Sound quality differences in streamers

There is a dCS streamer for $3K?  Wow

The best sounding streamer that I ever had was the Bryston BDP3 which had a terrible user experience.  For a few hundred less a Melco N100 sounded very close.

Then for around a third of the price of a Melco Cambridge Audio got me about 95% of the sound.  Currently using a Wiim Pro for $100 while rehabbing in my basement post knee surgery.  It’s maybe 90% sq of the CA.

  Worst streamer I ever heard also cost $100.

  So my take is budget streamers into a good FAC can get you most of the way to audio heaven.  Throwing more money will usually make it better but the asymptote kicks in a lot faster than say for speakers or turntables 

Assuming all things being equal, yes, significant differences. Most good quality streamers do not have a DAC. They are simply stand alone. If you have a good DAC you don't want to buy one with the DAC function. You want all the effort and cost to have gone into only the streamer function. 

Also, lots of memory to store ripped files is becoming less prevalent as streaming can sound just as good as stored files or CDs, so there is no use for storage. 

But it depends on the rest of your equipment. My rule of thumb is that if you purchase best in class and synergistic components then investment levels typically look something like this. 20% speakers, 15% amp, 15% preamp, 15% DAC, and 15% streamer. Or better 25% speakers with the rest split equally among the components. 

The point of the above is that each component is equally contributing. 

This is because careful and thoughtful design and top notch subcomponents get you insulation from electrical noise, and vibration, and stable power...etc. from the start to the finish. 

I have owned DACs and Streamer from a few dollars to over $20K. The differences are obvious at every level. 

In my experience, which is primarily related to using Roon, the answer to your question requires separating the server from the streamer since they perform two separate functions.  In the case of using Roon, the server runs Roon server, or Roon Core, which manages music files, streaming services, and the audio devices on your network.  The streamer operates as a Roon endpoint, which clocks, processes, and transports the digital signal to a DAC where it is converted into an analog signal.  In some cases, the server and streamer exist in a single chassis, like with the Antipodes K50, the Grimm MU1, and others.

I have not heard noticeable sonic differences in the servers that I have owned.  However, I have heard meaningful sonic differences in streamers, with the best sounding streamer I have owned being the Sonore Signature Rendu SE Deluxe, which is currently in my main system.  If I didn't already have the Sonore streamer, the other one I would try is the Innuos Pulsar.