Streamers and software

I was at the same point you’re at now a couple of years ago, wanting to get rid of my Node and it’s frustrating software. My shortlist of streamers were Innuos, Lumin, and Esoteric. I finally landed with the Esoteric and while I enjoyed everything about it, one of the most surprising upgrades I made was adding ROON to the equation. It works seamlessly with Qobuz, and I’ll never go back. I highly recommend you give ROON a try after you get your new streamer. 

Thanks all.  Lots of suggestions.

I am pretty sure the Qobuz sound was noticeably better.  I am always wringing more out of my system.  I could have done something else at the same time.  But I will try Amazon again.  We are generally in agreement on brands.  An Aurender N10 was 1300.  I have time. I have workarounds.  At least my system sounds great!  But I hate it when I can't fix things.  Old maintenance mindset. 

What akg_ca said re the Moon 280D, except that you seem not to need a DAC so Moon MiND2.

I would stick with Qobuz, personally.  The best sound of all the current streaming services, IMO.

If you're using the Bluetooth connection to the Node, why not correct directly to the Topping, as someone else suggested?  Otherwise, for an ethernet/wifi streamer, the Inuous looks like a good bet, with the most reliable software.  I have not used one myself.

Another option is a Mac Mini running Audirvana, which I love.  Audirvana connects easily to Qobuz and has a good remote app.  For $600, the Mac Mini gives you a ton of flexibility in terms of playback software and connectivity.  Combine it with a Pi2AES Mercury V3 streamer for $500 and you've got a first-rate digital system. ;-)

But in terms of simplicity, biting the bullet for an Innuos seems sensible.

Innuos Sense all the way

C-ya Roon-good riddance