Music Streamer and Music Servers

A high-end music streamer is the network source in a hi-fi system: it plays Qobuz, Tidal, and the files on your own network, and passes the music to your DAC or amplifier. The choice that matters most comes before brand or price. Some streamers carry their own DAC and connect straight to an amp. Others are digital transports built to feed a converter you already own, and a music server adds storage so the library lives in the box. This collection gathers all three, from compact network players to audiophile reference servers, with Aurender, AVM, Cambridge Audio, Cyrus, Grimm Audio, Matrix Audio, and Primare.

Current highlights include the Aurender A20, which puts server, streamer, and DAC in one chassis, and the N20, a server and transport for a system that already has its DAC. The Grimm Audio MU2 folds streamer, DAC, and preamp into one box. The Cambridge Audio CXN100 has its own DAC, and the Primare NP5 Prisma MK2 sends a digital signal to the one you own. Shopping by budget? See our music streamers under $1,000 and under $2,000. Pair a transport with one of our DACs, and keep the network quiet with a network switch.