PC+Dac or Streamer

I went PC for years until I bought a dedicated streamer-dac. The sound quality and convenience of use (through iPad or iPhone) was much improved IMO.

This is a big, complicated topic. But, a couple of minor corrections.

First, you can still get new music/bands on CD. No problem at all. Now, the production value may not be any good but that is not a new risk.

Second, CDs are available CHEAP. Probably cheaper than any other media. Millions available via eBay. Excellent recordings for $2-8.

As for SQ, it depends on how picky you are. Low res streaming typically isn’t going to sound as good as a CD via a CD player. Hi-res streaming might sound better than a CD on a CD player if you’ve spent money in the right places. And that can be a lot of money.

I use Amazon streaming to a low end DAC to research music. Then I buy the CD if it is a keeper. I rip the CD into my computer and play it via the same DAC. It is VERY convenient and run completely from my chair via iPhone. The whole set-up set me back maybe $150 at most.

In the final SQ analysis I believe the SQ is better via CD player than ripped through the DAC. But only marginally.

A lot of people will tell you that a Blue Sound Node 2i is a good streaming option. I have not tried it yet. $500.

For me it's as much about convenience as sound quality.  I have a streamer in my office, but I hardly ever use it because it's a lot easier to play Tidal, Spotify, files from my network, etc. from my desktop since I'm sitting in front of it already.  I have two such systems, both with good DACs (a Wyred 4 Sound DAC 2 and a Mytek Liberty), and the sound quality is excellent. 

In my main system, there's no PC sitting in front of me, so I have a BlueSound Node 2.  I control that with a tablet (or my phone) and that is pretty convenient.  I'm feeding the signal from the Bluesound into an Auralic Vega DAC.  The sound quality is better than the other systems, but that's in large part because I also have better amps, preamp, and speakers in that system. 

You can have great sound quality either way.  I would be more concerned about convenience / ease of use and budget than whether one method sounds better than the other.

@murgeshj  It's perfectly fine to 'stream' from your PC to your DAC. You will obtain much higher sound quality if you add some 'mini' components/peripherals between your PC and your DAC. There are many options and I suggest a site like computer audiophile to access a broader and deeper field of knowledge than offered on this forum.

Also, you don't need to "walk to [your] PC" to select / listen to your music. There are many control apps available.

Finally, barring a high level of expertise, which I am assuming you don't have at this time, a standalone network server / player / streamer is probably a 'better' and 'easier' solution for you.

All the best.

I’m going to answer this a bit differently than others.  With respect to SQ, my experience has been that a streamer is a vastly better solution than even a tricked out PC.  In reality, a streamer is a computer dedicated to that particular function with the extraneous demands and functions (which cause noise, timing errors, etc.) removed.  I have two experiences to back this up.  I replaced a dedicated, optimized Mac mini with an Aurender server and the sound quality was demonstrably better.  I also inserted a Bluesound node 2 into another system to replace a dedicated PC - same result, though it’s not as good as the Aurender.  Both are going into pretty nice DACs.  With respect to convenience...
When they work - all is well.  When they don’t (and here I have to complain about Bluesound), it can be maddening.  It’s easy to keep a PC up to date. But, sometimes updates there cause problems with the streamer.  And, sometimes, for inexplicable reasones, the Bluesound can’t find my library stored on the NAS.  The dance to keep it pointed to the right things has become more than irritating and tiresome.  It sounds great for streaming and for the library. At the moment, I can stream, but can’t access my library.  The setup can be challenging too.  So, convenience in my experience? No.  Sound quality -yes.