Hi @rivinyl,
I’ve read through this thread and I want to validate what you are hearing. You are not "foolish" or "naive" for noticing that local files sound better than your stream. You have stumbled upon the "dirty little secret" of high-end streaming that standard advice about cables and switches often fails to solve.
The problem isn't your Electrocompaniet, and it isn't that "Roon is garbage" as some have suggested. The problem is that our home networks are too fast for digital audio.
The "Why": Bursts vs. Flow
Because a 1 Gbps LAN is so fast, standard protocols (like Roon’s RAAT or DLNA) send audio data in erratic bursts and pulses rather than a smooth, steady stream. Even with a great streamer, your endpoint's CPU has to constantly spike its activity to process brief but intense waves of incoming packets. These rapid fluctuations in processing load cause fluctuations in current draw, which generates low-frequency electrical noise (RFI/EMI) that the DAC is unable to completely filter out.
When you play a local file, the network overhead is lower, the processing is steadier, and the noise floor drops. That is why your downloads sound better.
The "Band-Aids" vs. The Cure
Most of the advice here—buying expensive silver ethernet cables, $1,000 switches, or filters like the ENO2—amounts to various "band-aid" fixes. They try to clean up the noise before it enters your streamer. But they do nothing to stop the streamer itself from generating noise as it processes that bursty network traffic.
The Solution: A 3-Tier Architecture with Diretta
If you want to beat the sound of local files, you need to address the root cause of noise at the source. The most effective way to do this today is by moving from a 2-Tier setup (Server -> Streamer) to a 3-Tier Architecture using the Diretta protocol.
Here is how the architecture works, which many of us are building using simple Raspberry Pi hardware running AudioLinux:
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Tier 1: Roon Core. Your heavy server. Keep this far away from your audio rack.
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Tier 2: Diretta Host (The Bridge). This machine connects to your LAN. It buffers erratic Roon data bursts and converts them to the Diretta protocol.
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Tier 3: Diretta Target (The Endpoint). This small device connects only to the Host via a direct, galvanically isolated link. It connects to your DAC or DDC via USB.
Why This Fixes Your Problem
The Diretta protocol uses a "Host-Target" model where the Host sends data in a continuous, precisely timed stream of transmissions. This "averages" the processing load on the Target, stabilizing the current draw and preventing the generation of electrical noise near the DAC. It also physically and logically isolates the DAC from your noisy network.
I have implemented this using Raspberry Pi 5s. With this setup, CPU usage on the endpoint drops significantly, and the power draw becomes a flat line. The result is an unusual "calm" from streaming. There's a "blacker" background and a natural ease to the music that makes standard streaming sound mechanical by comparison.
Before you spend another dime attempting to mitigate symptoms, I encourage you to try an architecture that sidesteps common sources of digital noise.
Happy listening.