The source that replaces the disc
A streamer takes the network in and puts an analogue or digital signal out, and it is bought for two things: what it can play and what it plugs into. The first is a licensing question rather than a technical one — support for a given service is negotiated per manufacturer, and so are the protocols that let a phone push audio to it: AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, UPnP, Roon Ready. The second is a matter of outputs: a player with a built-in DAC goes straight into an amplifier, one with only a digital output needs one. Where a DAC is present, the useful figure is the maximum sample rate and whether DSD is handled. We compare supported services and protocols, DAC chip and maximum rates, analogue and digital outputs, multiroom support, and app control.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth · AirPlay · DLNA · UPnP · internet radio · NAS playback · optical and 3.5 mm outputs
A multiroom receiver with an unusually long protocol list — AirPlay, DLNA, UPnP and NAS playback — which is what lets it fit into a network that already exists.
Best for: A household with music on a network drive, where the streaming should not depend on a subscription service.
≈ 129 €
Internet radio · DAB tuner · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Spotify
An internet radio with a receiver's connections — which makes it a streamer for a household whose main use is radio rather than a music library.
Best for: A kitchen, a study or a second room where radio is the main use and streaming is a bonus.
≈ £160 / 159 €
Network player · Wi-Fi and Bluetooth · Cirrus Logic converter stated · compact
A small streamer built to add network audio to an existing system — and it names its converter, which is the specification to look for on this shelf.
Best for: An amplifier or a compact system that predates streaming, where the goal is to keep it rather than replace it.
≈ 210 €
Network player · Wolfson DAC stated · Spotify Connect · aluminium front
A dedicated network player that names its DAC — a Wolfson part — which is unusual enough to be the reason to choose it.
Best for: An existing amplifier that has no network input, where the streamer should be replaceable independently.
≈ 319 €
150 W per channel stated · network player · Bluetooth aptX HD · AirPlay 2 · Chromecast built in · HDMI ARC
An amplifier and a network player in one chassis, with 150 W per channel stated — the only product in this catalogue that is both a serious amplifier and a serious streamer.
Best for: A living room where one box has to be the whole system — television, phone, streaming and a pair of good speakers.
≈ £1999 / 2290 €
