Ptss - radio stations that broadcast over the internet almost always sound better than FM and can be "near" CD quality.
What connectivity options does your laptop have - USB, Optical, S/PDIF ?
USB is perhaps the most utilized laptop interface and provides good quality, but you will read of "USB related issues" - these can be overcome with a little effort if you feel the need to address them - again, that is your choice.
Optical and S/PDIF are more straight forward
All of the above options would only require a DAC
The Oppo accepts all of the above interfaces, or you can opt for a LAN connectivity approach, but that can get more complicated so your "technical adeptness" could be challenged with a LAN approach.
I have the Schiit Bifrost DAC, which comes with S/PDIF and Optical as standard and USB as an optional upgrade. I stream internet radio and music from my hard drive. I can control station/song selection from my iMac using iTunes (my preferred interface), but I also have the ability to control iTunes from my tablet or Droid phone from anywhere in the house.
There are many programs for library management and remote playback which interfaces with many components, including the Oppo, so you might want to look into those also.
There are other DAC's available at many price points and they all offer "quality sound" - it all depends on what level of quality YOU require.
The Oppo is a very flexible approach and provides very nice DVD/CD capabilitites, but it wouldn't be my choice if my requirements were simply to listen to internet radio.
It really boils down to how good you want it to sound and what are your "key requirements".
From what I have read above - a DAC, such as the Bifrost, would be an acceptable approach at this time.
BTW, the Bifrost is my only digital source in my audio system - it's that good - when you tweak it :-)
And it starts at $349 + $100 for the optional USB interface. I can also highly recommend their UBER analogue upgrade.
Regards
