Point of higher priced streamer?

While I appreciate the enthusiastic and positive tone of your post @romanesq you are comparing an Amazon fire stick with a noisy 12 years old general purpose  computer for streaming audio. Not exactly earth shattering in streaming audio in a (hopefully) high end audio system comprised (only from what I can tell) cheapest Schiit DAC. No schiit there is no difference. But as you say, happy listening!

Sorry thyname, your point doesn't equate here about the old laptop. The reason (which I urge others to try too) is Audirvana 3.5.

The software Audirvana 3.5 bypasses Apple's Core Audio so the "noise" you're referencing is in fact not present. 

As an aside to demonstrate this, I've also tested a direct connection from the laptop using USB to the Schiit Modi 3. I thought the USB implementation should be as good or better since upsampling would be entertaining but discovered that the optical audio out from both the Amazon Firestick & from the 2008 Macbook Pro is superior.

If one looks at the ratings on Modi 3 and its quality of output, it ranks very high with others but I'm quite interested in the Schiit Unison USB implementation which gets great reviews and is their own design on the Modius balanced DAC.

I'd also add that with my custom mono block amps, I'm getting the best ever sound in a couple of decades of listening with various equipment including a former McCormack DNA 300 Rev. A. I've also had in my system, various tube amps from completely redone McIntosh 225, 240, 275 among many others. 

The current implementation I hear now is easily the most transparent and the best using my custom tube amp mono blocks.

I urge others to consider the easy and cheap investment as they see best and allow their ears (if the setup permits) to decide.

As stated, the unifier here is the Audirvana 3.5 software application in both instances via the Amazon Firestick and the Macbook Plus direct connection.

Audirvana offers a 30 day free offer. On this great day, I would urge others to give that a try in their system too. It's outstanding.

Happy listening to all! 

Lots of good feedback and lots of ignorance as always. Net is - With almost everything in audio, differences are directly related to the quality and resolution of your system (including your room and your ears). For example, if your system's total cost is ~$2000 and it's located in your den and, due to WAF challenges you employ no acoustic treatment and you compare a Sonore ultrarendu to a SOTM SMS200 Neo you'd be hard pressed to hear a difference. Take the same streamers and compare them in a 5 figure system well - balanced in an acoustically well treated room and the differences are easily discernable. 

 

Hey @romanesq : happy listening to you too! Enjoy your music. That’s all that matters. Merry Christmas 

Thank you @thyname1 and a Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.