the big reasons to get a network to usb bridge device like that rendu are:
- you need your stuff in a space where usb can not reach, but networking infrastructure has no issue
- you believe your sound quality can be improved by moving your server into another room – often the case when it has a noisy fan, but may be other reasons
- you want capabilities that the network streamer may be able to add that the usb endpoint does not support (like digital volume control, source switching, etc…)
- you like gear
I have found that much of the work in improving SQ is often fixing things caused by adding gear.