Digital Advice

DAC & Mac = 0

Streamer DAC = 4 votes

A repurposed Mac allows me to spend the entire budget on a DAC. This should result in a better DAC. Also the Mac is already setup for streaming, and most of the CDs I own are on the hard drive. Surprised to see zero votes for this option. Why?

Our posts must have crossed.

There are posters here that will routinely dismiss CDs and tell any one inquiring about a new CDP to just stream.  They aren’t right or wrong, it’s just a preference.

Also the Mac is already setup for streaming, and most of the CDs I own are on the hard drive. Surprised to see zero votes for this option. Why?

Because your Mac is very noisy and a poor source for streaming, and even a budget streamer will sound much better.  The Vault I recommended above is in your price range and will do everything you’re looking for (including playing your CDs) and will sound much better than your Mac. 

Here’s a Schiit Bifrost DAC for $300. 
And the Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport for $335

Use your Mac to stream to Schiit via USB. This will beat WiiM and Bluesound. 

New Vaults are over his budget. Personally I would stay away from a used Vaults. I don’t know what refurbished means, except they scrubbed the hard drive. My Vault started failing after about 3 years, right when the warranty was up. I think he is safer going with a Wiim and a transport, but adding a program like Audirvana greatly improves using a PC as a streamer, because it turns off some other parts of the PC that contribute to the noise. It probably costs the same as a Wiim