Help settle a streaming argument!

That’s a loaded question ,for the Quality of the streamer can make a big difference 

in its power supplies,and regulation , it’s quality of Crystal or Clock it’s processing 

this is even before you get to the dac , also the Quality of the Ethernet cables ,and USB cables, as well as power cord quality.

every factor here counts in a quality Audiophile streaming system.

99% of these respondents probably use usb to the dac, and if this is the case, the best sound you will get is mediocre at best. 
Change your test: get a dac that uses Ethernet (which is far superior than usb) and test different servers. Your results will be much different. I used to use 1 of the better steamers mentioned above with usb and then when I switched the dac to use Ethernet and/or i2s, I sold my streamer.
1 more test: use i2s going to the dac (i2s is also superior to usb) and test different servers. Again, your results will be very different.

I can say from my experience upgrading from a Bluesound NodeII to an Aurender streamer there is a big difference in sound quality. This is into my Mark Levinson preamp with excellent built in dac. Bluesound sounded good, Aurender sounds fantastic. 

"This is a SQ argument and is as follows- I argue if you connect your streamer to an outboard DAC the streamer does not matter"

Wrong, It makes a huge difference in SQ what type of music server you use, actually the DAC can be a Rolls Royce (adequate for any reasonable demand).

Matt M.

It’s strange how in something commonly referred to as a chain, some people still fail to understand the concept of a weak link.