Ready For Digital Source...Computer?

rbstehno - "If you are using usb to the dac, you will never get the best performance"

Then why does EJ at Wyred 4 Sound recommend that as the only method to connect to his DAC (i2s with his server)?

asvjerry - Cool, thanks!

wsrrsw & ghdprentice - what DAC/Steamer combos are you using?

elangley01 - "LMS Qobuz plugin" Can you elaborate, maybe a link?

mahler123 - all good points, thx

vanson1- I’m learning, thank you

itsjustme - "What have you tried?" Macbook Pro with Bit Perfect with a Schiit Bifrost, a Primare DAC 30 and W4S 2v2 SE, after the Mac I tried a W4S Music Server with the W4S DAC, then finally a Roon Nucleus with the W4S DAC before losing my job (Covid shutdown) and selling the works.

"What are your sound objectives? - To listen to high-quality digitally reproduced music on a mid-fi 2 - channel stereo.

"You say "no Roon".- Roon is awesome, great format but yes, but another box in the system and I really don’t want to pay for both Roon and a streaming service as well. I am really waiting for Spotify to start streaming 1,411 Kbps, until then Tidal or Quboz will do.

david_ten - my system page shows what’s holding me over whilst I rebuild!

Past system was Coda CSiB V1, Martin Lagan Spires, W4S DAC, Roon Nucleus, OPPO BDP 93 for CD’s. I would revisit ML speakers again but I don’t have room to pull the speakers 3" out from the walls.

The system I am working on now (I think) I will be going with KEF R11s. They only need 9" off the back wall and 20" off the sidewall. If I could find something that sounds good, I would like to be even closer to the sidewall. Amp is a Luxman 507uXII. Still need DAC and streamer, hence the thread.

Lots of conflicting opinions on this subject, but the general consensus seems to be to go with a music server. Maybe I will start a new thread on this?

Thanks to you all!

Aurender for high quality streamers. They have them at all price points. The Auralic Aries G2 gets good reviews, I owned one, Aurender sound better to me. 

@high-amp  Thanks for answering my question.

Many ways to go about what you are trying to achieve. Other posters have offered you valuable advice.

If you are truly trying to keep it simple, while rebuilding your finances, home, room, etc. an extra phone or tablet is a great solution. Depending on the OS, using an app or additional software to maximize sound quality (via this route) will deliver good results; even more so if you also focus on the quality of the cabling and using intermediate devices to ~clean~ things up.

Since you seem to be open to a DAC...

AND are keeping your budget reasonable...

AND are open to a ~multi~ function device...

AND since it hasn't been mentioned...>>>

Take a hard look at offerings from iFi Audio. High scores on performance to value, on overall flexibility, portability, and broad feature sets.

ghdprentice Thanks, I’m aware of these products and will research them further.

avid_ten - Great advice. I have heard great things about the Ifi Zen Stream. Thanks so much!

A MBP with bitperfect is a decent source sonically.  depending on the program you use to catalog and stream it can be weak or strong, but you want streaming anyway. I'm not sure how good/bad the native streaming clients are - warning I have seen some that are different animals on their own, and vastly btter in, say Roon.

The bifront multibit is decent.  No more IMO.  But you did say, honstly, mid-fi.  At what, $700 its ok but there are much better.  The non-multibit is weaker IMO.