Is a USB stick directly into ones streamer (renderer) better than streaming from a PC/NAS?

@daveteauk Yes you are correct the only way to get a better sound would be if your streamer had a SSD internal hard drive. A USB is essentially a SSD. I recently bought a Sandisk 2TB portable SSD which is like a giant USB. Thing with USB is you can play it in the car too : )

When I look at the value of my time then streaming services and Roon are pretty easy to justify. I think many of us have more money than time these days unless you're retired. Then there is the whole aspect of the user interface. I can't remember the last time I used something like a memory stick for music storage definitely more than a decade ago. The phone provides the music for the car with more than adequate quality.

I think if I took a poll I would find that more people who use turntables more and have two amplification are the ones complaining about noise then those with all solid state and primarily digital. It's a guess but I have a feeling it's going to be somewhat accurate. What does that tell me? I think most people can figure that one out. You can transfer noise over USB but that can be solved for somewhere between 20 and $100. Noise over ethernet is a really big stretch at best. And who is to say that there's not something screwed up in the DAC powering the USB stick doesn't cause more noise?

Sounds like you are in the UK or I would just send one in the post to try. The jitterbug plugs into a port and usb stick plugs into Jitterbug 

my NAS lives in a closet far away from listening space with clean power and a high speed gaming switch. The USB stick is great sonics, happy w either.

jim

OP:
 

I can see you are going to be one of those difficult one's.  OK, fine I'm in the mood.

 

@erik_squires - I'm not looking to 'invest' in anything. I'm simply putting the question out there, as there seems very little discussions going on around my question.

Did I say you?  Did I say you should invest?  Could you not infer a bridge between my answer and your question, that it's really not a good investment, and therefore not really requiring much discussion?

OP: “ …. There’s so so much written about LOTS of noise produced by a NAS/Switch/PC/Cableing, and how much one needs to spend to alleviate it, which is what prompted my original question.…”

This recent percolating narrative is way overdone and a pathway down a rabbit hole to avoidable frustration IMO. You don’t have to have to worry about expensive digital logistics loom FOMO other than a basic respect for common very basic build quality…., and just pause…use your own ears instead of a lot of the printed biased narrative, and focus more on the digital equipment AND less on the selected portion of the digital cable loom logistics and the loom nodes before you get to the DAC.

@erik_squires … already alluded to a key point: Let’s not forget that until the digital signal gets to the DAC to be decoded into analogue, you have no music or the “noises” yet.

IN BRIEF:

As I moved up the digital play system quality premium build and performance ladder (…and incremental ka-Ching $$$$ …) for my digital player/streamer and my stablemate DAC (emphasis added,,,,) , the less and less I even thought about this narrative and it’s obvious warts.

IN DETAIL

Buying crazy priced “Audiophile” Network Switches

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/ ... i%20router.
" ... No, I have not, nor will I ever. Having been a network technician for over 30 years I know that a network switch’s job is to faithfully receive packets and transmit them to their intended target. If it doesn’t do that it will be replaced as defective. Implying that these devices can color audio signals is patently ridiculous, but I knew at some point some one would try it and some one would buy it...."

Buying Crazy price “Audiophile” Ethernet source

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/ ... t=ethernet
" ...Well, I just tried using a wifi repeater and noticed no improvement (or degradation) of sound quality. ... "

BUYING UPGRADED NETWORK CABLES : REVIEW: What causes audible differences in network cables
https://alpha-audio.net/review/wat-zorg ... erkkabels/

Intro
We round off our little investigation into network cables with a listening test and a clear conclusion. As promised we subjected the network plugs to a listening test and listened to three different configurations: shielding fixed on one side, shielding fixed on two sides and double shielded (and both sides connected). Do we hear differences? Well…. yes…!

Let’s clear up one myth: there is NO audible difference in network plugs. There is a difference in build quality, price and ease of installation. In short: it does make sense to invest in a good plug.

But let’s continue with the sound reproduction: as you know, we have installed everything from standard plugs to expensive Telegärtners. We tried all cables on the same switch (with an IFI power supply) and listened to the same system:
We did not notice any difference between the connectors. Sometimes we thought we heard something (think of a louder or sharper S-sound), but when we went back to the other connector, there was no difference. It is sometimes very complex to listen to this properly and to judge it honestly. But after hours of switching back and forth, we dare say that there is no difference in reproduction. In any case, we do not dare to take a bet in a blind test…
But where we do hear immediate differences – and continue to hear differences even when going back and forth – is the method of shielding.

