Weakest digital link: DAC - Streamer - Server?


I am curious WHICH of the three is MOST important in digital playback? DAC, Streamer, or Server? I assume DAC is #1, but what about server/streamer?

 

Specifically, I have a Synology NAS which I can host ALL my music on, then using a good streamer play off it via Roon/Upnp, PLUS my streaming services.  Does it make sense to use a SEPARATE server JUST for my music? 

Like is there going to be MUCH difference between these setups?!

1. NAS (music server) --> Good Streamer (ethernet, Roon) --> DAC

2. Dedicated Music Server --> Same streamer (ethernet, Roon) --> DAC

3. Dedicated Music Server with streamer (digital out) --> DAC

 

I understand for SURE, if one connects a NAS USB out to streamer/DAC it will sound WORSE than dedicated music server with low noise components, BUT if I am sending the music over ethernet to a good streamer, WHY would a music server make ANY difference? The streamer would essentially take the same files off my NAS, as if would from Tidal and play in the same fashion... no?! 

WHAT am I missing?!

 

PS. I can also upgrade the NAS with linear PSU to lower noise, but once again, sending audio through ethernet shouldn't matter.

alexb76

Showing 1 response by rbstehno

These are the worst things you can do when setting up a digital playback system: use usb into a dac and have a server in the same room as your audio equipment.

Most of your better dacs use Ethernet and i2s. Using Ethernet, you can put your server in a different room.

If you buy a dedicated proprietary music server, the main reason you should be doing this is so you don’t have to build 1 yourself. There are many threads that have stated they heard no difference in sound between a good audirvana or Roon server or a $10k dedicated server. I’m in that camp too because I did have a Auralic Aries server for a couple years using usb to the dac then sold all that and went back to a Roon server (my hardware) using Ethernet to a great dac.

As for bit perfect streaming: how many times have you dealt with a remote company anywhere in the world and the data you sent to that company turned up not what you sent? If you purchased 10 shares of stock, did the remote computer interpret that 10 shares to be 100 or 1000? Packets of data are guaranteed to be sent in the order it was sent and the data had to be bit perfect or the packet is resent. If the data we send to banks or stock exchanges could not be guaranteed to be identical as the source, we would have major issues.