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Does a streamer do anything to the data that Tidal provides?

I have been streaming Tidal to my HiFi for the past 4 years with a streamer and a DAC connected to my amplifier (Raumfeld streamer to Musical Fidelity DAC and also Musical Fidelity Amp). I also have an all-in-one system for my summer house (Naim Muso Qb). So, I know the basics and I am only interested in streaming from Tidal.

What I struggle to understand is, what the streamer does apart from transporting the digital signal and therefore why it could make sense to invest in an expensive streamer.

I understand what Digital to Analogue Conversion does and that it makes sense to ensure a good quality, but isn't the streamer just a transporter of data? Does the streamer do anything to the data that Tidal delivers apart from receiving them and sending them to the DAC? 

Thanks in advance, Michael 
mtraesbo
willemj
1,036 posts
 
As long as what they deliver is bitperfect digital output (they should and they nearly always do) there is no sonic impact (nor is there with computers). That is the thing with digital, a bitperfect copy is a bitperfect copy, and you can copy it a thousand times, send it to the other side of the world and back, and it will still be identical.
Personally I do not like the fancy dedicated streamers by audio companies. They nearly always lock you into their dedicated applications, and if there is a service you want and they do not have an app for it, your are out of luck. Here using a small (fanless) computer has definite advantages, and so do streamers like Apple Aiport Express or the Chromecast Audio (my personal favourite). These are by such big companies that no streaming service provider can ignore them. The Chromeast Audio is just $35, and delivers either a good analogue signal through its internal DAC (OK for 16/44, not quite as impressive at higher resolutions, but who streams those?) or a bitperfect optical digital output up to 24/96. What is there not to like?
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

The only reason to get a streamer over a computer IMO is if you don't have an Ethernet interface on your DAC.  Then, the streamer does the Ethernet or WIFI to S/PDIF conversion and feeds your DAC with S/PDIF coax.  Then, the Master Clock is in the streamer, not in the Ethernet interface in the DAC.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,638 posts
 
If disc spinners and readers, and digital cables affect the sound quality in your system (some they will, some they won't) wouldn't a streamer?
willemj
1,036 posts
 
The only part of CD players that affects the sound is the DAC and just possibly some of the analog circuitry. Bit perfect is bit perfect, and as I said, you can make a thousand generations of identical copies. But you are right about the analogy.
rbstehno
1,552 posts
 
Why would you want a streamer or a computer to act like a streamer these days? I got rid of my dedicated Mac mini running various audio software (pure music, audirvana) years ago. This setup bettered than a multi thousand $$ CD player which I sold. It is foolish imo to have a computer in your audio room.
i moved to a dedicated streamer the Auralic Aries which bettered the Mac mini setup by quite a bit. The drawback was using usb to an external dac.
for a year now, I have been using a bridge that’s built in to a ps audio directstream dac. Internally it uses an i2s interface between the bridge and dac. I use roon and SQ is fantastic. Last month, an audio publication had a review of a DCS bridge which they really liked.
if you don’t want the best setup using a bridge, the Aries with its DS Lightning software was very good.
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