Streamer recommendation under $3000

Easy, Sonore xxxRendu. They only do Ethernet-2-USB and are ROON READY. I think they invented the steamer Ethernet-2-USB field. They are very active on Computer Audiophile forum, see @Barrows and @Vortecjr.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/forum/24-sonore-sponsored/

You can even get a fibre optical network setup with the Sonore line rather cheaply (a few hundred $$), though the last few centimeters will be USB and not fibre. Why is fibre cool? It cannot carry audio noise, unlike RJ45 and USB.

The only DAC I know of that directly supports fibre input is the Lumin X1. You spend a few hundred on a network switch that supports fibre and then connect a noiseless fibre cable from the switch to the Lumin DAC/streamer.

In the future, more DACs will support the fibre like Lumin X1 already does.

@smodtactical I believe the SonicOrbiter operating system that is in the Rendu's can interface with a Windows PC using 1 of the many protocols that are supported by SonicOrbitor. You will have to do some research on that by contacting Small Green Computer or Sonore and then describe your use case.

I currently have a microRendu and it is streaming via ROON from my Windows PC. So my ethernet is connected to the Rendu and the output of the Rendu goes into my USB input on my DAC.

I personally think that the Rendu does a very good job of isolating internal computer audio noise from the DAC. I sometimes run many programs on my PC while streaming and I cannot hear any degradation in the sound.