Why did this just happen ?

By real streamer he means a dedicated audio streamer. Virtually any will outperform a pc. I have used iPads, Macs, PCs. When I finally reluctantly upgraded  to a dedicated streamer the digital leg took a huge jump up in sound quality. Since then I have used many. I recommend Aurender, but there are dozens of brands like, Aurlic, dCS, Bluespund, Linn… the list goes on.

They come as either just a streamer or streamer and DAC. Just a streamer is recommended. Streaming from Qobuz produce sound quality as good or better than red book CD and my really good analog end. Highly recommended. 

Perhaps a faster processor speed and or less jitter?

My $.02. 

Since I'm not an Apple anything fan....

If you're using a pc, m/bs' for gaming will help since the concept is speed at all costs....this includes audio as well as video.

Apply the best soundcard you can rationally afford, as audio 'cues' in games can mean the difference in 'game life v. death'.  Comments from players about 'hearing something from Behind You' early enough to respond to avoid having you butt handed to you....

Max your RAM with the fastest you can find for the m/b and processor...'garbage in = garbage out' still applies...

Look....the bulk of pcs' and macstuff is aimed at the 'average abuser'.

Bite the process and Build a 'puter that will do what You want it to.

You can still use your DAC....although that process happens in your laptop daily.

(...I'm in a rare PO'd state, and tired of 'hearing' "...I spent XK$ on a DAC/streamer/magic box that I'm disappointed with..." which has the basically the same innards as a 'built puter' for more or less the same outlay....

For 'techno types' as most seem to aspire to or claim...

...y'all are disappointing....

...and y'all can start flinging dog waste at me now....

@wturkey ....you're excused from the previous....

At least, you asked....👍

I think it’s the sampling rate, dropped bits, or elimination of noise on the USB. PCM uses packets to wrap up and send information. If it runs out of time, it drops bits. The cost is resolution. Computers are getting better and better at this. It’s why I went to DSD back in the day. 
 

Full disclosure - I’m an analog guy. I do use a PC for my digital (the horror) but I do not stream. Everything I listen to I have spent the past 25 years recording and cataloging myself from analog sources. For how I use it, it’s fine for me. Say what you want to say about PC/Mac as a source, I don’t have enough years left on this planet to redo that work. You didn’t say if you were streaming or playing from your drive. If you’re going to consider a streamer and you have cataloged your songs, I would look very hard at the interface and how it could hold onto that information. 
 

Regardless, this sounds like a good problem to have. Congrats and enjoy.