Point of higher priced streamer?

I think the comment that ROON RAAT is using UDP is rather important here. Back in the day when I was programming Tibco RV messaging we used UDP for broadcast messages in one part of the system and I recall it was unreliable. It did not have to be reliable in that instance because it was just for a debug dashboard and the next broadcast would update accordingly. So packets could be dropped and I was OK with that.

I will get out my bottle of Double Black Johnnie Walker (found it at Costco) pour some juice and get my head around some of this tech we are talking about. I have nothing to do on Boxing day.

Interesting discussion on this thread. Merry Christmas to all.

I have a node 2(not the i), it does have a internal dac that works but connecting the node2 to a schiit YGGDRASIL sounds much better, why because the DAC design is better.  In this system the node2 is connected via wire, not through wifi, same IP packets comming from the source, just processed via a different DAC so network connection & delivery has nothing to do with sound difference.

I will also add that I have compaired the node2/YGGDRASIL on my main system that has a Linn Kimax DSM and that sounds significantley better than the YGGDRASIL, why, because the DAC design is better.   DAC design does make a differernce in how a system sounds, of course this assumes that the system is capable of benefiting from the higher quality source.

initial question of a basic nature segues into $50k budget?   Shaky ground indeed.    

@Sangbro  I'm sure everyone has an opinion, here's mine. Speakers ProAc K6 signatures or if they are to big K3.. or even the New K1 with the matching stands. I've owned many speakers in my 62 years from Apogee to Quads.. I've never found a speaker that's as listenable for hours with no fatigue as ProAc. Plus ProAc really sound best with Tubes or Class A so your Pass will work great.

Streamer: Auralic Aries G1 or G2..

 Dac: Chord Dave or Hugo TT2, maybe add MScaler.. 

Power: Shunyata Everest or Denali , Shunyata Power cords

Cables: Audience AU24-SX , Cardas Clear Beyond

Good luck..FYI I own or have owned everything I've recommended and I've been doing audio as a profession and hobby for 50 years.

@djones51 is correct.

The point of getting a dedicated streamer is that some may like the UI of a particular streamer, the instant on feature and the idea that there are no other services getting in the way to slow things down and cause dropouts like on a computer. There is no sound difference. Both receive the same digital file via packets using error correction. No mystery here. Networks have worked this way for decades (even before I started in the field way back when). Here is a very simple video from a Spotify engineer explaining the process.

As I have a dedicated laptop, I don't find any need for a streamer. But realistically, I stream through Alexa 95% of the time. Both methods send wirelessly to my DTS Play-Fi device.