Suggestions for a streamer only (I have a great DAC)

You could try the excellent options from Antipodes Audio in New Zealand. Great sound and upgradeable.

The innuos statement streamer I believe is very good, depending on your budget the Taiko SGM extreme is as good as it gets https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/sgm-extreme-music-server/

I have also read good things about the Grimm audio streamer MU1.

I auditioned the AURALiC streamers against my home made computer streamer and they did not impress. This lead me to the audiophile style forum which is a wealth of info on both commercial and DIY streamers. I ended up building a state of the art 2 box streamer that has lead me to sell my £50k+ analogue set up.

It would be very worth while looking at the A style forum - the innuos streamers are very well thought of there - also lots of reviews of other brands.

All you really need is a Grace digital link $179. Yea, not a name recognized here, although I have brought it up many times, especially to those that think they need to spend thousands. Yea, may not do MQA or whatever it's called, and yea it may not provide the utmost In resolution, although it is capable of hi-res, but for your money it is a great sounding capable streamer. It never has an issue with connecting to wifi, it has a screen unlike many, and it has many built in apps. It also has a digital coax out to connect to an external dac. Don't knock it till you try it. Buy it on Amazon, then if you think it's junk, you can return it. I've had mine for over   a year....and I still have money in my pocket. 

duckworp

Thank you for your excellent article.  I have been considering all 3 of the streamers you mentioned and your comparisons and comments are very helpful.

I have had some recent experience with some of the streamers mentioned. In my office system which I listen to more than the main one now I have a metrum acoustics adagio NOS DAC / preamp and stream into it from either a metrum ambre - which sounds very good - or direct from an innuos mini mk3 which sounds quite considerably better. You have to enable squeezebox lite in roon to do this. The only issue is that when its streaming from tidal (as oppose to from its hard drive) you get occasional drop outs which to be fair roon warns you about with squeezebox. 

In my main system I have a Lumin A1 which i have had for years bypassing its own DAC streaming into a border patrol DAC. This sounds v fine too but again when I have swapped in the innuos it sounds richer, cleaner, more engaging.

It was actually Gary Dews at Border Patrol who recommended streaming direct from the Innuos to the BP DAC as apparently he does that when he demos the DAC at shows. Something to do with its linear power supply. So if I had to keep one of the three streamers Id keep the innuos.

My question would be - I love the Aurender displays but they arent roon compatible. Anyone know a streamer with such a high quality display which does roon? Auralic I guess...

Cheers