Point of higher priced streamer?

Don’t let anyone talk you into a $640 ethernet switch. If you need more ports just get a netgear or cisco. Actually you would be better off using a managed switch, setting up a VLAN and using port priority. You can get a managed switch under $100

ASR didn't "advocate " for a LPS you might want to read that thread a little closer. They said the microRendu worked as a roon endpoint but a better alternative was the SMS-200. They recommended using a LPS or a good SMPS .

You need to do that twice a day.

Seems to me there's a lot of expensive gadgets to fix problems that don't exist in most people's systems. If you have ground problems or excessive audible noise there's better ways of dealing with it. 

How do you think the packets get there? Via electrical signal of course...so therein lies the opportunity for sonic degradation or improvement by better design.

No not really. The signal arrives intact or not. The DAC is able to reconstruct or not. Did this post make it in one piece or is every other letter missing? 

I wondered how long it would take to see through the apples to oranges comparison. At any rate take the apple 320kb Mp3 and orange FLAC through identical streamers to identical amps and speakers and I wonder how many could tell the apple from the orange without knowing which was which of course. 

Yes, very hard to tell apples from oranges.

https://archimago.blogspot.com/2013/02/high-bitrate-mp3-internet-blind-test.html

Could be none of the above. Unless the two were compared with a controlled blind test it doesn't tell us anything. To me Quboz sounds better than a flash drive connected to the streamer, again unless I did this comparison blind it tells us nothing to further our knowledge. 

There's not really any difference. If the software passes the stream without interference a raspberry pi4 is as good as anything else. Those who claim all these exaggerated differences are not doing proper or even any type of controls in their listening experience. Take them all with a grain of salt.

All the streamer does is deliver the packets to the DAC. It's purpose no more affects the packets of audio data than the miles of cables, myriad of switches and routers affects the packets delivering this post from my keyboard to your screen. Sangbro just get whatever streamer that has the options you want and forget about it. I've  used streamers from raspberry pi4 to Lumin, Bel Canto, Auurender, Auralic and others not a dimes worth of difference when level matched .

You should keep pursuing this on your ASR thread. Streamers have one function take the TCP/IP stack and convert it to USB or SPDIF or whatever you connect to your DAC with. The OS handles this function and if it doesn't get it right the DAC won't know what it's getting so this process has to be fairly universal considering all the streamer/ DAC combinations. There could be variations in the amount of distortion or noise that is passed to the DAC but any modern well designed DAC will be able to handle it. You mention all the expensive items your accociates have in their systems but you haven't mentioned one of the most important in the entire chain, what modem do they use? Odds are it's a basic $100-$200 modem required to work with their ISP. If this $100 box is good enough to make your digital stream from the analog input from the wire outside why worry about the router or streamer passing it on. Same deal here in the US everyone talks about enormous SQ improvement with every cable, box and fuse they toss in but combined none of it not one single component, unless it's really freaking bad will be audible above the amount of distortion in speakers. It took me more years and money wasted than I care to admit to realize that one simple truth. If you have the money and want the bling go for it. 

Listening to local music files on a USB memory stick attached directly to the Pro-ject streamer sounds smoother, clearer and with better musical flow than the same track via Qobuz.

Because we have to first determine is this statement true? The only way I know of is can he pick which is which better than chance? 

We're not comparing apples to apples we're trying decide can this person really tell one from the other then we can go on to figure out is it due to hardware? Software? 

Professing substantial differences in SQ based on, wow I heard veils lifted,  only applies to one person who claims to have heard something without any meaningful attempt to control biases. Now pray tell what does that actually  contribute to understanding if one streamer performs better than another?  Why would I base a purchase decision on hyperbole and cost? Listening with your ears is necessary, listening with your eyes and preconceptions about if it costs more it must be better is unnecessary. 

Data transmission over wifi is perfectly capable. There was nothing in the "explanation " to refute it. If "ones" were not "ones" and "zeroes" not "zeroes" binary digital language wouldn't work. Noone disputes there are differences in streamers the point is are these differences audible after being sent through any modern competently built DAC? 

Any non digital aspects coming from a streamer to a DAC like distortion or noise would show on the analog out of the DAC if it is bad enough. If not  the DAC is capable of dealing with it. The point is not are there differences but are they audible. Every streamer I tried was with the same DAC and speakers. I didn't do blind tests so they are just my subjective opinion and I present them as such. I heard no or minor difference in SQ . You say you can hear differences in IC pretty clearly unless you used some level of control for bias then your assessment of IC is no better than mine of streamers. I understand  bias can influence our perceptions, our other senses can as well. 

^^ That's a forum, I saw 2 posts by admin where he shows very little patience with the notion using a different power supply changes SQ. 

I've never used the Chromecast the cheapest I have is a raspberry pi4. As a roon endpoint it's indistinguishable from streamers I've had costing a lot more. I actually listen, with my ears, not my eyes. If your experience is not listening blind then it's flawed and useless except as a control for why we need to listen blind. Measurements are good to get a basic idea, I've never chosen a component based on measurements alone. 

Using Roon and a good DAC, they used the Topping D50 the chromecast was fine.

3. The Chromecast output has more jitter than an audiophile/instrument grade Toslink output. This is evident when used with low quality DACs like Schiit Modi 2 Uber.

4. Using a well-designed Dac like the Topping D50, there is no difference at all between Toslink from Chromecast or higher fidelity sources. All the jitter is filtered out resulting in the performance of the DAC itself being the limit.

I know it’s hard for some to believe but price of components is not an indicator  of good digital playback.

The term "chi-fi" is racist. The US has some high end and low end companies but some of the leading edge in modern audio technology is coming from Europe. I guess "Swede-fi" "fin-fi"or "Dane-fi" doesn’t roll off the tongue the same ?

I only discuss high fi as in high fidelity not tube distortion generators or NOS crap DACs those are lo fi. High fidelity is to reproduce the signal as close to the original recording as possible not add coloration. I don’t care what the cost is if the component can come closer to high fi not the over priced junk most here babble about. Yes "ch-fi" is used in a derogatory way and you know it.