Burning/breaking in new equipment?

@randy-11: “source material (e.g. some CDs sound a lot better than others, so you'll want to track down the best masterings of an album) -- tho you don't say how you will feed your DAC”

I have never owned a media disk, so I am going to resist for as long as I can. I was thinking Oppo 203 (~$430 used) but I might not need it for audio, or video.  I will probably try to go with only subscription streaming for both audio and video, with no player, no Oppo. I like the simplicity.

For audio, I will get a subscription to Deezer - the first three months are free, so it is $90 for unlimited FLAC access to 45 million songs the first year.  Do I really need CDs? Does the Oppo give me anything if I go diskless?

For streaming when I first set up the equipment, I will use a Mac or Windows machine, or possibly just an iPhone to stream bits to the DAC through USB. I am also investigating nVidia Shield ($170) for streaming both audio and video. I like the Kodi/SPMC add-ons capability and the access to Google speech recognition. It would be great if I could use Echo/Alexa-like speech commands to find and play songs from Deezer - so much better for me than typing or using a remote to browse.

Oppo gives you ability to play video even if you stream

BTW, galvanic isolation is important for streaming - lots of engineers discussing this on computeraudiophile.com

There is a good argument for not getting into audio discs anymore, now that redbook cd streaming of a huge repertoire is available. Similarly, internet radio offers a huge choice, with often pretty decent or even superb sound quality (usually better than FM radio). With video it is a different story, however. Netflicks has its own series, and some B movies, but very little in the way of art films, or opera/ballet etc. And I know of no streamed alternatives. For that, you still need (UHD) Bluray discs.

" Netflicks has its own series, and some B movies, but very little in the way of art films, or opera/ballet etc. And I know of no streamed alternatives. For that, you still need (UHD) Bluray discs."

I didn't know that.  I thought you could stream, rent or download any video. 4k video might be so big that it would overwhelm their download/streaming sites.

I had a budget of $10,000 and I am several hundred dollars below that.  I thought I was going to spend what is left on acoustic panels, but now I might need to go with the Oppo -- or break the budget by a few hundred dollars, although if the Oppo is for video, it probably shouldn't be included as part of the stereo budget.

@ willemj: "The only component with a sonic signature will be the speakers. Even the best speakers are very imperfect compared to electronics. I take it you have auditioned those and like them. However, if you will ever consider upgrading anything, look at the speakers, because there may well be room for improvement in that area (at a price). Think of something like the Harbeth M40.2 (provided the room is big enough). But stay away from changing the electronics."

The KEF speakers are what I was least sure about.  I will look into the Harbeth M40 2, probably after a few months, unless I come across a fantastic deal before that.  Thanks.