Plex doesn't convert files for storage on a portable device, nor does it replaygain. It also has a terrible music selector interface and doesn't firewall punch.

Streaming is only part of the issue. I'm talking about the whole lifecycle, from backed up lossless to lossy-on-device in whatever format, or to a streaming service that integrates with your player devices, all from a single source of truth that you control 100% with no silly DRM or ads or restrictions.

>Plex doesn't convert files for storage on a portable device

Yes it does, you can pick what quality you want when you sync[0]

> doesn't firewall punch

It does so via a reverse proxy if required[1]

[0]https://support.plex.tv/articles/201053678-sync-media-to-a-d...

[1]https://support.plex.tv/articles/216766168-accessing-a-serve...

I know it does encoding/decoding for video at least; I don't know how its music features compare.

> Plex doesn't convert files for storage on a portable device

I don't know about Plex, but Kodi does this.