why expensive streamers

@carlsbad2 Seriously, I'd suggest you read up on ethernet. The built in error-checking, retransmission etc will ensure no bits are dropped. The primary concern about ethernet data transmission from an audio perspective should be minimising noise accompanying the perfect digital signal which reaches your streamer.

@invalid It's true that a purely digital doesn't exist as such, it's an electrical waveform. What happens from the streamer output side onwards is subject to different constraints, factors etc from what happens in the ethernet domain ie everything up to and including the input side of the streamer. In this ethernet space, all devices translate the electrical signals into 1s and 0s. If folk talk about the angle of the wave, the timing of the wave etc then they don't understand how ethernet works.

SO while you're technically 100% correct, talking of waves can get people musing on all sorts of stuff about cutoffs and curve sharpness etc which are totally irrelevant in ethernet.

@jaytor Agreed re how much measurements can tell us and how they may or may not correlate with what we hear

@nigeltheflash either you didn't read my first post in this thread or your read it and didn't believe it.  After all, I'm just a rando on the internet.   

The difference you, and others in this thread are missing, is that 99% of all data trasfer in the world is done for business and is indeed bit perfect.  Business, govt, and individuals need their files to be perfect.  You'd hate it if you bank dropped a zero when it downloaded your account data.  

Streaming can't use the error checking protocols that achieve bitperfect file transfer. Thus, dropped bits and the streamer's attempts to deal with it. Otherwise, there would be no market for high end streamers, silver digitlal cables, or anything high-end digital audio.  We could use all the same equipment that you use at work to achieve bitperfect file transfer inclding generic cables in plastic wrappers.

I've spoken to many IT professionals who don't know the dirrerence because they spend their entire career in business where bitperfect is an non-negotiable requirement.  

So I'm not interested in arguing and this is the second time I've explained the difference in this thread.  So I'm done (unless someone shows up who really understands streaming and can add to my understanding.)   I did some googling before I responded here, knowing people will be more likely to believe it if they can google it,  and google doesn't get any answers.  Google explains bitperfect well but discusses streaming in general terms.  

I do acknowledge that I could be wrong.  I'm no a streaming expert.  I'm a physicist who had to dig really deeply to understand this and of course my sources could have been wrong.  but I'm usually pretty good at sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Hope you system sounds great,

Jerry

“Streaming can’t use the error checking protocols that achieve bitperfect file transfer. Thus, dropped bits and the streamer’s attempts to deal with it. Otherwise, there would be no market for high end streamers, silver digitlal cables, or anything high-end digital audio.”

Jerry, apologies, I do recall your first related post but didn’t realise you were the same author. For a self-professed non-expert on streaming, they’re quite some assertions!

Perhaps you should forget the network tech googling thing and find somewhere where a streamer manufacturer says something about why they can’t use the same error correction techniques/technologies as other ethernet-capable devices. I don’t recall having read anything from Antipodes or Innuos or dCS or similar where they talk about how they’re much cleverer at working out how to fill in the dropped bit “gaps” than their competitors. I suspect you won’t find anything as it’s not a problem they’ll recognise but, hey, what do I know, I’m just another internet rando like you!

Until I see anything from a streamer manufacturer/designer which corroborates your suggested explanation of the differences in sound quality amongst streamers, I’m going to stick with my own assertions that ethernet data transfer IS ethernet data transfer full stop (US period) and that streamers differentiate based on noise and clocking (possibly amongst other factors).