spend on the streamer or on the DAC ?

@olica

unless i am mistaken the linn akurate ds is a 10 year old product

in the digital media/streaming world that is like dinosaurs walking the earth - get something cheaper and newer

only as good as the weak link is the short answer, but I would start at getting the DAC right.  I think they are to the point where you can get a reasonably priced great performer with very good capabilities and not worry about it being outdated for a while now.  my solution recently in that regard was the Denafrips AresII.
Streamers are a bit more complex of an issue as there are two aspects that weigh on the decision and one of those is ever evolving.  First is the overall capabilities and specs of the unit.  There are enough dedicated streamers out there that making sure it's of quality shouldn't be hard.  The 2nd more challenging aspect for me anyway was satisfying the software side of things.  This brand allows this, the brand only does this etc.  The BluOS of the Node is really one of the more versatile platforms and once you use it, it is difficult to go another route.  I ended up going with Roon, but even that doesn't allow me to integrate Spotify or now Amazon HD Music.  I could live without either, but I am so far down the rabbit hole with Spotify, and the family is on the account, I cant just drop it.  I therefore use my Tidal mostly which at the end of the day is perfectly fine.
Initially I used the AresII with the Node2 but I knew I wasn't tapping the Ares full potential having to use Spidif/digital coax to connect them.  For now I just set up a new RaspberryPi4b with an up graded Power Supply running RoPieeeXL as an endpoint for Roon.  This allows me to use USB and get higher res and DSD level streams that the Areas s capable of.
So at the end of the day when I went thru the process it seemed like the software/user interface was a more challenging issue related to the streamer side of it all.  And that aspect seems to be changing weekly too so I wasn't into putting a lot of $ into the streamer at this point when the RPi is really outstanding anyway.

I feel NAD is really missing the boat not taking the BluOS into a dedicated line of streamers.  They would kill it.  But like most larger companies right now, they seem to all be heading toward putting everything into one box.

Hello,
I just hooked up the Wired4Sound reclocker. My Sonos player went from 44.1 to 96k. Thanks jJS49 for the great idea. 

FYI: the Linn Akurate DS and DSM units have been around a while. But the different iterations (0,1,2,3) have seen real updates. The current Akurate 3 with Katalyst technology is excellent. They are expensive. Another option is to buy a used older model and have a Linn dealer provide the Katalyst upgrade which replaces most of the board and the rear panel. Getting the upgrade gives you a new five year warrenty as well.

FYI, the cheaper tier is the Linn Majik line and the top of the line tier is the Klimax line. There is also the more modular line called Selekt.

Linn stuff is well made with one of the lowest repair rates in the industry. It also offers excellent software and a room EQ system called Space Optimization. 

DAC