How much difference in Sound quality can be expected from different streamers?


 

I would appreciate very much in obtaining advice on the SQ from different Streamers. I am currently using a good quality vintage DAC (Altis Reference) connecting to Roku 4 (using its Tosslink out to a simple coaxial converter which connects to the coaxial “in” of the DAC). When comparing the SQ of the exact same artist/music through first  CD setup( CECTL0 connecting to the DAC) or second setup (Oppo 105 to DAC) vs ROKU 4 accessing Tidal Master level  at 48KHz, both CD systems provided better SQ with CECTLO the best. I was reading with interest on the forum (4/2/2021)  on DAC and found out that the SQ from different decent DAC does not appear to vary too much; the new DAC may offer connection convenience, but not necessarily SQ. More likely, different CD player or Transport can provide a more obvious difference in SQ than different DAC, like what I had experienced.  Thus I am very interested to seek advice from those who had experience in comparing different streamers. Can high end streamers when accessing Tidal Master level produce much better SQ than Roku 4 if connected to my DAC(at sampling rate of 48KHz)? If so, which ones would you recommend?


moses189
jjss49

The sonos connect units used as streamer are known to be jittery and add a hash to the sound

that is why the wyred4sound mods to the sonos streamer has been so successful over the years, and led to the mod becoming 'productized' in the form of the w4s reclocker

Thanks. I did have the W4S Reclocker in my system for awhile and could never quite get used to it. I don't recall what I did not like, but eventually I pulled it out.
+1 to what @worldwidewholesales said. I have only started to scratch the surface with streamers and have found that various forms of electromagnetic noise affect sound quality of digital. Benefits that I heard from a cleaner sound are:

- More presence to voices and instruments which sound more forward and distinct in presentation
- Richer tonality
- Less grain to the sound
- Better resolution due to a lower noise floor (This is audible when comparing a cleaner signal to one that is less clean)
- Easier to follow bass lines
- Pace seems faster due to more clarity and better definition to the leading edge of notes.

When experimenting with my Pro-ject Stream Box streamer, these changes made a clearly noticeable difference to my ears at least. (NOTE: Your perceptions may likely vary as with anything audio):

  1. Turning off the WiFi and HDMI outputs and using an Ethernet cable connected to a WiFi access point created with a TP-Link RE230 WiFi extender - This cheap fix made the biggest improvement of everything I tried.
  2. Going from an AmazonBasics Cat 6 cable to a Supra Cat 8 cable - This provided about 50% of the improvement as #1
  3. Adding a Audioquest Jitterbug on the output of the Pro-ject Streamer - Makes the sound more transparent. Adds more air and presence to music
So based on these experiences, I’m sure that there are ways that a more expensive streamer CAN sound better. But, as with anything in audio, I would focus on listening and seeing what differences you hear IF there is a difference. I will suggest that listening in the context of your system can be an important factor. Some of these sonic differences might not be as evident in systems with lower resolution of sound and details.
FWIW...I A/B'd a Sonos Connect and a Wyred4Sound modified Sonos Connect and couldn't tell the difference.  Oh well.....
FWIW...I A/B'd a Sonos Connect and a Wyred4Sound modified Sonos Connect and could tell the difference. Oh well.....
@jbuhl,

Speaking of shoboat90, he couldn’t discern any difference between the stock Sonos Connect and Node2i either....Oh well.