MOVING TO computer/HD/audio player from CD's

You can stream from your macbook to another device with wifi enabled. 5GHz is better than 2.4GHz for this. The other device is called an NAA, or network audio adapter. You can use a NUC with wifi for this. If you don’t want a NUC with a fan you can move the motherboard from the NUC into a fanless case from Akasa. Very simple to do. Or just buy the board separately. If you want an untethered solution that’s probably your best bet.

You could also connect a hard drive to the NUC and just run everything from it.

I suspect this question has been answered a zillion times.  I may have did a few times too.  But here's my two cents on what I did:

(Not recommended)
1) use Mac's PnP (with, say, a cheap Sony DVD / Blu-ray as streamer to your DAC)
--- slow, unsearchable, many files not recognized, complete waste of time; poor sound quality

2) use Mac's headphone jack as analog audio in
--- just don't!

3) use Mac's Toslink digital output (same headphone jack as also an Toslink out) to your DAC, with some software like VOX
--- inferior quality, also, you cannot do web browsing on your Mac at the same time

4) Sonos (OMG)

5) Denon Helios (OMFG)
--- only saving grace is integration with Amazon Music, plus playing directly from your iPhone's library (very convenient ... I don't need to power up my Mac yet I could listen to my music library thru Helios --- as long as I don't downgrade the format while syncing thru iTunes)

6) Pioneer N50 (OMOMFG)

(works for me)
7) Logitech Transporter as a streamer to your DAC, Mac runs the Logitech Media Server.  The Mac and the external drives are all SDD.
--- the iOS app only works on older iOS, I use browser interface instead (typically <your mac's IP>:9000 in Chrome / Firefox et al)
--- only 24/96 output from Transporter

The key is convenience at the expense of quality, much like vinyl -> CD.  You get the idea.  But mostly, the music is 100% enjoyable to listen to.

There are some very expensive solutions out there, like memory player, et al.  But at that level, I'd rather pop a CD onto my CD player.

OK... maybe I wasn’t clear in what I have, and where I want to go.  It may also be that I am so far behind the times(I’m 70 yers old), that I don’t understand what you are talking about.

I have a rather high end line array speaker system.  Each size has 25 mid ranges, 15 tweeters, one 8 inch mid woofer, one 12 inch sub woofer.  This is connected to a analog electronic crossover running a separate amplifier for the tweeters, mid ranges, mid woofers, and sub woofer.  Each of the  six amplifiers(one for each side, for each group) are 100 watts, and a 350 RMS watt per channel amp for the woofers. Turn it on Playing Organ, and you will think you are in the church as there is no distortion.  This is connected to a pre-amp which currently connects to a CD player and an FM Tuner. 

I’m listening online, and burning CD’s from a subscription service called PrimePhonic which streams at 24 bit, 44Khz.  

I have almost 1000 CD’s of everything but taking music, more than 1/2 classical.  

The purpose is to put all the cd’s on an external SSD and  play them using an audio music player on the computer.  This would save massive space, make it portable, and make finding a selection much easier.   Optimally,  I would simply like  play them from across the room using my late 2013 quad core 2.6 ghz macbook pro.  

But... I’m not willing to spend $2000+ just to get a wifi or blue tooth connection between my pre-amp and my macbook pro.  The MBP has thunderbolt, usb 3.0, HDMI, and of course the headphone output, but the headphone output is also a digital output.  

For $300, I can buy a used 13 inch core 2 duo with optical output and hard wire connect it to my hi-fi system, doing the above. 

I’m not sure whether my questions was answered because when I looked up the items listed(I’m not sure what they do) their prices far exceeded the price of a used 13 inch MBP and a couple of two terabyte SSD’s.