Discerning a difference between streamers is difficult...only me or common for all?

@lalitk 

I would not have ever thought that a single mfg system would be less revealing for the source components.  Since I got serious about my system about 6 years ago I have had an all ARC system.  I do appreciate major differences with phono cartridges...it is almost as big of a change as speakers.  I have a local audio friend with an Auralic streamer that has agreed to bring over to compare.  I like buying used gear at a reasonable price and living with it for a while and then selling if not impressed.  I need to get more familiar with what else is out there in the streamer world and try another.  It's fun and maddening at times...but mostly fun :)

To your strategy of abandoning the house sound of certain mfg, I cannot fathom the idea of starting over with everything.  Overall I love the sound my system generates but am always looking for that bump upward

@dhite71 

By no means, I expect or suggesting otherwise for you to start over. I was just sharing my perspective and experience with two iconic brands. Personally, I like to diversify and appreciate the nuances each component brings to the game so I sold off entire ARC system (Ref 6, DAC9 and GS150).

Coming back to your post, I recently sold off a $25K streamer in favor of a built-in Roon endpoint + Core + DAC. I couldn’t justify its existence in a direct shoot-out. Instead, I decided to focus on improving the signal quality ahead of streamer that has netted much bigger delta. There are few threads here that outlines improving wired signal to your streamer which is much likely to improve overall SQ of your existing streamer. If I were you, that’s where I should focus on instead of chasing down uber-expensive streamers. Cheers! 

OP,

I know we have discussed this off line. Sounds like you have a great opportunity to get the sound you are looking for at a very low cost. I wish that was true for me. So, just exploring until you find what really pleases you sounds like a sound strategy for you.  

Streamers are simply specialized computers. They rely on hardware and programming. So differences in streamer sound can exist but the differences when present are often hard to detect without direct a/b tests.

For example, I did a/b comparison of sound between Plexamp and “vanilla” Roon streaming software prior to switching to Roon and the difference in a/b testing was clear and profound.

But even Roon’s sound can vary to a very great extent when DSP functionality in Roon is applied.

Digital streaming is a whole new world when it comes to sound quality. Pretty much anything is possible. The good news it’s not that hard to do well and most even decent quality streamers do a good job making good sound more widely available to more than ever before. But streaming is like beautiful women. There are all kinds and no two are often exactly alike.

One thing to consider is that audio memory is fleeting.  Unless you are able to switch quickly from one set up to another and have them be volume matched to within 0.1dB, making a comparison with any veritas is difficult at best unless maybe you are playing a specific snippet of music that has something in it that you are noticing for comparison, say the sound of a kick drum or a flute or whatever. 

Some reviewers, for what it is worth, which might not be much, do say the new Node Nano is extremely good for its price, besting the Node X, and if you are using it to feed an external DAC, it simply might be doing a pretty darn good job of it. 

Ultimately, I think you may have reached a point of diminishing returns. Time to just enjoy the music and be happy, especially with that AR DAC 9.  Your room and of course your speakers are probably making far more difference than the difference between streamers fed into an external DAC, especially if the external DAC is doing its own reclocking.