Thanks.
Digital sources make a difference which is clearly measurable on the analog output of your DAC. Even though they all are bit perfect, differences in signal quality and timing can make a difference for your DAC. That is the reason DDCs exist.
However, modern DACs often have good buffering, so not all DACs react the same way to all digital sources. It also depends if you go with a USB or spdif connection. Some DACs are extremely picky for a good source, others don’t care.
So yes, there is a difference, it is measurable. But I would still recommend choosing your streamer on budget and Interface.
If you want more information, the YouTube Video of Golden Sound on the topics of DDCs goes into great Detail.