I use a Bluesound Vault 2 run through an external DAC. Ripped cd’s sound better than streaming via Spotify, but the difference is marginal. I think it’s nice to have both options. If you do go with Bluesound, it’s critical to pair it with an external DAC, unless sound quality is not important. Another more expensive option is Innuous products which support ripping and streaming. If you end up going with a streamer, without ripping capabilities, I’d look at Lumin products.
Question on streaming, ripping etal......
Greetings all. Let me preface my commentary by saying I'm still a 2 channel old school, need to own my music type of guy. Since recently turning 60 under lockdown I've been pondering adding a streamer. My dilemma (partly) has been do I rip my current cd collection (1000) or just go to streaming 100%. I have a friend who had a Bluesound Vault and ripped his cd collection only to feel he wasted a lot of time. He has since moved to a Bluesound node and streams only and says he's perfectly happy. So, I'm interested in the thoughts of others who have traveled this path. I'm currently using an Oppo universal player feeding the dac of my Yamaha A-S801 integrated. Seemed to sound a tad cleaner than the Oppo analog into the Yamaha. Comments and inputs appreciated....