Does the streamer effect sound quality

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.

I agree with most people here but want to add a very overlooked point. In my experience with streaming - is that the quality of the recording makes a very, very significant difference. Take streaming out of the equation and place a quality turntable in. Some record albums were recorded very well and produced very well. As such they sound spectacular. Think Chicago, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, and many others when the producers and the players wanted a good sounding album. Now taking a poorly recorded album and play it on your quality turntable. It sounds thin, no tonal range, the dynamic range is narrow, etc. Now back to digital streaming. If the streamer is good, the power supply is stable and the unit is quiet…paired with a very good external DAC you will hear tremendous sound from a quality recording. If you spend significantly more money on the streamer and the DAC….. the sound gets better. As with all audio equipment for the most part. But crappy recordings are also a critical part of good sound. It doesn’t get discussed much, but I would guess those individuals in the recording industry…. can attest to this. At audio shows, the dealers and vendors find the best recordings to showcase their audio equipment, especially speakers.

@mahler123 yep the manic moose is hideous. I heard the CXN v2 and the lstest node although not side by side. I think the latest node and the Cambridge are pretty close and it’s possible the cxn v2 is a just bit better, not sure. My point was to make a noticeable upgrade you have to jump higher than from the node to cxn.