dac and streamer or seperates

OP, just keep in mind your system when choosing a dac. The Krell is apparently sensitive to what it’s paired with, based on the reviews I read. Very powerful unit. Also, B&W speakers have a certain sound. Do you want a dac like a Denafrips, r2r, or tube to add a bit more relaxed and natural sound? Or do you want something a bit more analytical? Think of what you currently have and where you’d like to be. How much money you spend is certainly important but what’s more important is not wasting money. I’ve made those costly mistakes because I wasn’t sure what I wanted and just tried things. Take your time and be honest with yourself about the sound that your ears and heart love. Good luck

I would buy a good DAC. Streamer tech is changing fast these days. Even the very cheap ifi zen stream ($400) sounds real nice. 

I guess it all broils down to the convenience factor. If you want less boxes, go for the separates. Of course the advantage to separates is that you can upgrade them individually. I wanted less boxes, but didn’t want any compromise in sound quality, so I acquired a very high quality DAC with an extremely high quality built-in streamer. I agree with the other Audiophile who stated......"the magic is in the DAC." Streamers are a dime a dozen. If have an extremely high quality built-in streamer in your DAC, trust me, you’ll forget all about the streaming part of the equation and you’ll just be concentrating and focusing on the music. It’s all about the DAC, but make sure it’s built-in streamer is of high quality and you’ll be just fine with an all-in-one.

Alright guys, first of all, thank you everyone on your great advice.  I really appreciate it!  Jbuhl made a really good point.  I really don't know how good the DAC is in the Krell.  It might be 5k to get better.

So I'm gonna borrow a rose streamer.  Plug it in tonight and get back to you guys.  If the streamer does better than the internal streamer then I will hunt for a great DAC.  Maybe holo may?

I'll report back!

Earthbound

I'm not sure.  I love vinyl, do tube DAC's sound more liquid?  Maybe with that bad ass amp a little tube magic would be nice?