Streaming Services

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!

I think your plan of taking it slow is a good one. Use your Mac and see if you like it. I also second the opinion of those who emphasize the importance of the software to the experience. Mac and Apple Music, try a little Quboz, see what sticks. If the sound quality isn’t up to snuff for you, you now know there are other options. Based on your responses, I think you might be well served upgrading eventually to one of the so-called ‘all-in-ones’ or ‘single-box’ solutions (provided the software is up to snuff). The sound quality is excellent, and you can treat it simply as a source into which you can load and store CDs etc. Very easy to use. Satisfying. Innuous, Arrender, Auralic, and others have much to offer. From what I can gather, the USB interface has been well sorted by now (it used to ba a problem); although a single-box should offer additional options.