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


I don’t understand why so many people are spending so much money building the ultimate streaming system? I guess I am just out of touch… Would love to hear some reasons streaming is so dominant today.

128x128walkenfan2013

For me this one is easy- I have been into hifi and music since the 1970's. between LPs, which I never gave up on, CD and cassettes, I have thousands of titles on hand. I started to table in streaming a little over a year ago and took the full plunge in early 2022, with the purchase of a very good dedicated streamer. I have been able to explore new to me music as never before.  For the true music enthusiast who is always interested in learned of and about new music, it is amazing. millions of titles at my fingertip, at a cost of under $11/month (yearly Qobuz subscription). Roon isn't a factor as I am more than pleased with the app my streamer works with. I'm approaching 500 new titles just this year alone. 

On the other hand, if you are a person that listens to a handful of albums and is not interested in exploring new to you music, it's unnecessary. But for the music lover who is looking to expand what they listen to, it is the ultimate (almost) FM. [free music]

Streaming has come of age, and IMO is also becoming affordable at HiFi quality. I am thrilled to see (and own) a Bluetooth receiver smaller than a box of kitchen matches that supports lossless codecs and sports a SABRE DAC chip whose dynamic range and THD is better than my beloved vintage analog amp…for under $200.

Waxing philosophical for second or so on the occasion of my 70th birthday (born 12/25/52) I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as “sitting pat on what we know.” Lots of great answers here to this fair question. With so many new artists, remasters and great recordings available to stream, the driver behind more convenient and higher quality delivery is strong. Demand drives innovation and resistance to learning about new stuff is self defeating for people who enjoy HiFi. In the last couple months my enjoyment has flourished by digging around the theory behind the big baffle revival in speakers, the importance of stacking the gain in your audio chain cleverly and, most recently, a wave of low cost wireless streamers with high quality chips!

@walkenfan2013 

I get the exposure to discover new bands. I just think it is so complicated and overpriced to need all that new equipment. 

You don't need a lot of equipment. Or expensive equipment. I stream through an Amazon Echo via voice control, or a $179 laptop into a $130 SMSL DAC. And as far as complexity, it's nothing more than downloading an app or two. And I only need Amazon Music HD at $14/month.

The sound quality of streamers only depends upon the analog conversion, which at this point is standardized and audibly perfected. And as a former software engineer, I understand that the rest of the hype is just marketing nonsense sold to the uninformed or those suffering from what psychologists call "belief perseverance." So save your money. It's easy. It doesn't clutter your house like physical media (I sold almost all of mine), it's as cheap as buying one album per month and you can probably do it from an existing computer. All you need is an audibly perfect DAC like the SMSL.

@jssmith

The sound quality of streamers only depends upon the analog conversion, which at this point is standardized and audibly perfected. And as a former software engineer, I understand that the rest of the hype is just marketing nonsense sold to the uninformed or those suffering from what psychologists call "belief perseverance." So save your money

You offer encouragement and a way to achieve a very affordable entry point for audio streaming. I’m sure that the OP is grateful for this. And if one decides never to venture beyond this initial stage and they enjoy what they hear, that’s a wonderful outcome. Enjoyable and very affordable streaming in your home.

Beyond that however I believe that your further comments are misguided (Although I do not doubt the good intentions). There have simply been a huge number of people who have begun streaming at a modest level and subsequently moved upward in sound quality and performance. They are not delusional or gullible.

Multitudes have candidly shared their experiences of gaining significant improvement by purchasing better DACs and music servers/network players. It is unreasonable and irrational to believe all these folks are duped by clever suggestive marketing. Or to resort to the overused “confirmation bias” to explain why sonic improvement is heard.

I appreciate that you are a software engineer, that’s nice. There are people with equal and perhaps a broader and deeper technical experience and backgrounds (Than you) who can attest to the benefit of better equipment. Obviously you have every right to your convictions.

The OP may agree with you and that is his prerogative. To suggest that any digital audio system that goes above and beyond yours is wasteful of money and a foolish undertaking is exceptionally shortsighted and narrow. You have created a nice streaming set up that pleases you, good. But keep in mind that much better sound quality is obtainable if so desired.

Charles