getting into streaming

Sorry, I take issue with anyone saying the cheap WiiM Mini (I've not tried the Pro) doesn't work.  I have THREE of them scattered around. One in my den for non-critical listening feeding an AVR, another at my work office for convenience.  And another in my bedroom for playing music at a low level before going to sleep. 

I've had very little issues with these, and the user app (I'm using Android but control them using a PC or iPAD sometimes) is as good if not better than Bluesound O/S in ease of use.  I have used them with Spotify, Tidal Hi-Fi, and sometimes play Internet Radio using the optical out to feed external DACs. 

If the OP is only wanting to "test the streaming waters" for under $100 and can use the SPDIF optical out they can't be beat.  (You can't even begin to build a Raspberry Pi streamer for that these days let alone add a quality Allo "digital hat" to it).

You aren't out much money and can repurpose them for another room or give to a relative when you upgrade to a "real" streamer, as I'm sure you will once you get hooked.  Then you will want one price commensurate with the rest of your system in your main listening room. Then look to Dave and Troy. 

As far as working, I refer you to the many positive reviews on Amazon similar to mine.  No, they aren't a $1000 quality device, but no one expects them to be. And I have to say their software team is top notch. They made promises and actually kept them - for such a cheap device! - which is more than I can say for Spotify and some other device manufacturers.   
 

Haha when I got into streaming I figured ok this will be pretty straight forward and easy in comparison to my viny and preamp matching... Couldn’t have been more wrong. Streaming is still in its infancy and although it is really good there’s still alot of technology and room to grow. Like being aware of buying eq that will be obsolete in a few years or how it’s supported with software updates. Your Dac is the same thing and does it have room to grow? Problem is you don’t know what you don’t know. So 1st thing is watch as many videos on reviews of every quality streamer and dac you can. Create a list of features, balanced, wifi, software, streamer vs server etc. Make sure you research the dac and if it’s features and your preamp options are in par w one another. Also if your dac meshes well with the features of your streamer. Each dac sounds different so this stuff matters. Decide which things are priorities for you. Many say to get a tablet, I own an android note and my innuos sense software works perfect and it’s one of the better streamer interfaces in the market so I have no need for tablet would be a waste of money. At the end of the day It’s like anything else, some devices are meant to look impressive with features and pretty screens in a be all end all approach while others are desinged with a more seperate eq approach with priority of sound quality 1st in mind. And yes you will have a hard time finding anything that does both especially at certain price points so again know what you want. The more I researched the more I realized the less I knew so take your time again there’s so much information to consider but try to learn as much as possible so your not throwing money away. Unlike preamps and record players most of the features built into those type of devices are beneficial when you use  whereas in streaming its easy to pay for features you will never use or need. Dont mean to make this sound daunting but if music is a passion you will enjoy the challenge of all this.  After you’ve done enough homework  to be dangerous and have narrowed your search down to a handful of devices then you should come back to the forum here to see what others experiences have been with those to make sure your not overlooking anything and of course this goes without saying but if you can demo before buying certainly do. Best of luck curious to what you decide down the road.

well thanks everyone....lots of info here to digest. There were a couple of people that were able to answer the first question I had, that there isn't a device that comes with its own interface (It might have been logitech that someone pointed out had one years ago). 

As it was also pointed out above there is a lot more to streaming than playing cd's. I will continue to do some research and see where it leads me

thanks again

My amp uses the same DAC chip as the AQ Dragonfly (I forget which color). It's a decent enough DAC chip for my needs. The amp allows for Digital Coax, Toslink and has a USB input, as well. I am using a desktop computer which is capable of 24/386 file playback, streaming to the amp's DAC via an upgraded USB cable.

My source is Amazon Music HD which has files that go beyond CD quality with 24/44, 24/48. 24/96 and 24/192. Most of the files are either 16/44 or 24/48. 

I was going to buy a dedicated streamer, but my 67 year old ears and moderately priced stereo system (under 4K) have made that purchase unnecessary. I may purchase some upgraded ethernet cables for an inexpensive tweak.

Like most threads here, everyone has their own sense of what constitutes a good piece of equipment. I believe that some of this involves personal taste, component synergy, and I suspect that it is mostly due to having heard few systems. The most important question are what is your budget and what components other than cd player are you using? Perhaps I missed your statement of budget, but considering that you are not looking to upgrade one of the most critical components, the DAC, I’m guessing that you want to keep costs down, in which case you have some excellent suggestions above. If you want to go to the next level then there are some members with extensive experience at various, including high levels of build. @ghdprentice above is in that category and probably others.

I’m not one of the experienced few, but over the last year I did cycle through various gear. I discovered that my sense of what sounded good and what I would recommend has changed as I discovered unexpected reproduction improvements. In my opinion general computers are not good streamers, but they do keep cost down. Roon is a widely used program for organizing stream content. You will then need a Roon subscription plus a subscription to a music service. Roon requires a Roon server and separate streamer, or a streamer with built in Roon server. I use an Aurender N20 streamer, which isn’t Roon based and uses the Aurender conductor app running on a mobile device, but it doesn’t require an external server. I still need a subscription music service. I have all of my CDs ripped and stored on my N20. The playback is, to me, phenomenal. So, consider buying used to maximize results. Also, this allows you to upgrade at a latter date without losing 50% of the new value.