Hi, thanks everyone for the feedback so far!
Maybe I’ve presented my initial inquiry/outlook in a muddled manner, my fault.
To be clear, a better way for me to consider and make my choice would be to approach it as- if I were ONLY buying a component to feed stored files to my DAC, with NO internet-sourced or any network streaming involved, how would the Innuos units rank sound-wise and how would they compare to the alternatives in their price range / how synergistic would they be with the Tambaqui / what may be compelling alternatives? E.G., will check out the Aeon server suggested- maybe I should be getting a premium-quality server device and then separately purchase a more modest dedicated streamer if that’s more cost effective for getting a really great server and not over-paying for a very secondarily important (to me) streamer.
From the responses so far, I’m not sure if they are conflating the needs/wants of someone (a typical modern listener) streaming much/most/all of their listening content from the internet, with someone in my position (a bit of a throwback) who just generally won’t be doing that. Plus, I’m assuming (perhaps incorrectly!) that all things being equal, upstream from the DAC, it’s trickier/more expensive (setup-wise) to get a given level of sound quality through streaming it from the internet and/or through a home-network, than from a purely on-site, non-networked source.
Also, further context, about half of my "serious" listening is to my analog setup, so having already purchased the Tambaqui, I’m concerned (though I haven’t set a hard price ceiling) about the rate of diminishing returns as a server (or server/streamer combo) would approach the Tambaqui price-wise.
Thanks, fastfreight- after hearing the Tambaqui side-by-side with the Luxman D-10X I’d owned for a couple of years, I found the Tambaqui to sound substantially better than the Luxman, which is itself a wonderful piece of gear IMO.
In regards to what you’re saying about servers/streamers, Soix, I’m not assuming a priori that they have little importance, but am just curious as to relatively how much they generally have in proportion to DACs, particularly a server itself. Regarding what you’ve said about my grossly underestimating how much streaming I’ll end up doing, after 45 years of searching/collecting, I already have more music I like and love that I can ever get to as much as I’d like; and being a genuine primate, as soon as I’ve located new selections that appeal to me, prefer to own rather than "rent" them. But IF that changes down the road I’ll replace/upgrade what I have with more emphasis upon the high-end streaming side of things ; )