I need DAC help

You pretty much have it - Computer into a DAC into the amp - just make
sure the DAC you use has the USB driver for the operating system you are
using - its needed so you can select the dac as a device in place of
speakers

That will get you basic internet radio of reasonable quality.

You could even skip the dac and just take the headphone jack into the pre-
amp - even simpler - not quite the same quality though :-)

It's when you want to improve the quality with hi-res downloads that you
might want to get more a more sophisticated setup to improve playback
quality.

If you think you might want to explore hi-res then you should look at a DAC
with an asynchronous USB port and decide what the maximum sample rate
you will download - higher sample rate means more disk space required

Happy listening :-)

My 2 cents though I don't think I'm much further along the learning curve than you. I got started on "computer audio" for exactly the same reason. Wanted to listen to Pandora on my system - not just via headphones or crappy computer speakers. Got a V-DAC and later a V-Link to go with it. 1) USB cable from computer USB port to the V-Link. 2) Digital coax from V-Link to V-DAC. 3) Regular RCA interconnects to an available input on the amp or pre-amp. Nowadays you can find many DACs that incorporate asynchronous USB so you no longer really need 2 boxes. Asynch USB is definitely worth looking for in my mind. The V-Link made a good bit of difference in the sound from the V-DAC. Tech has progressed from those days but the basics can still be pretty simple. Consider talking to the folk at Audio Advisor. They can hook you up. [No affiliation or business interest with them]. Good luck and have fun.

thanks guys, I think I've got it. I'll just have to find out which dac will work with windows 8. After I get everything hooked up and operational I'll play around, get familiar with use and then on to the next step. If you have suggestions for a unit $1,000 and under I would be thrilled to have your input.

Call Music Direct. They sell many popular DACs and can advise on drivers. There are many DACs for under $500 new. For internet radio I would not spend more. Good luck.

I have the Schiit Bifrost DAC with the asynchronous USB-2 and the UBER analogue upgrade - comes in at around $600

They also have a balanced model called the Gungnir for around $850
See https://schiit.com/

I can only talk to the Bifrost, which excels when you add a good power cord like the Silver Resolution from Signal came and a good interconnect - again the Silver Resolution series from Signal Cable is a good choice.

I did audition DACs from Wadia, Chord and Mytek - all above $1300, but found the Bifrost to match or exceed their performance.

Granted, adding good cables to any DAC will upgrade it's performance, but the Bifrost has demonstrated that it can provide extremely good sound.

I have completed several tweaks to the interconnect and power cables I use and every time the Bifrost has improved significantly each time - it's a keeper :-)

Hope this helps