@whitestix I used Mac Mini as a streamer for quiet some time before upgrading to Auralic Aries G1 and Lumin U1 Mini. I’ve done several comparisons of streamers to Mac Mini and the Mac lost every time whether it streamed Qobuz or played files from the attached HDD. The difference was immediately audible.
The Mac Mini is now in a totally different part of the house, away from my audio components and is being used strictly as a Roon core.
Do I need a streamer?
Streaming devices, with or without an internal DAC, seem to be very popular these days, so I am wondering if I am missing out on something. I have Audirvana on my iMac that streams Tidal and music from my 8 TB external HD. My iMac resides next to my audio rack and I connect my iMac via an optical cable (Fibbr) to my Aqua LaVoce DAC. It seems to me that my iMac and external HD take the place of a streaming device. Am I missing out on something other than convenience? My external HD was a few hundred bucks and streamers a whole lot more. The sound of my system is fantastic.