Looking for a streamer/DAC


OK. 
an old dog trying to catch a new stick. Looking for a streamer/DAC that includes Wi-Fi and would be best to run through my McIntosh MA352. 
I’m confused about the preamp section in many products. Can the preamp be bypassed so I can continue to enjoy the warmth of the tubes?

I have B&W 803 D4 speakers and max budget of $4-5K. 
thanks. 

128x128durangorusd

If you're going for convenience mainly, you don't need to spend that much.

If you're going for better SQ, wired ethernet is worth the trouble. 

Post your system on a system page for meaningful replies.

The Auralic Altair G1 does what you want and is said to be optimized for connection to your network via wifi. There are setup options that allow you to disable the volume control, preserving that tubey goodness.

When you say that you want a built in DAC, the output is naturally line level and it is pretty easy to allow for volume control. A good example of this is the Hifi Rose RS150B, but you can keep the output constant and input this to your McIntosh just like any other line level signal. This unit is at the top of your budget and allows for external USB drive and external CD Optical drive for ripping CDs to a USB drive. It also can be a Roon client, but comes with its own streaming ap..you still must sign up for a service. Also, it has balanced outputs, which you can take advantage of with your preamps balanced in. You probably want to look at units like this and pay attention to reports as to how the DAC sounds. You should be able to find all the main players locally.

 

Just get a separate streamer and DAC (without volume control) and don’t mess with having to bypass a volume control you don’t need anyway since you have an integrated amp.  Combo DAC/streamers are a gamble as both technologies are evolving rapidly and you may very well want to upgrade one and not the other in the future.  FWIW, and best of luck.