Will a wireless streamer add problems to a signal coming out of a computers USB output?

Congradulations! Good move.
 

My streamer is the most expensive component in my system before (and equal) to my amp… well worth it. You can’t recover or reject what comes from the first piece in your audio chain. 

@m669326

My wife... does not have audiophile ears. Maybe some of you can relate to this…

I totally relate. It’s not that she doesn’t hear; she also doesn’t care.

I used my MacBook Pro for streaming, with a Halide Bridge through USB to Dac. Realised this had a ceiling, and eventually upgraded to a streamer. Does your streamer connect via wifi or ethernet? Ethernet is better. And if looking at next steps, an audio network switch would improve things even more.

The streamer can do either Wi-Fi or ethernet. I’m going with ethernet. As far as the connection between the streamer and the DAC, I happen to have an optical cable, so I’m going to try that. Anyone have a point of view about what’s the best way to connect them?

Optical connections are typically of lower quality than all the others. They are offered as a “just in case” option. They require a conversion to light…. Then back. Conversion is never a good thing. 
 

First choice would be AES, XLR… or SP/DIF. The safest bet is that the balanced connections will sound best… but technically you have to check.. The difference is unlikely to be so large as to need to loose sleep on. I have tried both in my system and couldn’t tell the difference… my manufacturer recommended balance… so I went with that.

I’m convinced. I just ordered an aes cable. This should complete my system.