Point of higher priced streamer?

This is a great thread. Thanks everyone for posting their opinions. I want to move up a level to something with a power supply as I’ve read that makes a big difference.

I’m using a Nobsound USB to SPDIF Converter XMOS XU20 with no power supply, connected to my Android and to my Classe processors DAC through a 75 ohm dig cable(I know it aint 75 ohm though). It sounds pretty good as my Classe’s DAC is 24/192 and it gets Bit Perfect through UAPP but I bet there is a step up with a power source. But there aren’t many "inexpensive" options where I can use my phone as the controller.

To the thoughtful posts on power cables, it is incredible how expensive some of them are. I respect Shunyata but can a $6000 Omega mains sound $4000 better than a $2000 Vertere Acoustic HB mains?

This is just recreational arguing at this point.  Both sides aren't without merit and nothing will get decided.  So what's the point?

These are fine people on both sides 😂🤪

My main DAC today is a Matrix Mini-i 3 Pro. I sold my Benchmark DAC3B today. I hope to buy a much more expensive DAC in the Spring. So tonight I thought I would do a few streaming tests.

The Matrix is rather incredible in terms of connectivity. However, at the moment the Matrix Mini DAC is not ROON READY via the Ethernet RJ45 streaming input (Matrix is working on it with ROON). You can setup Apple AirPlay2 on the ROON Server and also the DAC to play music from ROON via an iPhone. In this setup, the Airplay2 protocol uses the DAC’s Ethernet RJ45 input to stream data. I also have an Sonore microRendu that has been my only streamer for the last 5 years with various DACs. I love the microRendu connected to a DAC’s USB input.

So tonight I tested Muddy Waters - Hard Again album with both ROON zones, AirPlay2 and the microRendu. The AirPlay2 sounded a lot more lively so I was shocked by that. I thought there was something funny going on. I turned my iPhones SPL meter and found that the AirPlay2 was 10 db louder than the microRendu. Likely something in the iPhone settings.

I made an adjust on the SPL level when streaming via the microRendu. This is pretty easy with my Benchmark HPA4 which has an incredibly precise volume control. I then compared the Mannish Boy track again and I could not tell a difference. That was also very surprising. I was not expecting the AirPlay2 to sound so close sonically to the microRendu. My DAC is a brand new model released in 2020 and has some great tech in it (for $899). So maybe streaming has gotten much more reliable these days.

Once the DAC is made ROON READY I will create another ROON Server zone for the Ethernet RJ45 (might have to remove the AirPlay2 zone). I will compare that with the microRendu and if possible AirPlay2. I am rather shocked by what I heard today.

@vinylshadow

But there aren’t many "inexpensive" options where I can use my phone as the controller.

Actually, there are quite a few. If you do a little research you'll find there are a lot of apps for Android or iPhone which offer the ability to use a phone or tablet to act as a control point for software residing on a Windows PC, Mac, or Linux machine. For example, there are a number of different UPnP servers/media software (many are free and/or cheap) which you can access with programs like Bubble DS, Plug Player (not sure if that is still around), etc. to control a simple web-browser based media player.

Heck, I used to run an old Windows PC with Foobar 2000 and an iPhone App called MonkeyMote: https://www.monkeymote.com/home

They have Android versions of the App and you can use a number of player software (JRiver, foobar, AIMP, Winamp). 

You don't need anything particularly powerful for this type of application, a pretty basic PC will work just fine and with the right player software will likely sound quite a bit better using your USB>SPDIF convertor.

I'd guess one could put something like this together for less than $200 if being savvy and patient to find the right stuff. 

To top it off you can then also install whatever streaming service's app you happen to like (or want to try) - like Spotify, Tidal, or Qobuz - and control the app on the PC from the service's phone app as well (most seem to be doing this nowadays).

To the thoughtful posts on power cables, it is incredible how expensive some of them are. I respect Shunyata but can a $6000 Omega mains sound $4000 better than a $2000 Vertere Acoustic HB mains?

When you put it in those terms, not really. But if $4,000 is a drop in the bucket for you, and you have the inclination to spend a lot of money on HiFi, I'm sure there are plenty of people who can convince others that the difference is worth the extra $4K

The issue I find with the expensive cables is that only some of them offer synergy and improvement with certain equipment while sometimes actually detracting from the performance of certain other gear. 

And to make things more complicated. if one is considering a $6,000 Shunyata mains lead, one is doing themselves a disservice by not evaluating Transparent, Nordost, AQ, Cardas, Kubala-Sosna, Chord, Furutech, MIT, or any other number of high quality brands I've failed to include on that list - and evaluating those next to their supplied leads or OEM offerings from quality suppliers like Volex.