Sound quality differences in streamers

Very noticeable differences using as a streamer only.  I have a McIntosh C49 Preamp into a McIntosh MA462 so they resolve very well and has a good McIntosh DAC.  Using a Wiim Ultra ($350) to stream only sounds ok/good, is better than Bluetooth and the unit works very, very well, punching way above weight for $.

Next I tried an ELECTROCOMPANIET ECM 1 MKII - High End DAC and Streamer ($6,000)... The DAC is not as good as the McIntosh, but getting close.  As a streamer only, it sounds better than the Wiim, but the user interface and user experience isn't as good as the $350 Wiim, LOL.  But yes, sounds better.  Wiim 85% of way there, Electrocompaniet 93ish% there.

Next I tried an EverSolo DMP A-6 Master Edition ($1,200).  As a streamer only this is the ticket - sounds BETTER than Electrocompaniet 96ish% there - has a good user interface/experience too.  The DAC is ok, not great... not as good as the Electrocompaniet, but better than the Wiim by a lot.

Next I tried an EverSolo DMP A-8 ($1,880).  This is a terrific streamer and DAC.  All around better than the Electrocompaniet in every aspect.  The DAC is nearly as good as McIntosh, but the streamer is outstanding - very detailed and clean.

I'm using the DMP A-8 to stream via its DAC analog into a McIntosh MA-352 integrated for my office.  Super setup for the money.

So, to me, sometimes spending more is not better - The Chinese and Koreans are surpassing streamer tech of Europe in my opinion, especially when considering the money.

I have no trouble believing there are qualitative differences between streamers. My own experience with a Wiim Pro Plus (as streamer only) and a decent quality R-core linear power supply has shown me that the Pro Plus can be seriously improved with the use of such a power supply.

That's the beauty of some of these inexpensive 5V streamers-they can be improved upon pretty substantially with a high quality but low price power supply. The question then becomes at what kind of a price point do the laws of diminishing returns kick in. 

Here's a link to a review suggesting that a Wiim Mini with quality LPS came very close to a $2500 Lumin: 

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/a-tale-of-two-streamers-r1159/

Not bad!

The Aurender stuff looks extremely well put together to me once you get up into the $2K to $4k range. I'd be curious to hear one of those, but all in all, I am pretty happy with the results I'm getting in the cheap end of the gene pool, and that's compared to a $10K+ (not that I paid that for it) analog front end. 

My analog is definitely better, but with the right mastering/recording the results here represent a very high value for dollar proposition with pretty inexpensive streaming/digital within a relatively good system.

@ghdprentice , @soix 

+1 …. Big-time!
 

Nailed it , …. point, set, and match in tennis jargon. 

In my experience yes a quality streamer makes a difference you can hear.  I upgraded from a Bluesound Node N130 to an Innuos Zen MK3 and it made a difference I could hear immediately.  

There are differences, even at the ultra high end.  Some are a little smoother, some colder.  Software and UI matters.  The only server that does Roon perfectly IMO is Antipodes. I am biased (I am a dealer) but they are the only brand that uses two computers in the same box to split server and renderer duty which matters, even for streaming. This is less of an issue with software that is not Roon.