Best streamer, don't want Roon, don't want a screen, A DAC is OK but not necessary

I never understood the pricing structure of pure digital sources  beyond say a couple of grand USD.  I am an electrical engineer by training and can confirm that electronically, bits are bits.  

The power supply, DAC and analog stage do matter as it impacts sound quality.  But for source, I am thrilled with WiiM's

WiiM Pro Plus with SMSL 400 Dac…great combo…Teac nt-505 too…even a Bluesound Node with Topping d90 is great…best is my M1 MacBook Pro into external dac…

Innuos.

Simaudio

Innuos Pulse or Moon MiND 2, find somewhere to make the comparison and decide.

If you are going to use the MacBook pro to a DAC via USB get yourself galvanic isolation. Most good DACs now have a decent clock for asynchronous transfer, so you are OK there, but the noise from the Mac is a real issue. I bought an Intona isolation device and heard a big difference - no AB testing required. Also, and this surprised me, switching from a cheap USB cable mattered. The isolation device helped even with a Qutest DAC, which is supposed to have built in galvanic isolation. Also, getting shielded power cords  near the DAC made a difference.