New to Streaming

@mjcmt the WiiM Pro is a great streamer but the DAC in it is only so-so, maybe not even "so-so" but it could serve as a streamer to a better external DAC of course. The newer WiiM Pro Plus has a much better DAC in it for only $220 and many reviewers say it sounds as good as the Bluesound Node (but not the Node X). They also say it has a better clock circuit for less jitter as well. 

The software app in the WiiM is great (I have a cheap WiiM Mini in one room feeding a Schiit DAC), at least as good as BlueO/S. But the Node offers HDMI Arc, a subwoofer out, and bass management if you use it as a digital preamp. $220 vs. $600.

Just want to say Quobuz is highly recommended and works well. But I much prefer Tidal with its "Connect" app which many streamers support that passes off the URL directly to the streamer.  Wish more streaming platforms would roll out these "Connect" apps.  I believe the popularity of lossy Spotify can be attributed directly to them being one of the earliest platforms to have a Connect app and it being supported by so many streamers. 

If Deezer or Quobuz had a Connect app, I'd switch from Tidal. Tidal recently decided to not honor the 1-year subscriptions sold by Best Buy and has forced users to sign up for a monthly subscription. That sux. 

@jl35 Yes, I don't have a Pro Plus but reviews say it is exactly the same but with 1. A better clock circuit, and 2. A better DAC that is implemented better. I think John Darko did a 25-minute review of it recently and Matt Coykendall compared it to the Bluesound Node on YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2mV155qGIM&t=3s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwbEtcgbyEA

For those of you into watching YouTube reviews with a grain of salt, here’s a recent one (Tharbamar) that compares the Eversolo DMP-A6, the WiiM Pro (unfortunately not the better Pro Plus), and the Matrix i4:

3 Best Buy Music Streamers Comparison, EverSolo A6 vs. Matrix i4 vs. WiiM Pro - YouTube

As for Spotify, I simply got tired of being lied to about when they were going lossless with at least CD quality. I’ll never go back to them, even if they offered it for $1/month. Their bait and switch kept me on lossy Spotify needlessly for a year.

While we’ve been discussing these streamers and more, there are the NAD CS-1 ($349) and the Cambridge Audio MXN10 ($499) which haven’t gotten a lot of press (so far) that might be worth a look. The MXN10 says, "Spotify Connect, TIDAL & Qobuz built in".