OK. Lots of people try to explain this and the only argument that I find compelling is to discuss the difference between streaming and file transfer. Digital files are perfect, aka, "bit perfect". your bank couldn’t survive if it dropped bits. So when you download a file, even a song file (not a streamed song, totally different), it will be checked with error correction until it is perfect. 100%. zero bits dropped. That is why a corrupted file may set there forever with the hourglass. It is trying to correct the errors and get it right and finally gives up.
When streaming music you don’t have that luxury. There can be no delay. dropped bits have to be filled in by best guesses by the streaming protocol. Dropped bits happen and are degrade sound quality a lot on an audiophile system. This is not really a problem for a teenager streaming Spotify on Alexa which is 99% of the streaming market. But on our systems it is the difference between good soundstage, tight bass, delicate highs, and an expensive sound system that underperforms.
So we have to spend a lot of money on streamers, cables, and ethernet switches. Timing is important too. Now the good news is you can get adequate (not great) performance from relatively inexpensive streamers. A $300 to $500 streamer will tremendously outperform a computer.
And of couse don’t forget the DAC which is the heart of the system. Unlike a streamer, you can’t go cheap on a DAC.
And don't even think about wireless streaming.
Jerry
