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


budget = $4000

To be clear, a built-in DAC is fine, but not a necessity

ullogu1

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 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.

@philgo01
This is a tough place for EEs. In a digital circuit the great part is the perfect handshake to the next component it's easy to get a 1 or a 0 right that's the glory of digital in a nutshell. Analogue is a really tough signal to get right not digital. Have a thick skin and don't wast any time with your silly knowledge about electronics and physics when it comes to sound.