Streamers rabbit hole

@george_r 

You can use any preamp with a home theater system. The bypass is just so you don't have to set the volume from the preamp- its controlled by the remote of the home theater. 

I have an NAD purifi based amplifier, and a previous A/B amp from NAD which the C298 replaced. Class D has arrived and outside a straight-up Class A amplifier, I will not be going back to an amplifier that produces unwanted heat. I am not here to tout any manufacturer, only to share experiences to help others as this site has assisted me over the years to understand how to get better sound without spending a fortune.

If you have constructed shelving underneath your floor, you surely do have space issues. But an amplifier- any electronic device- which is placed outside a controlled environment will be subject to temperature fluctuations, moisture, dust, and vibrations which all pose significant risks to the sensitive electronics within an amplifier. Assume you have a trap door? Got photos? Your cable runs must be lengthy!

Not sure what you were trying to gauge or accomplish with your first post that invoked my handle, but I was trying to help. If you were not looking for help with your rig, what was your intention?

Auralic Vega S1

Based on your budget and system description, I think your best bet is HiFi Rose. If you've already got a great DAC choose the RS130.  If you want one with a great DAC included (that can also serve as preamp and/or system DAC) it's the RS151.  These units are both amazing performaners for streaming HiRes audio...like Qobuz or Tidal.  As a "bonus," the massive HiRes touch screen display gives your sytem a beautiful "now playing" display.  As you live with the piece for a while you'll discover that that there are a lot of other capabilities built in.

I own a Moon 280D that cost me $4,000 before tarrifs. It has a great interface and a lovely, musical sound. I compared it to a few streamers selling at more than double the price and couldn't hear any difference. The  280D is pretty stripped down. No screen in front, just lights, which I can read fine. No headphone jack. Just a very musical sound. I know you've gotten a lot of input. My final piece of advice is to go to dealers in your area and listen for yourself. Perhaps many suggestions above won't be at a dealer near you. People who have done a lot of listening to streamers say it is very difficult to hear the difference between expensive and less expensive. Good luck. I love my streamer, BTW. So easy to use.

Lots of advice here.  I looked at streamers with built in DACs between $4-5k on Upscale website and they have several that have been mentioned and look attractive.  Check out Hifi Rose RS150B, Cambridge Audio Edge EQ, AURALiC Altair G2.1. You said you were not impressed by an Aurender device previously but there is an A10 on the site for below $5k as well.

kn