streamer for PWD DAC mkII - tired of a computer and complicated connectivity!

Bluesound Node2 review :-

http://www.whathifi.com/bluesound/node-2/review?oq=node%202&src=textfield&aq=node%202&ty...

Hey Mark

   I too got tired of my Mac&Dac setup and got the Bluesound 2 Vault and Node.  As has been mentioned upstream, thehy require an ethernet connection.
  It generally works well, except there are frequent updates, and you have to rest the whole system with each update (or at least I have to reset mine, perhaps other uses don't have to).
Frequent unwanted i tunes updates were one reason that I bailed on Mac&Dac, so this does not make me happy.
   There is no substitue for Physical Media, imo

I like to own the physical disc too but lately I have been converting my CDs to .wav  and putting them on a hard drive. I use my OPPO 103D universal player to send the digital stream to my NAD M51 DAC and it sounds great plus the Playlist  and cover art appears on my TV and my tablet which also  serves as the remote/interface for all my media. I would love something like the Bluesound Vault 2 but I can't justify the cost right now with a kid in college...  maybe next year.  I almost bought the original Vault but didn't like the form factor and lack of coax digital out.   

So mahler, how do you like the Vault 2 ?

I don’t know, but I don’t think Bluesound is doing a good job of explaining the technology as well as they should be. For example, they don’t explain how well streaming works if you only buy the Node 2 unit, i.e. no Vault. Currently, I’m using Airplay to stream music to my Apple TV. There’s very little information on how this can improve the sound. I'm sure someone has done subjective studies, but I can't find any info. Bluesound doesn’t support Airplay, so they advise that you buy an airport express and hook it up to the Node.
https://support.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/articles/200271836-Does-Bluesound-support-Apple-AirPlay-

Well, that’s confusing. Do I really need to buy an airport express? I don’t want to, because the whole idea is to simplify the setup with Bluesound, not add more pieces to the puzzle. By suggesting that the user add the Airport Express, I believe Bluesound is diluting the message.

I’m assuming that they have an alternative (to Airplay) proprietary streaming protocol that can work well with a Mac/iTunes. We know that Airplay cannot stream hi-res music, but can a Node 2 stream in, say 24/96, given a Mac and iTunes combo? There are lots of obvious questions and not much information on the net.

Arafiq, I am in total agreement about the lack of info. I have been scouring the manufacturer's websites to find streaming products and I am finding very few that look like attractive options at any price. It seems this section of the industry is still quite undeveloped. 

My my options seem to be to buy a $500 streaming device (bluesound node or auralic mini) to replace my mac mini and connect to the PS Audio PWD via USB, but this makes me rely on the USB which reduces the quality of playback of the PWD by not using its onboard player in the bridge, and it also means I am investing in an underdeveloped user interface in either of those streaming products. Basically, I am not super excited about either.

My other option is to sell the mac mini and the PWD and purchase one of three stand alone DAC streamers: the Sony hap-z1es, the Cambridge 851N, or the Marantz na11s1 (the Marantz being a bit north of my budget).  The issues here are, I may be taking a step back in sound quality from the PWD, and the question of user interface is still there - how mature are these other options?

i think I am going to give the old college try on the PWD bridge, and see if I can get a different software other than JRiver to work. If I still find it too cumbersome, perhaps I'll audition the Cambridge unit, as it looks very flexible. Has anyone compared to Cambridge 851N to a higher end ($2500 a $5000 price range) stand alone DAC?