Ready For Digital Source...Computer?

@high-amp, at some point you'll definitely need to get your laptop out of your listening chain. But if you can't right now while you're taking the time to find a dedicated music streamer that fits your budget and your lifestyle, I would suggest that you first invest in the best DAC that you can afford. When I was using my MacBook Pro as my music source, I used a Chord Qutest DAC that absolutely sounded fantastic to my ears. You can find used ones at very good prices these days. And it's really great because it has a very small footprint, and you can use either a USB > USB or a USB > SPIF cord to connect the DAC to your laptop. I also believe that a high quality interconnect cable is a must IMO. I use an AudioQuest Diamond USB cable in my system. Audiophile DAC's like the Qutest benefit a lot from having a of a good linear power supply(LPS) to help them perform at their best. 

Hey there, have any of you tried this?

https://www.amarrasound.com/amarra-luxe/

Took a quick look.  Amarra Luxe is software that runs on a Windows PC or a Macintosh computer.  You are still going to have to deal with computer power supply and a special USB or S/PDIF output card (with external linear power supply) if you want to match performance of a dedicated music server.

auxinput - OK but whadda ya think? I've been checkin' out that Lumin D2 as recommended hear. It looks decent (for $1200 off).

https://upscaleaudio.com/products/lumin-t2-network-music-player

If you are looking for an all-in-one that is pretty decent, the Lumin T2 has gotten great feedback in the industry. That being said, you need to think of the Lumin T2 as a $2000 music streamer combined with a $2200 DAC, both powered by a shared $300 switching power supply ($4500 total price). To get the most out of this, you really need to upgrade the power supply to linear power supply by getting that Lumin Connection Kit $60 and the Sbooster external linear power supply $400. Is it going to sound good with this? Yes, I think it will sound very good. The DAC section uses two ESS9028PRO dacs, which is good. However, the I/V section and analog output section are all op amps. This is not the best sound quality, but with a $2200 DAC you are not really going to get any better.

There are a lot of very excellent DACs in the $3,000 to $5,000 range that would totally outshine the Lumin T2, typically all using discrete analog stages instead of op amps. You can look at products such as Audio-GD, Holo Audio May DAC, Denafrips, LKS MH-DA005. All of these have different approaches to power supply, analog circuit and sound signature, but they are all excellent. If you combine one of these with a Roon Nucleus you would be doing better than tha Lumin T2. But it would be separate devices (not an all-in-one).