Weakest digital link: DAC - Streamer - Server?

@arafiq Will do! I hadn't looked into the network switcher yet, but will absolutely report back on the Phoenix. As for the 005, I was shocked at how good it is. Holographic sound and microdynamics galore! The Zenith MK3 is my only venture into a streamer/server, but upgraded from an X26 Pro DAC and definitely worth it! The Musetec 005 and my SU-R1000 MC phono stage with DSP have me in disbelief most days at what I'm hearing and how things sound.

Two great affordable products, one for streaming, the other for bluetooth...the Grace Digital Link $179, and the Topping Bc-3 bluetooth aptx hd module $69. So, for what amounts to about $250 you have a nice sounding, yet cost effective streaming/bluetooth option. Use the DAC of your choice. 

Thanks for the discussion on digital music - here is my solution - buy a LUMIN D2 for $2200 or a LUMIN T2 for $4800 - run an Ethernet cable to it and stream your heart out. Now I will turn up Dire Straits and get another glass of wine.

Happy Listening from a retired Chemist!

@alexb76 

I have recently been asking myself the same question regarding source and chain of hardware and software to achieve the best results with streaming. The one thing I've learned for sure is it for me it has been a nebulous topic, although I feel as though I'm gaining clarity. On the issue of network I found this video really informative. 

 My journey down this rabbit hole went something like this....

At first I used a win10 pro laptop with wifi on battery running the tidal app via USB to a Peachtree nova pre. Not bad, but thought I could do better. I then bought an iFi Zen Stream and connected to the Peachtree via USB. I streamed via tidal connect, which allows the Zen Stream to receive data directly from Tidal's servers using a phone as the remote - now that was a massive improvement! I then traded the Peachtree on a used PS Audio Perfect Wave MkII DAC with Bridge II from The Music Room (total cost $1,100.00 after trade) and connected the Zen via USB. This yielded another big improvement.  Further research courtesy of PS audio forums led me to understand that a critical issue with a DAC is how it handles the input.  The manual for this DAC states the best sound comes from I2S followed by ethernet (via bridge II which uses I2S protocol), then USB, then SPDIF then optical. I then figured out I can stream directly to the DAC from tidal via bridge I2S with mconnect control! Man, that is the real deal! And seems to me like the best topology to get the best streaming sound. Essentially it is the shortest path to the DAC and utilizes the best input protocol. This is just my experience and I'm sure there are many high-end streamer DAC combinations out there that utilize a similar topology and negate the USB or SPDIF issues. If you plan to stream tidal, then be sure to find one that utilizes tidal connect and not their app. I read that in an attempt to gain control of the user interface, tidal is holding out on sending them all the bits. ☮

If I had to pick one, it'd be the DAC as the weakest link.  But in fact it's hard to generalize. It really comes down to how these functions are implemented, integrated, and set up within the context of a complete sound system.