Going from computer audio to dedicated streamer

I went from Sonos to computer audio to Aries mini - it was immediately apparent that the Aries was more spacious and relaxed, and upgrading its stock power supply to the Aries LPS brought it up yet another significant step.  Currently running to a Gungnir multibit via USB.   

I got my first V-Link ~10 yrs ago (a 24/96 model). The DAC I had at the time, a Stello unit, ran on USB straight in from Windows XP desktop. As soon as I put the V-Link in the system and ran signal to the Stello via toslink, the sound became slightly less digital.

I upgraded the Stello DAC to the inexpensive but quite good Peachtree Audio DAC iTx. I tried USB straight in vs toslink, then coax from the V-Link, Again, it sounded better. Soon I upgraded to a V-Link 24/192 model + a significantly better coax cable (Oyaide DR-510), and there was a noticeable jump in quality: smoother, more organic, less edgy.

Then I upgraded the DAC to an Audio GD NOS 19 (a non-oversampling R 2R design considered "endgame" by some in the desktop audio/headphone community). That took forever to burn in, but once it did, I again compared USB straight in vs coax from the V-Link. Contest wasn't even close. V-Link + coax wins, as it always does.

And now I'm hearing some of the least "digital" digital of my life. No, it's not analog--rather, it's like some middle ground, digital that sounds unforced, organic, relaxed. I'm very happy with it--so much so that I picked up a new Audio GD DAC-19, the non-NOS version of the same DAC. It's burning in on my other computer, and it already sounds terrific...

Went from W4S modded Sonos to an Auralic player, with Synology Nas, then to a  Aurrender with music files stored locally on the Aurrender. That was by far the best, used both a PS Audio Direct Stream Dac, then switched to Devialet 😀

I also struggled with computer audio and all of it's associated issues.  I won't recite the whole litany of problems that I had but I went the Bluesound whole home route 2 years ago and have been much happier.  The latest update to the OS makes it easier still to play the music on my Mac which is nice because I had disposed of several CDs that I ripped before the switch to Bluesound.
  I still use my CDP as I just haven't had time to rip most of my collection.  I don't notice any profound difference between the Bluesound or the Oppo 105 as a source into my DAC.
  I struggle with IT issues at work and when I want to relax at home the last thing I want is a computer issue while listening to music.  A dedicated player/server or whatever these things are called makes so much more sense and the Bluesound stuff is imo reasonably priced

how can a streamer affect sound quality?  I thought the purpose of a streamer is functionality and features/options for the user and also to deliver a bit-perfect digital stream to a DAC?  We all hate digital glare, brightness, hardness etc.. so a getting a DAC that lessons that would be paramount.  Of course something like the Bluesound has it's own internal DAC and in that case the yes that type of device would affect sound quality.