Mac vs streamer.

I originally intended to use a MacBook Pro as my streaming source.  After I had put together my system, I decided to compare my MacBook Pro, along with the iFi reclocker and cable I was using, to the Aurender N100 my dealer had been recommending.  We did a comparison in his shop using a setup identical to my home system.  We listened using the Mac for about 10 minutes and then switched to the N100.  After about 30 seconds, my mouth was hanging open in shock.  Really, it wasn’t even close.  No golden ears required.  The Aurender was staggeringly better.  I bought it that day.  That was back in 2017, and it remains most obvious upgrade I have ever done.  There is one problem however.  A few years later I took my dealer up on his offer to take an N10 home for the weekend.  Yeah, same story, although the difference wasn’t nearly as big as between the MacBook and the N100.  Yeah, I bought it.  And now I’m being offered a N20 for the weekend.  I think my dealer has me figured out.

Not even close even with a "cheap" streamer.
Listen to music from a computer source at your own peril.

+1. My suggestion if you want to try this out for yourself: Buy a used streamer. If you hear no difference, sell it for about what you paid for it. I've had good results from a fairly inexpensive Pro-ject Stream Box.

  Streamers are specialized computers, optimized to improve Sonics compared to a multi purpose computer.  The answer to your question partially depends on the streamer…I’ve auditioned at least one low end streamer that was inferior to my 12 year old Mac that I had previously used as a streamer.
  Many audiophiles are perfectly happy with  computer sound, and a program such as Audirvana can really help as it attempts to disable everything in a computer that adds noise.  Personally, I tend to agree with @fuzztone.  With the exception noted, even a relatively inexpensive streamer such as Bluesound will sound smoother and more tactile, even on a mid Fi system.  Still, I encourage everyone new to streaming to start with a PC, because everyone has one, so the entry cost isn’t a barrier.  You can always move one later