We made three cables for this purpose: one cable with DeLock plugs and shielding fixed at one end. One cable with Delock plugs with the shielding fixed at both ends and finally the double shielded version with the nice sleeve. Also with the shielding on both sides (and Delock plugs).

What we observe almost immediately is that the version with the shielding fixed on both sides focuses better. The version with shielding on one side seems to play a bit larger, but that is not true: the effects in the song Perfect Life by Steven wilson are placed at the same spot in the room, but are more tightly framed with the cable where the shielding is fixed on both sides.

With voices, the same is true: it’s tighter in focus and also more stable between the speakers (if we move our heads back and forth, the voice stays in place better very odd).

Going to the double shielding we make another step. Again a bit more tightly focused, again a bit better framed. And with that a bit more calmness in the reproduction allowing details to surface a bit easier.

Clearly F us it is clear where the differences come from: shielding, shielding, shielding.

(1) REVIEW:What causes audible differences in network cables
https://alpha-audio.net/review/wat-zorg ... erkkabels/

Intro
We round off our little investigation into network cables with a listening test and a clear conclusion. As promised we subjected the network plugs to a listening test and listened to three different configurations: shielding fixed on one side, shielding fixed on two sides and double shielded (and both sides connected). Do we hear differences? Well…. yes…!

Let’s clear up one myth: there is NO audible difference in network plugs. There is a difference in build quality, price and ease of installation. In short: it does make sense to invest in a good plug.

But let’s continue with the sound reproduction: as you know, we have installed everything from standard plugs to expensive Telegärtners. We tried all cables on the same switch (with an IFI power supply) and listened to the same system:
We did not notice any difference between the connectors. Sometimes we thought we heard something (think of a louder or sharper S-sound), but when we went back to the other connector, there was no difference. It is sometimes very complex to listen to this properly and to judge it honestly. But after hours of switching back and forth, we dare say that there is no difference in reproduction. In any case, we do not dare to take a bet in a blind test…
But where we do hear immediate differences – and continue to hear differences even when going back and forth – is the method of shielding.

We made three cables for this purpose: one cable with DeLock plugs and shielding fixed at one end. One cable with Delock plugs with the shielding fixed at both ends and finally the double shielded version with the nice sleeve. Also with the shielding on both sides (and Delock plugs).

What we observe almost immediately is that the version with the shielding fixed on both sides focuses better. The version with shielding on one side seems to play a bit larger, but that is not true: the effects in the song Perfect Life by Steven wilson are placed at the same spot in the room, but are more tightly framed with the cable where the shielding is fixed on both sides.

With voices, the same is true: it’s tighter in focus and also more stable between the speakers (if we move our heads back and forth, the voice stays in place better very odd).

Going to the double shielding we make another step. Again a bit more tightly focused, again a bit better framed. And with that a bit more calmness in the reproduction allowing details to surface a bit easier.

Clearly for us it is clear where the differences come from: shielding, shielding, shielding.

And that is quite logical if you consider that a network cable is included in a digital chain. A chain that relies on clean energy to keep everything clocked tight. A chain that works with noise-levels of -140dB. A chain where small deviations are immediately audible in staging, focus and smoothness.

This also explains why fiber networks work so well as a first upgrade: you immediately shut out a lot of misery by creating a barrier through which electrical energy cannot pass. And thus no electrical noise (common mode in particular).

To conclude…
Can you hear differences between network cables? Yes… definitely. Our samples have shown that. And about the real cables you can buy at the store… pay particular attention to what the manufacturer has done in terms of shielding. We would still leave the unshielded versions. Especially after this experience. But anyway: try it yourself at home!

And that is quite logical if you consider that a network cable is included in a digital chain. A chain that relies on clean energy to keep everything clocked tight. A chain that works with noise-levels of -140dB. A chain where small deviations are immediately audible in staging, focus and smoothness.

This also explains why fiber networks work so well as a first upgrade: you immediately shut out a lot of misery by creating a barrier through which electrical energy cannot pass. And thus no electrical noise (common mode in particular).

To conclude…
Can you hear differences between network cables? Yes… definitely. Our samples have shown that. And about the real cables you can buy at the store… pay particular attention to what the manufacturer has done in terms of shielding. We would still leave the unshielded versions. Especially after this experience. But anyway: try it yourself at home!