Pass-through Roon Endpoints

Not all Roon Endpoints created equal. For best performance with Roon both core and endpoint streamers need to be optimized. 

Question: is there any advantage to using a fancier (i.e., pricier) streamer than the Wiim Pro for this purpose? It does nothing except pass the digital data through to the DAC, nor would a fancier one do anything beyond that.
 

love it when people ask to just immediately answer their own question. 
 

Are you trolling here? 

Not trolling at all. The question is if anybody has experience that says a higher-end streamer would do a better job -- and from some of the answers, there's the power supply to consider.

My experience is that you get what you pay for. 

Started my streaming journey in 2014 with a Bluesound Node N100 (the original plastic cube) and paired it with a Bryston BDA1. It was an enjoyable pairing, but this hobby being what it is, over time stepped up my game, and each time I felt the money spent was a worthwhile spend. Among the pieces that passed through were a Node 2i and Chord Qutest, a Melco N1A (great sound, horrible app), and in 2019 picked up a Roon Nucleus used first as a server streamer feeding the Qutest via USB, and fixed up both the Nucleus and Qutest with upgraded power supplies, Sbooster and Ifi Ipower Elite. Each step improved the SQ. An English 8 Switch entered the picture and stepped things up again. By 2022 a Bricasti M5 took over as Roon endpoint joined shortly after by a Rockna Wavelight DAC. Today I have a Rose RS130 as my Roon endpoint feeding the Wavelight via I2S and added a Melco switch into the mix as well. This is not to mention upgrades over the years to amplification and cabling. My one constant has been my speakers, a pair of Thiel 2.4s which I picked up in 2012. There has been joy experienced every step of the way.
 

It seems to me that there can be some adventure to be had with something this seemingly basic. 

I have two home systems, one the 'big' downstairs system and the other the 'media' system that also serves with a flat-screen TV and movies and all that. To date I have two streamers: a Wiim Pro, and a Bluesound Node (2024 model). Each outputs to a DAC -- one DAC is a Bryston BDA-3 and the other an Yggdrasil+.

I've done some swapping. Three takeaways:

1. The Wiim Pro + the Bryston BDA-3 didn't get along all that well. At streaming rates over 96K the Bryston started stuttering and couldn't sustain. I wondered if it might be a network thing since that system uses WiFi, but then I swapped the Bluesound Node in for the Wiim Pro and everything settled down. The Bluesound and Bryston work smoothly together, even at high streaming rates.

2. Both the Bluesound Node and the Wiim Pro work perfectly with the Yggdrasil+ at all streaming rates. To be sure, that's a wired Ethernet connection. When I added the Bluesound Node to the 'small' stereo with the Bryston, I moved the Wiim Pro to the 'big' stereo with the Yggy. All works just fine. That's where I am with the two systems now.

3. I can't tell any difference in the sound quality with either streamer connected to either DAC+rest of the system. 

It was this little adventure that led me to ask this particular question. I can't as of yet discern any sonic difference between the Bluesound Node and the Wiim Pro when connected to the same DAC, with both set to act solely as bridges. I can attest that there was an operational difference between the two, at least in terms of their respective synergy with the two different DACs, which are both quite good products.