Suggestions for a streamer only (I have a great DAC)

If you are after just a streamer then look into what Auralic has to offer. I believe the Aries G2.1 is one of their top tier offerings. If you were interested in possibly abandoning your DAC then I suggest looking into on of the Bricasti units.

You could try the excellent options from Antipodes Audio in New Zealand. Great sound and upgradeable.

The innuos statement streamer I believe is very good, depending on your budget the Taiko SGM extreme is as good as it gets https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/sgm-extreme-music-server/

I have also read good things about the Grimm audio streamer MU1.

I auditioned the AURALiC streamers against my home made computer streamer and they did not impress. This lead me to the audiophile style forum which is a wealth of info on both commercial and DIY streamers. I ended up building a state of the art 2 box streamer that has lead me to sell my £50k+ analogue set up.

It would be very worth while looking at the A style forum - the innuos streamers are very well thought of there - also lots of reviews of other brands.

All you really need is a Grace digital link $179. Yea, not a name recognized here, although I have brought it up many times, especially to those that think they need to spend thousands. Yea, may not do MQA or whatever it's called, and yea it may not provide the utmost In resolution, although it is capable of hi-res, but for your money it is a great sounding capable streamer. It never has an issue with connecting to wifi, it has a screen unlike many, and it has many built in apps. It also has a digital coax out to connect to an external dac. Don't knock it till you try it. Buy it on Amazon, then if you think it's junk, you can return it. I've had mine for over   a year....and I still have money in my pocket. 

duckworp

Thank you for your excellent article.  I have been considering all 3 of the streamers you mentioned and your comparisons and comments are very helpful.