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Laptop vs music server when streaming over WIFI

It is widely agreed that PC’s and laptops are sub-optimal sources. They have noisy power supplies, heavy OS’s running tons of background processes, and poorly implemented USB modules. A PC or laptop can spit out tons of EMI that can pollute the rest of the audio chain when connected directly to a DAC.
However, streaming over WIFI galvanically isolates the computer from the rest of the chain. So, would there be a perceived difference in sound quality in the following scenarios?

A) Laptop streaming over WIFI to network streamer
VS
B) Music server streaming over WIFI to network streamer
sonic79

Showing 3 responses by sonic79

sonic79 OP
80 posts
 
@skypunk Have you tried streaming over Wifi? If so, did you notice a difference from ethernet?
sonic79 OP
80 posts
 
Thanks for the response.
To provide more context, here's the front end of my system:
MacBook Pro running Roon core -> streaming over WIFI using RAAT -> Auralic Altair acting as Roon endpoint -> DAC
My wireless network is robust and stable enough to where I experience no dropouts.
Dedicated music servers should perform better than a laptop when connected directly to a DAC or streamer via USB/TOSLINK/SPDIF. Does this advantage hold true when connecting the laptop over WIFI?
sonic79 OP
80 posts
 
@ljgerens Thanks for the response. I'm of the belief that the Roon core matters far less when streaming than the rest of the chain. In this case the quality of the streamer/Roon endpoint is far more important, as it's the device actually connected to the DAC. You want this component to be ultra low noise.As always, results may be system dependent.
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