Why are so many people spending so much money to build “perfect” streaming system?

About a half hour ago I felt the urge to hear Beethoven's Second Symphony.  True, I have a handful of performances on my LP and CD shelves, but I decided to try a performance I've never heard before.  I went to Idagio and impulsively cued up a performance by the .Staatskapelle Dresden conducted Herbert Blomstedt.  Not quite as fine a string tone as I have on a couple of my performances on vinyl, but an enjoyable, well-played, emotionally committed reading. I'm a happy guy.

@dmader48

Thanks for sharing your inspiring journey from conventional playback to streaming. Anything is possible when you keep an open mind! 

Walken

You are not too old. Streaming is incredibly convenient and a way to easily discover new music

You do not have to spend $8000 to get a decent set up. I would heartily  recommend a one box solution that has a dac and streamer in it like a LUMIN

I would not consider buying anything that is not a Roon endpoint. You can get a dedicated Roon server from small green computer for under $1000. And I would not suggest any of this if the sound quality wasn’t just terrific. Try setting up an analog front end for under $8000 and that would be challenging

Happy new year

I started with Bluesound and as I could hear improvements, I just kept upgrading. I eventually stumbled across a Brinkmann Nyquist and the rest is history.

Yes, as you increase your budget, the higher the resolution you will be able to hear. Just like turntables and cartridges.

Do you have to spend $8k? No, you can spend under $1K and have a pretty good set up-But, just pretty good.😉

Bob

Bluesound Node 130 $500, Supra Excalibur USB cable $140,, and Denafrips Pontus II DAC $1,800......$2,440 total for a great streaming setup with a top notch versatile DAC

Take it to the next level by adding a Denafrips Iris DDC $550, and Supra 8K HDMI/I2S $80......$3,070. Amazing sound