What's the Best Streamer for me in 2024?

There are always ups and downs as new technology emerges, like how Bluetooth eliminates the need for wires when listening to music, but doesn’t provide the same sound quality of a wired connection. The next logical step for music streaming was using the higher bandwidth of ethernet and WiFi connections to get rid of the wires, but maintain the full fidelity of high resolution music. While the first generation of network streamers achieved this goal, they added a level of complexity beyond just “pair this device with your phone.” As both consumer and audiophile options and technology have improved, a host of better high fidelity wireless streaming options have emerged.

If you’re looking to add the convenience of wireless streaming to your setup, there’s never been a better time, but between the basics of input and output, and more advanced network connectivity options, there’s still quite a bit of complexity involved in picking the option that will work best for you and your setup. We’ll provide some of the basics to look for in a digital streamer, and offer some suggestions to get you started.

What Do I Need in a Streamer?

Before we start digging into streamers, there are a few things you need to figure out first:

1. Will you be primarily using it with a desktop headphone system or a 2-channel speaker setup?
2. How are you getting your music? A specific streaming service? A local collection of files on a hard drive?
3. What device will be your primary connection point with the streamer? iPhone? Android? Laptop?
4. Can you connect the streamer with an ethernet cable, or does it need to be fully wireless?

The exact details of your setup – headphones, speakers, desktop, living room, etc. – make a big difference in selecting a streamer. Some devices, like the HIFIMAN Serenade, provide a headphone focused experience with some flexibility to work in other settings. Others, like the Rotel S14, are every bit a 2-channel component, both in terms of features and form factor. Others still, are comfortable in both places: offering features and design that easily flex into different setups.

Depending on where you get your music, you may have to eliminate some devices from consideration, as they may not support the best quality playback options for your music. For example, if you’re using TIDAL, you’ll want a streamer that supports their proprietary TIDAL Connect service, and either has a DAC that can unfold MQA or can connect to an external DAC for MQA support. As another example, if you have an external hard drive filled with your favorite tunes, you'll be more interested in the storage options of a streamer than someone who's using a Qobuz subscription for all their music playback.

The device you’re using is important for similar reasons. Support for AirPlay for Apple Devices, or Chromecast for Android devices can make or break your streaming experience. If you’re using a Windows PC, you’ll need a streamer with DLNA support. You can also run into some edge cases, where a device that supports a wide range of options may get specifically hung up trying to connect with Amazon Prime Music on an Android Phone, if it doesn’t have direct support for Prime Music or support for Chromecast.

We generally recommend connecting your streamer to your wireless router with an ethernet cable, but WiFi is available on many streamer. However, some streaming devices, like the Lina Network DAC can only connect via a wired network, while others may not have particularly robust network performance – or they may support wireless, but require complicated or finicky setup.

Choosing a Streamer

Now that you know what you’re looking for you can get down to actually picking your streamer. We’ll highlight some pros and cons of each, and you can scroll down to see a comparison of each of their key features.

iFi ZEN Stream - $399

iFi ZEN Stream is a simple streamer with a small form factor that allows you to integrate it into virtually any setup. Its support for TIDAL, Roon, AirPlay, and Chromecast along with DLNA means that you can use virtually any device with it. ZEN Stream is a streamer only, so you’ll need to output digitally to a DAC to use it, and you have the standard array of options – USB, Digital Coax, and optical – to do that.

The small form factor, low price, and solid compatibility make it a great choice for exploring how streaming fits in with your setup, however the lack of a screen or other interface can make setup more difficult. iFi provides an app to aid in the initial configuration, but it can still take some patience to get it working properly. 

EverSolo DMP Series - $899-$1980

The streamers in EverSolo’s DMP series combine streamer, DAC, and media server functionality into a single device, providing a ton of value with very robust performance. There are three models currently available: the DMP-A6, DMP-A6 Master Edition, and the DMP-A8. The setup experience and app are the same across the series and rate at the top of our list. The DMP-A6 ($899) wins in the “bang for your buck” category, while the Master Edition ($1299) steps up the transparency in its digital processing and analog output, and DMP-A8 ($1980) maintains those improvements while upgrading the DAC to a flagship AKM setup.

The devices all support AirPlay, DLNA, UPnP, and a host of proprietary connections like TIDAL Connect and Spotify Connect. They use an Android based OS as well, which provides a familiar experience and allows users to sideload apps onto the device. While the devices lack headphone outputs, as a media hub which provide a wide range of wired and wireless music playback options the DMP Series gives you a lot of power for the money.

HIFIMAN Serenade - $999

The HIFIMAN Serenade focuses more on the headphone DAC/Amp combo function than network streaming, but if you want an all-in-one that does network streaming with an R2R DAC with a surprisingly powerful headphone amp the Serenade might be the one for you. HIFIMAN hasn’t released the full list of supported protocols, but based on our testing, it at least supports DLNA, AirPlay, and NAS. The headphone component alone provides a strong value for the price, and if its more limited networking and streaming options fit your use case, it might actually be the perfect solution.

iFi NEO Stream - $1299

iFi NEO Stream is a big step up from the ZEN Stream, providing more connectivity options, a screen, built-in DAC, and just an all-around upgrade over their budget priced streamer. NEO Stream provides a number of options that more advanced users will love, like I2S HDMI and AES digital outputs. The built-in DAC is also excellent for the price, making this a great choice for adding a digital component to an analog system without needing any additional components.

While every other aspect is upgraded, the NEO Stream can fall into similar setup pitfalls as the ZEN Stream, and the built-in screen is useful for desktop use, but too small to clearly see album art or track information from any significant distance.

Rotel S14 - $2499

Rotel S14 is the first streamer on our list with two feet firmly planted in the 2-channel camp. The form factor alone is enough to let you know that this belongs with a stack of gear in your living room and not on your desk, and the 150W max power output from the speaker taps solidifies S14’s purpose as a home audio unit. 

S14 provides a nice bridge in the gap between classic analog system with big amps and bigger speakers, and more modern digital setups, offering all of the digital connections and network streaming options that you need for the modern digital lifestyle, and the power you need to put those big speakers to work. 

NAIM Uniti Atom Headphone Edition- $3799

The NAIM Uniti Atom Headphone Edition provides a premium streaming experience with a simple setup process, a robust feature set and near universal compatibility with any protocol or use case that you can throw at it. There’s a large screen, remote, and very well designed app that goes along with it as well.

The built-in headphone amp provides 1.5W of power, with performance that pairs perfectly with top end headphones. Uniti Atom HE is designed with the assumption that you’ll be using it as a standalone system or possibly just connecting the preamp outputs to a power amp or more powerful headphone amp, so it doesn’t have as many output options for digital output as some of the other streamers.

The Bottom Line

Shopping for a streamer reveals just how different everyone’s digital audio use case is. From the type of phone you use to the services you subscribe to, the important factors in streamer selection move far beyond just sound quality, performance, and aesthetics. As you look for the perfect option for you setup, we hope this guide was helpful in finding the best streamer to meet your needs!