Is it my streamer or does Audirvana sounds better?

OP, are you using Audio Nirvana’s EQ ? That might be why you get the sound you like.

I had A/N setup into the Wiim Ultra, running Win 11 via wifi, before I went down that rabbit hole. The money I spent on my Digital was WELL worth it though. Definitely a major improvement. I still have the Wiim & it's going to my basement setup one day.

Enjoy the music!

Streamers are just networking computers that are optimized for audio and also made to look like audio components.

  Audirvana is a program that optimizes computers for audio by primarily by shutting down computer functions not essential for audio.

  I used Audirvana for a few years and sonically it was excellent.  There is no reason to switch to a streamer if this works for you

Thank you for confirming what I am hearing. I do not use the built in equalizer. All I am asking is if I am loosing sound quality by continuing to use my Mac and legacy Audirvana vs new streamers. As for my speakers, I am using Revival audio Atlante 5 and Cardas for cabling. Thanks again for all your inputs!

Maybe your ears have adapted in such a way as anything new sounds worse? There is a lot of stuff going on in our brain that we don't understand. Auditory decipherment (word?) begins in the womb and has to be wildly complicated and subjective. My children swear my system sounds no better than their Bose ear buds and JBL bluetooth. Jealousy? Their ears have been conditioned since birth to hear only their phones? I don't know.