Collection: Streamers

A network streamer pulls music from streaming services (Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify), your home network, or internet radio, and sends it to your hi-fi system — usually through a built-in or external DAC. It's how you get streaming into a traditional two-channel setup without a computer.

A DAC (digital-to-analog converter) turns digital audio into the analog signal your amplifier needs. Most streamers include one. A separate DAC makes sense if you want higher performance than your streamer's built-in DAC, or you want to upgrade the digital side of several sources at once.

Roon Ready means the streamer is certified to work with Roon, the music library management platform many audiophiles use. If you run Roon, buy Roon Ready gear. If you don't, it's irrelevant — AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect cover most needs.

DSD512 and PCM 768kHz/32-bit are the maximum digital resolutions a DAC can decode — higher numbers mean it handles any file you feed it. MQA is an older "folded" hi-res format and is now largely legacy; for lossless hi-res streaming we recommend Qobuz, which delivers full-resolution FLAC with no unfolding required. These specs tell you the DAC's ceiling, not how it sounds; the analog output stage matters at least as much.

Many can. Streamers with a variable output or digital preamp mode (like several models we carry) let you control volume in the digital domain and drive a power amp directly, skipping a separate preamp. Check the product's outputs and volume control before planning your system around it.

Wired Ethernet is the most reliable for hi-res streaming. That said, modern dual-band Wi-Fi handles CD-quality and most hi-res streams without issue. If your router is far from the system, a wired connection or a mesh node nearby is worth it.