STREAMER - WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

To be clear, there are $5k, $10k and $20k streamers that are well engineered, and do what they’re supposed to do, which is move a digital file from a source to your dad, without adding a material amount of noise.  That’s it.  You just don’t have to spend that much to achieve that result. 

Yup. No difference between a $2k streamer and a $10k streamer.  Makes perfect sense. 🤣🤣🤣  Talk about misinformation.  

@mdalton - I actually read through the thread to which you referred shortly after you posted it and found it interesting.  Like many, I'm learning and have been in this game about 40 years since just before I bought my current speakers.    

Streaming is new to me.  I read with interest many of the threads in the Digital section and much of the discussions leave me with more questions than answers.  Although I've owned my first all-in-one streamer almost two years, It took me well over a year before I spent any time with it because I've been on a violently-paced upgrade path replacing the Caps on my amps.  Even today, I only spend about 5 hours each week listening.  We live in a decent-sized, single-story home, but it's an open floorplan and my system is in a room adjacent to the family room where my wife watches TV until the TV starts to watch her.    

BTW, Hifi News is the only magazine that I could find that wrote a review on my new DAC:  https://www.hifinews.com/content/balanced-audio-technologies-rex-3-dac-usb-tube-dac

I think that I'll subscribe. 

Last thought: Someone posted about their experience with Aurender products, how there were obvious benefits to spending more than $2k in that product range.  That makes perfect sense.  Remember, Aurender, Innuos and some others offer entry level products that combine the server and the streamer in one box.  It’s a great idea for convenience, but sub-optimal for noise mitigation.  CPUs for servers typically require a lot more power than streamer CPUs, and therefore generate more noise.  So the entry-level Aurenders are noisier than their higher-priced products.  Therefore, if you want the convenience of a single-box solution, I whole-heartedly agree that it would be tough to get state-of-the-art performance for $2k.  That’s precisely why I recommend you keep your server separate from your streamer.  If you do, you can get a whole lot more performance for less $.

Keep in mind, many say use your existing Streamer section in your Eversolo streamer/DAC combo.  The stand alone, Eversolo T8, streamer IMHO, is waaay better SQ than their Streamer/combo DACs.  It's $1200 USD, and most Eversolo retailers have a waiting list to get one.  Eversolo put alot of engineering and premium parts into just a streamer only.   In my opinion, it's on par with an Innuos Pulsar as far as sound quality.  I suggest you try one, from a dealer who has a 30 day return policy.  If you don't like a screen, you can always turn it off

Not sure if this helps , @patrickalston , but This Aurender N200 came to the Music Room from me in a complicated trade; it is truly in mint condition; I bought it in September 2025 from a highly respected dealer (Don Better) who was selling it for the widow of a late client of his. I only traded it because I loved the Aurender quality and had the opportunity to upgrade to the N20 by adding in some other components I had no longer had any use for.  This still had (and i assume still does) the plastic film protection over the screen.