Does the streamer effect sound quality

Those arguing for a significant upgrade to see a difference in streamer are right on the money.

The thrust of my point is 

(a) too many people get the DAC mixed up in their evaluation of the streamer's sound quality. These two elements must first be separated in order of a real comparison to be made, and 

(b) people need to understand what is improving in the streamer setup. For those who don't want to spend many times what a Node costs can make a very sizable improvement by paying attention to one key element -- the power supply.

By improving that, they can up their game and then save money for what may be other, weaker links in their system.

Some people think a stremer is digital in and digital out so nothing heppens inside right?

Amps are analog in and analog out, a lot happens inside.  Steamers takes file packets formated for transmission and converts them to files ready for your DAC.  Notice what verb I used.

Jerry

Streamers make a bigger difference than I ever thought they would.  I have gone from a Cocktail X45 to an Auralic Aries G2.1, then to the Aurender N20, the difference in sound quality was a huge leap every time.

@audphile1

I went from Bluesound to Bryston BDP3, and then to the Cambridge Audio CXN 60. Same DAC, and for a while I had all 3 simultaneously. The Bryston costs six times more than the Bluesound and sounded much better. I got rid of it ultimately because the software to control it was unusable. The CA also sounds noticeably better than the Node, much closer to the Bryston while lacking just that last bit of solidity in the midrange. It costs about 1/3 of the Bryston but is much more enjoyable to use because of the app, and the features are terrific, particularly Chromecast. So it is not just a lateral move from Bluesound, it’s a clear upgrade. Moving up the price ladder will get better SQ yet, but then the law of diminishing returns kicks in

I can tell you from personal and current experience that the Cambridge CXN V2 has excellent sound, and thanks to their proprietary Stream Magic operating system, it's very easy to use. I stream Qobuz and have been quite happy with the performance.