Streaming Services

If you have a good DAC consider a dacless streamer, I have had and or borrowed several, the best sounding was the Stack Link however this had an awful app and refused to work in a mac environment, even the dealer couldn't make it work. OK was a Sonore Microrendu but too many drop outs, same with iFi Streamer it had DAC compatibility issues, Pro Ject was quite awful, more expensive ones were OK but no better than the Lindemann Limetree  Bridge I have now,

My MacBook can output an optical signal out of the headphone jack.  There’s a lot of respectable DACs on the used market for reasonable prices, you could get one that handles that optical input signal—Bryston BDA-1 perhaps?  Sending the signal over optical would isolate that electrical noise generating by the laptop.

I don’t recommend, although they have lossless available their selection doesn’t stack up.

I have a Node N130 with a better power supply and am using USB to my DAC. I’m using Amazon HD and Qobuz. Both have good user software and decent sound, but Qobuz has a better selection of music and if you pay yearly, it only a few bucks a month more.

All the best.

Well, pardon me but in looking back through posts, I see that mike_in_nc stated "I have used many streamers, and I’m happy with my Auralic Aries G1. It can output USB, SPDIF, or AES3 into a DAC".

It can be output to USB - great to know!

Forgive my ineptness here, I started this thread not knowing anything about streamers.

Thank you, curious jim for sharing how your using USB to DAC!