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

I have learned long ago not to reason with folks like @jssmith and even OP. Its quite apparent from their posts that they are not here to learn or explore the true potential of streaming. It’s the same old stale mindset, bits are bits. 

@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

I am a software engineer myself and having spent a good chunk of my career working at the operating system and hardware level, have a good understanding of the error correction built into computing systems to ensure all bits arrive intact. They generally do, but that is not the whole story. I also worked with a lot of electrical engineers along the way, debugging their hardware as it integrated with my software. A key trait for success in this space is learning to know what you don't know. So many times, after everyone saying, "That can't be happening", or, "That can't be the problem", we found solutions that surprised us and increased our understanding of the many factors that influence hardware and software at the lowest level. 

I am on my third streamer, each one has been a step up in resolution and soundstage. This one I built custom from available components (Pi, Allo, LPS), with a focus on isolation and shielding of the streamer board. The results are amazing in comparison to the Node 2i that I had. The two factors that are frequently ignored in the streamer space, beyond the 1's and 0's, are noise and jitter. These are real factors in hardware design and in the end audio quality. Especially jitter. It is undeniable that the clocking of the signal is critical to delivering good, focused sound. 

Of course, not everyone can hear these differences. Whether it is the lack of resolution of the their system or their ears just aren't tuned that way, it is easy to think there is no difference. Try the Pi/Allo DigiOne, it's a cheap test, and I think you would hear the difference. Trust me there is one.

@zlone

Great post! I concur with your experience on noise and jitter. I was quite surprised to hear the improvements brought forward by using a very accurate external clock with a high end streamer.

@jjsmith 

I think the overwhelming evidence is in favor of better equipment sounding better, cables making sonic differences… etc. No analogous relationship between UFOs and audio.

@zlone

I appreciate your comments and sharing of your experiences. I don’t believe that jssmith would dispute that differences are heard, but rather why they are heard. Manipulation of signal/distortion to achieve a desired sound.

I believe that he feels his 179.00 laptop and 130.00 DAC are technically correct (Perfect bits transmission) and nothing further is required or necessary. It can’t get any better, only different. @lalitk is right, there’s really no effective reasoning with this rigid mindset.

Charles