Servers / Steamers, Do they matter?!

I think we should keep an open mind w.r.t. differences in components that you might not expect there to be differences. Lest this devolve into another "placebo" BS argument.

FWIW, I generally find streaming solutions (even the "bit-perfect" ones) to be inferior to good transports/turntables.

 

OK, so how about components where there simply cannot possibly be differences?

First, we would have to reliably prove that there is a difference. Having done so, we have something real for (for instance) the very highly developed world of network science to answer.

Otherwise...

 

everything matters, if it didn't ,many would be still using a logitech touch and digital out, or any random computer setup and call it a day. why agonize over the things we do not understand and instead just accept they exist and get on with it.

either you hear things or you don't. Well, at least I hear things......sometimes............and then sometimes I don't. Keeps me from pulling the trigger on lots of stuff folks here have and haven't.

Oh, wait, that is why we have a forum and keyboards in front of us, duh.....never mind

 

I typically like the concept for a network audio streamer too. If it works well, it would buffer the data to prevent any data starvation, perfectly clock the data out a SPDIF to an outboard DAC, has no fan to impart any ambient noise, and provide an android/iPhone app to control it. The problem is I can't find a good one that doesn't cost a lot of money and get consistent reviews. Quite frankly, I think the majority of people will just use PCs. This probably causes a problem in the market because network audio streamers are then relegated to a niche market status right off the bat. In short, a small volume typically means much higher expense. From a PC perspective, there are times depending on the hardware used that you might hear differences in audio playback including noise or static, and it might not just be a placebo effect. I realize there is a lot of doubt and outlandish claims in our hobby. That doesn't help to weed through the noise for sure. Nonetheless, PCs are notoriously noisy devices from an electrical perspective. For instance, most PCs use switching power supplies these days, and that can induce quite a bit of noise on the electrical circuit that other devices are plugged into. In addition, EMI can be easily induced internally in PCs onto outputs of both analog and digital connections. In fact, many of the audio connections internally to many PCs are not even shielded, because no one typically builds computers with the care required by audio nuts like ourselves. You might be thinking, ok I'll just use an outboard audio solution with perhaps a USB connection to avoid the electrical noise internally generated in the PC. Unfortunately, some PCs can contaminate their USB connections too. That could be noise on the ground and/or power supplied to the USB receiver chip. If everything is well designed, none of this should happen but sometimes it does. I have heard of one weird case were the USB driven DAC picked up the noise of the USB packets being sent which was just at the right frequency to cause an 8kHz spike out its analog port. Obviously, that was a poorly designed product, but it does happen. That's why devices like a Schiit Wyrd actually do work and provide audible differences to downstream devices. That device in particular probably doesn't fix noise on the ground, but it does clock out packets more accurately than some PCs and provides clean power to the USB receiver chip. There are obviously some well implemented solutions were this device is not needed. In addition, timing with USB has also improved a lot. If you have an older USB implementation, the quick and dirty way was to allow timing issues (clock slips) between the computer and the DAC, and the device would "fix" the problem with an asynchronous sample rate converter. Some DACs still use this method even if they are using an asynchronous capable USB receiver chip. In actuality, asynchronous USB is quite a bit more complex to implement, and if you implement a quality clocking solution for the DAC and USB receiver chip that even adds more complexity. In short, in poorly made/designed USB/DAC implementations could quite possibly provide audible artifacts. Fortunately, there are products out there that are starting to get a handle on this newer technology, and asynchronous USB can be quite good. In fact, I believe depending on the implementation it can be just as good as SPDIF if not better. For instance with asynchronous USB, the DAC can now control the timing. With SPDIF, the DAC has to be the slave from a timing perspective and derive its timing from a Phase Lock Loop circuit based on the bits sent (because SPDIF does not have an embedded or separate clocking source signal).

 

I am finding the Auralic Mini to fit that bill.

 

One of the limitations I see with this product for me is that it only supports an iPad for their control app if I remember correctly. I believe iPhone was coming later, but it might be available now (not sure). Nonetheless, I don't have any iProducts, so they would need to support android for me to be interested in looking at them further... Nonetheless, for those that prefer iProducts, this might be an option for a lower cost network streamer.

 

Seeing as OP is asking genuine question: yes in my experience the transport matters. If you are using USB the computer matters. Trying to understand things from purely technical perspective is fruitless. Listening, as long as the system is already resolving enough, can provide the most efficient way to test things in hifi. Without first hand experience it is impossible to verify if your understanding is complete or adequate to answer the question. EG if I study programming, the only way I can verify that my understanding is adequate is to actually try and produce some code.

My experience in hifi reinforces this. My beliefs are continually challenged when I listen. I do not simply decide I understand everything and proceed from there.