It seems that we have had different experiences with streamers. That’s ok. I can only go on my personal experience, and that has been that I hear zero difference in the streamers I have auditioned...
I believe that I am pretty much done with downsizing. Got rid of a subwoofer, big/heavy power plant, NAK deck, huge/heavy mono amps and preamp. Ended up with much smaller (in size and cost) equipment...
It's a "mastering" thing. Same reason you will often notice the playback volume of TV commercials are quite a bit louder than the actual TV program.
i hear differences between streamers, the power supplies and the chassis material is audiable. A good streamer is a wise thing to invest in and they are absolutely not all the same.
Streamer selection