Astro/legit sources = reliability... Anything else is lesser. Video and sound quality depends on what box you settle on and content being played. Provide options, easier to recommend afterwards.
Best is subjective.. However, the "best" android box yet would probably be the Nvidia Shield TV..  As for streaming EPL.... Find the source.. Play the content. No playable source = No streams.

some response to yr question must been written at least a dozen times in this thread, but every week or so, the same question surfaces.

this is the mother of all quests for many!

to save money, i guess. as i think it makes no sense to find an equivalent but pay more, yes?!

what in yr mind is "more"?

if u want more int'l news, more english movies, more mandarin, answer is yes.

if u want more canto and more live sports in hd, no.

and i mean stable, reliable streams, not those come and go without warning.

streaming typically carries basic 2.0 audio, alto some streams can be in dd5.1. hd audio takes a lot of bandwidth, not there yet for most streams.
yes, dune, acryan, wdlive and the likes were tops at that time. they all can take bdmv, dtshdma with 4-5 yr old firmwares. i still hv 2 of those working, wonderful devices. i have since moved on to android boxes. the main diff is new andoridboxes can stream online, playback usb faster than the old media players, and can handle 3d, 4k,dd atmos too.

yes, i have the same experience like you.

that's why never had the need to explore anything else.

my asus router+q16 androidbox+samba works well up to 55ft even with bdmv files.

Like others, I suggest changing the router as all stock routers are low end, meant for basic use.

My ASus cost me only rm200 a year ago and it is far superior to the unifi stock router... More stable, max speed maintained, wider coverage. For bigger coverage, will need a higher end model.

For maxis, gotta be a littl careful as I think routers sold in stores cannot handle Astro iptv. Many can handle TM hypptv, though.

do check if the phone line will be affected or not.

u will need to get the id and password from maxis to set up when changing router.

not sure about other things for maxis...

the sellers in the shops should be able to advise - pay them a visit.

or check the relevant section in lyn - lots of threads on such things!