A streamer’s only job is to pull digital audio off a network and hand it, unchanged, to whatever comes next – yet the
products in this category disagree sharply about what
“next” should be.
Chord Electronics builds streamers with no DAC built in at all. The Poly clips onto a Mojo or Mojo 2 and adds Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and network streaming to a device that was originally just a headphone DAC; the 2Go does the same for the Hugo 2 and TT2, and the 2Yu adds extra digital inputs so a 2Go can feed other DACs entirely. The logic: streaming and conversion are separate problems, so let the customer choose – and upgrade – each
independently.
Gold Note and Cary Audio take the opposite approach, building the network transport, DAC, and sometimes a full amplifier into a single chassis — the DS-10 EVO, DS-1000 EVO, and DS-5.2 from Gold Note, or Cary Audio’s DMS-650, DMS-700, and flagship DMS-800 PV. Both companies also fold streaming into complete integrated systems: Gold Note’s IS-10 and IS-1000, and Cary Audio’s AiOS, combine a streamer, DAC, and power amplifier in one box.
Network audio streaming itself is a relatively young category. Home network players started appearing in the mid-2000s, but it took the arrival of high-resolution streaming services and unified control platforms like Roon in the mid-2010s for the format to be taken seriously by audiophiles, rather than treated as a convenience feature
bolted onto a hi-fi system.
Below, decide first whether you want a modular transport or an all-in-one streaming DAC – that choice narrows the
list faster than any spec sheet.
A network streamer retrieves digital audio from a home network, online service, or connected drive and outputs a digital audio stream — either to an external DAC or to a built-in conversion and amplification stage.
A streamer, such as Chord’s Poly or 2Go, outputs a digital signal only and needs an external DAC to convert it to analogue. A streaming DAC, such as Gold Note’s DS series, does both in one unit.
Ethernet gives a more stable connection for high-resolution and multi-room use, though most streamers in this range support both.
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