Thoughts on DAC option

The only DAC I have experience with is a Shiit Byfrost. In my opinion, it is excellent. Not lacking anywhere that I can tell.

Be careful with the router distance from your system. Both the wi-fi signal & the EMI from the cheap router wall wart can cause you problems. chatGPT recommends at least 10 feet. 
I ended up stealing the Ethernet backhaul from my main downstairs router for my mesh system and ran it directly to my Aurender, and moved my 2nd router to the other side of the room, switching to a wireless backhaul. 
Cleaned things up quite nicely. 
BTW, I own a Chord DAC. Would not call it warm, but clean, accurate, fast & articulate, especially with a good LPS & proper isolation. 
Good luck!

One more thing, since you can’t demo (many of us can’t), I have found chatGPT to be very valuable. It has provided a number of low cost tweaks that have brought my system to a new level. 
You can ask it for the sound characteristics of any component vs another. It can tell you how those characteristics can affect various music genres & make overall recommendations. Also great for accessories. 
Just yesterday, I was comparing my Chord to a Holo May. The May won 3 out of 5 genres & overall, but I was surprised how well the Chord held its own. I’m keeping it and my $7,000… at least for now. 

@signaforce  - Interesting post, I have found AI to be a useful tool for helping make decisions between components that I cannot compare in my home where it matters. Ask a question related to some critical factor between two pieces of equipment and it will help you sort it out...it doesn't have all the answers any more than any of us do, but its a non-judgemental opinion with no axe to grind. That neutral opinion forces me to confront my own particular biases and think outside the box.

@celtic66 I love those lyrics...perfect for the place I am in life. Thanks for posting that, it made me smile