I was just using dark humour ok? No need to take offence 
I am as happy with Apple Music and AirPods Max as playing music via roon at home to speakers.
It’s just the music that matters and whatever that happens to fits the mood to handle.
Apologies if I misread it then! But remember, the music matters no less to those who might want to experience it via nice looking, expensive hardware. The music connects us far more than the hardware or our opinions divide us. 
Well, Henry, strictly speaking, I don’t know if I follow that logic. The fact that some are dwelling on how their hardware looks, or how much it costs – isn’t that making the actual music matter less? Than it does to those not distracted by such irrelevancies, and who have more cognitive “headroom” for the music to matter?
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RPi4’s running RoPieeeXL work for me. I have better things to do with my money than chase imperceptible improvements in SQ.
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That is correct. Let the people who perceive what their money’s worth to do what they perceive. It is not useful to understand what others may or may not enjoy. Meanwhile, enjoy as much music as you want on any setup that makes sense to you!
I am using a Pi with LMS.
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Ethernet to streamer is bit perfect. Streamer to DAC is bit perfect (with various ranges of jitter).
It’s all bit perfect so what we’re hearing as differences is not the bitstream itself (until jitter becomes a problem and then its not bit perfect).
Let me use the term “back in the day”…
DACs have significant varying degrees of making their input stage immune to the output stage. And, what I mean by that, is both noise at the input impacting the output stage and the impact of jitter. If you go back to the CD transport days this became painfully obvious as some manufacturers did nothing and others really spent time on reclockers and tighter tolerance components. “night and day difference” was a real thing back then. How does this carry over to modern times?
I truly believe it is hard to find a “bad” DAC today. To minimal varying degrees do modern DACs not deal with things like jitter and noise at the input. This minimizes the effect the streamer has on the signal chain. It’s why a Pi with USB can sound excellent on any DAC that took the time to actually implement their USB input properly. And, USB is probably still the worst offender. Which is why having something that isn’t USB can solve all streamer → DAC problems.
So, if you’ve got an older DAC or a DAC with a known issue on the input which requires a very clean signal to sound its best then…
What are the benefits? Expensive streamers provide a cleaner signal to the DAC. I truly believe this. Better power supplies provides a highly stable signal which reduces jitter. Isolated network and output stages reduce any noise (yes, i know ethernet is gravanically isolated) from both network, processing the signal, and moving it across the I2S bus to the output stages. Some DACs will absolutely benefit from a better streamer. The bigger question: With modern DACs is any of this beneficial when the input side of the DAC is just as good? I don’t have that answer.
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“Async” USB chips (e.g. XMOS) are now a commodity, and so are good clocks. That makes implementing USB input properly really easy. I think USB is currently the best connection choice.
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Cost seems to matter the audiophiles, however it may also be dependant on the quality of the software supplied with the streamer, many pay thousands but still put Roon at the front end.
Lumin seem to offer the benefit of good hardware plus a front end that is useable if you take the time to understand it, plus you will get great support.
If you add Roon I’m not sure a high end streamer offers any benefit, I’m very happy with my cheap ifi stream feeding into a Topping Dac.
Most high-end streamers like the Linn Klimax streamers are only not about the D to A conversion & everything related to this process, but it is also about the pre-amp functionality, and not many people know how to make a pre-amp that can sound nice.
What do mean by “nice”?
I want a preamp to be as neutral and transparent as possible, not one with a “sonic signature”.
Sound nice is subjective, and I know that Jon Ive has gone for the Linn streamer and amplification.
Personally, I like the Linn (and Naim classic) sound, they do have their own sound signatures.
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A good (i.e. low noise) op amp and a good log pot is all you need to make a really nice preamp.
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My experience, in more detail earlier in this thread, is: no benefit when the DAC is well designed and built (in my case, Holo Spring 2 KTE and Holo May KTE).
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I prefer not to think that way. I’ve been in front of all sorts of systems ranging from £100 to tens of thousands. The common factor is always the grin on peoples faces when they fire up the systems and the enjoyment they obviously get from their endeavours. Nobody went hungry, no one sold a child or a kidney. They just spent their disposable income and time on something that made them happy.
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It seems to me it’s the hardware that makes them happy, not the music they’re playing.
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But, you don’t really know that unless you followed them until the end of their life and that of their spouse. There are many/some who don’t think beyond next week, month, or year.
What I do Jim is try not to judge others. 
Nobody’s judging anyone. It’s not a judgement that some people spend money they don’t have. That’s a fact, not a judgement.
EDIT: I don’t begrudge anyone spending money they can afford on whatever they want. I spent two small fortunes flying/owning airplanes and drag racing.
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The hardare is a means to play the music at a quality level they appreciate, a well made balanced system does have a habit of taking you places with your music, some like to spend more to get there why does it bother you? I dont care if some one spends 10000 or 10 as long as they appreciate the music more through it. Same as I dont scoff people who spend lots of money eating at fancy restaurants, Its a matter of choice. You pay more for some stuff as its not mass produced nor made by people paid peanuts and working go knows how many hours for those nuts, some ones designed it, tested it, developed software for it, assembled it ( a lot are hand done such as Naim), marketed. They need to make a crumb like anyone.
Do you balk at paying for Roon? Its overpriced aimed at audiophiles, does what other stuff can do for the most part, had stuff that a lot never use. This whole arguemnt is just pointless and worthless on a forum like this. Most people would laught at you paying for Roon when you get Spotify for free and more music you can throw a stick at,
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