Best hardware DLNA renderer?

You have a few options. One is to get the DLNA rendered integrated in the DAC. The PS audio perfectwave with bridge would be in a good choice. They show used a lot - very reasonably priced.

The thing to look out for in anything that beats the 103 is not so much "horsepower", but clocking accuracy and quality of powersupply.

First, if you do not use any of the analog outputs, it is advisable to disconnect the powersupply from the analog board in your Oppo. This should improves performance of your digital transport.

You can wait for someone to build an Oppo 103 based optimized as a digital transport. It will happen eventually. Expect $2-4K pricerange. Again, look for clocking and powersupply upgrade.

In fact, MSB just release a player based on the Oppo 103 - which is probably the best DLNA streamer money can buy at this point in time. They rebuild the whole digital section and it has upgraded clocking and power. The base configuration will set you back $6600, but you can throw $16,000 worth of upgrade options at it (clock and power). Probably out of your pricerange....

Another option is to upgrade your 103. You can get a linear powersupply for below $300 (check for "Dr. Lee"), and there are DIY or installed clocking upgrade options as well.

thanks Edorr for the guidance. I rarely use the analog outputs so I'll try disconnecting their power. I was also contemplating a next system upgrade to be a system power conditioner which may bring in additional benefits. And I'll start investigating the PS Audio DLNA server.

DLNA is a surprise to me, I was expecting MP3 like performance and instead got playback that was more musically natural than the JK MkIII asynch USB to SPDIF with none of the tweaking and PC resource stripping used. Harmonic colors are much more correct, I'm not being ambushed by random aggressiveness and vocals never have a "sandpaper" edge. No Jplay or Fidelizer needed and because the PC is running in "normal" mode I can use all the remote options with JRiver MC in theater mode.

With my Perfectwave DAC, DLNA streaming (using the $800 PS Audio bridge) was equivalent to using a $2000 music server, a $2000 Offramp5 USB converter with optional $1000 powersupply and $1000 digital cable, so close to 10x better price performance....

The Lumin Network Player sounds interesting and it has DSD too.

Luminmusic.com

There are 2 very good reviews; one at 6 moons and the other at computeraudiophile. The links to the reviews can be found on the Luminmusic.com home page.

I still use a Logitech Transporter that I'm still very happy with, however I always have my eyes open for a successor. I also use MOG and Spotify though the Transporter.

Note, I haven't heard the Lumin player.

Rich

I've made some changes feeding the Oppo that have yielded even better results. I had dropped back to my WIN8Pro image because it supports the HP media remote with Jriver and I couldn't get it to work with a 2PC Jplay setup. I decided to give Windows server 2012 a shot in single PC setup using Tchuyev's optimization script at the link below (step 1 and step 2 for the audio PC). Wonderful improvement over using the JKmkIII for async USB, with either optimized WIN8Pro or stock server 2012. With an optimized server 2012 setup using DLNA and dedicated Ethernet to the oppo with Jriver MC18 and Jplay, what a treat with lush mid range and clean high/low transients and much simpler than a 2 PC setup. The only knock I could make was that on the loudest complex passages there was blurring but that could just be the limits of a stock oppo needing a better power supply or my amp. I'll find some other way to use a remote for theater view :<)

http://jplay.eu/forum/computer-audio/windows-server-2012-from-gui-to-core-the-easy-way/

Confused. When you use JRiver as a DLNA server, it is my understanding it simply manages the library (ususally stored on a NAS) and the music files are send directly from the NAS to your DLNA rendered (the Oppo in this case). The data never passes through the PC, and there is no processing in JRiver/Jplay taking place. How can Jplay make any difference in DLNA steaming mode? I am either misunderstanding what you are doing, or misunderstanding the signal path of DLNA streaming.

absolutely correct that Jplay isn't in the chain for DLNA. What does enter in is Windows Server 2012 optimization. In my case the audio files are on a 1TB HD on the JRMC PC (I use SOTM filters). To do NAS I'd have to get a bit more complex with switches/routers than my comfort zone as the single Ethernet port I have is tied up connected direct to the Oppo. I've tried some new cables with the JPlay/async USB setup (Wireworld Starlight 7 Coax/Supra USB) they made positive improvements but the main difference remains that spectrum seems shifted up with asynch USB and Jplay, that energy in the primary harmonic seems shifted into second order harmonic so that mid range and upper bass sound thin