Requesting recommendations for simple and easy to use music streaming devices

Another Possibility:

Rogue Audio Pharaoh integrated over on TMR $1.8K

Schiit Gungnir DAC new $800

Bluesound Node on TMR $500

just a tad over budget. easy to set up. People here can get you going on the hookup. But do your own research on that amp to make sure it matches up to speaker specs

Also a Hegel H95 over on usaudiomart within your budget. Has internal DAC so you could skip the Schiit with that unit and got strait from BS node to amp.

Too generalize to maximize SQ.

Streamer---->DAC----Integrated.

BSNODE-->Schiit-->Rogue

You can find and integrated with a DAC (Like the Hegel) if you want to keep it simple but many times specialized DACs do better.   They are almost always better than the DACS in streamers at the BS node price point. 

Review of the Paraoh

i agree with earlier input to keep the integrated amplifier separate from streamer/dac

as for the steamer/dac... the cambridge cxn v2 is an excellent one... simple, easy to use software and interface to stream tidal, qobuz etc... not complicated at all

there is a wonderful tubed output stage mod that dan wright/modwright does which makes it sound top-notch, if you want to spring for that, and i believe it will do wonders for vocal reproduction on your graham speakers

stock unit

modded unit

discussion about the modded unit

Before you drop hundreds or over a grand, please check out the Wiim Pro. 

It has coax and optical audio with bit-perfect hi-res performance. The software is outstanding. It is updated frequently and it is making waves.

$150 and is available at Amazon. 

@switzer145 can you define simplicity.

-- something you can buy and sit in the corner and never worry about and upgrade as tech changes a simple one box controlled via an app

~$1000 Bluesound Power Node -

~$2500 - Marantz M40n

~$3500 NAD M10 v2 or  Naim Uniti

They are all one box systems that probably mean an upgrade in 10 years - i.e. a total replacement. The additional dollars will just give you better sound -- but thats all subjective. There's probably 20 options in that price range for a single box solution. 

Most people here would tend to separate their system into an AMP and Streamer / DAC separates which is a different ball game. If you want to do that route things are slightly more complicated as you will have two or more devices which have to work together but you can upgrade easier and ticker with the system more.