What are you using as a streamer? Constructive feedback please.

+1 for Cambridge CXN V2.

‘Big improvement over Node2, plus many nice features.

Different approach. Your ethernet signal needs sprucing up with fantastic results. I had a Lumin T2 and now have a X1. First I should have cleaned up the signal using the EtherRegen and better ethernet cables. Now they tell me.

If using Roon, then their Nucleus / SBooster (on my system) bested using a computer even my yawning spouse agreed before beating it out of the listening room.

I found the high end streamer with built in DAC to be (or not to be, that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles...) a bit more resolving but again cleaning up the signal was the most significant thing ever done to my system.

Roon interfaced to the miniDSP SHD, which is now Roon Ready certified, provides convenient access to streaming and stored music sources and presents them in a pure digital environment for Dirac Live processing using your choice of DACs.

Used Auralic Aries (circa 2015) sounds great and comes with a massive external linear power supply, ususally available for $7-800. Very versatile either with it's own Lightning software or Roon.

in my view, it's best to have the streamer and DAC as one unit so the signal path is shorter (no cables needed) and no conversion of  the signal which remains as I2S.

The best music server is a Roon nucleus (or cheaper copy) with LPS.