Hello Audiogoners, I have been overwhelmed by the responses I have received. Your advice based upon your experiences is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you. I'm still leaning Innuos. If I can swing it in my budget, I favor the Lumin U2, not only for its ability to stream great music, but for its optical ethernet connection as well (optical ethernet could by the wave of the future). Aurender has been a stalwart in the digital realm for years. You Aurender guys are pretty loyal bunch, no doubt for a very good reason. I haven't been thinking about that streamer because it's my understanding that all are not Roon capable except for one. Maybe Roon is not such a necessary thing? I'd be interested all of your opinions on Roon. I have read some who say it improves the sound, some say it degrades it. What do you guys think?
Thanks to those who were trying to help me with a more budget friendly solution. I have a rather nice unit in the Acoustic Research VSi75. I really want to pair it with a streamer and DAC worthy of its capabilities. But if my budget won't allow, I always have your budget friendly suggestions to consider.
I'm still unclear which is the best connection from streamer to DAC. Is it USB, AES, I2S, etc.? I would be interested in your experience with that aspect of digital streaming.
If you have nothing more to add, again, thank you for your kind suggestions. You guys are the best, Eric