Fairly new to streaming. Where to start?

Artemus_5I am on the same journey. I currently stream with a yamaha wxc-50,  which is not mentioned much here but is a very versatile little device with quality on a par with the node 2i for just $350. I have been evaluated all the upgrade options too and here is the one I'm leaning towards which fits your budget and should be on par with the solutions mentioned in this discussion. Consider a Sonore UltraRendu augmented with a quality power supply. I plan to use an older Mac mini running either Audirvana or Roon to stream my ripped cd collection and access streaming services. It can be controlled from a iphone or a ipad remotely. This can all be done for $2000 or less depending on what you may already have.

elliotbnew
If you won't pay for streaming you are not serious. Commercials suck. Hundreds of free streaming radio stations have better SQ than Pandora free. And play a better variety. Even Spotify free radio is better for discovery. Not that you could tell the difference through a PC headphone jack.
I won't let any of my PCs in the same room as my big HiFi rig. Except for setting up DSP.

Wow guys. Thanks very much. This has been a good learning process. I think I will go with a streamer for now. Most have suggested Bluesound Node or Vault 2 or 2i.  I have messaged one seller but have not heard back yet. I'll do another. I'm also wondering if I should spring for $250-$300 more for a Vault 2i. I know it has some updated streaming codecs and better Bluetooth. It may have updated menu selections too, but I'm not sure. I know the menu and interface are very important and thank you for reminding me of that. I can get the 2i for a little over $800. The only rub is that its "Factory Refurbished". But it still has a 1 yr warranty. Since its factory I may do that if its worth the extra  At some point I will put an upgraded DAC on it.. I really do like the vault  so I am leaning that way.

FWIW, I was cranked up Saturday from steroids for my back pain. It was the 1st day and I had 6 that day. At some point I was in a state of not knowing if I wanted to sleep or fly. LOL. Never been there before. Then I didn't sleep at all on Sat night and therefore was in quite a fog yesterday. But it is nice to be rid of the low back pain. And again I thanks you all for the help. I'm sure I will ask other questions such as if I should spend the $800 new 2i vault ? 

@bruce19

Have you a//b the Yamaha against the 2i? I’m just curious. The audio shop here in town sells & uses one to demo their speakers (Watkins Gen 4). The music sounds great. He’s been trying to sell me one.

Then too, I've read that all streamers are not equal in their ability to hand over the 1's & 0's over to the dac. I don't know if this is correct though.

I think you would be surprised by how nice the Bluesound Node 2i sounds.  I stream Tidal and I find MQA to have a noticeable difference in sound stage and presence.  The dealer talked me into adding a ProJect S2 DAC to the Bluesound connected with an Audioquest Carbon COAX cable.  However, I preferred the Bluesound by itself.  When you add a DAC, you can only get one unfold of MQA.  Again, I liked MQA better than adding a DAC.  I had to sell the DAC and Coax for half of what I paid. I wonder if you can hear a significant difference in sound quality after purchasing a $3,000 streamer?  The dealer I purchased my REL subwoofers recommended I go with a BelCanto Streamer for three times the cost.  Problem is finding a dealer who will allow you to take both home to try on your home system for 24 hours.  I think most would be reluctant because they don't want you to know how good the Bluesound sounds like for the money.  Everyone in this group does not like MQA and I wonder why I do?  I guess if you spend more, it just must sound better.