Best streamer for a returning audio guy

I have to say that @ghdprentice ’s advice was misunderstood. I have never seen him look down on anyone’s equipment. If you can get past the perceived insult (which I’m sure was not his intention), his main point is valid. I have seen many seasoned audiophiles with decent to very good analog rigs dip their toes in the streaming world, but they mostly start with entry-level gear such as Bluesound Node. Please note that there’s nothing wrong with the Node (I happen to own one in my office system), but it’s simply not fair to reach a conclusion (vinyl vs. streaming) based on comparing a decent vinyl setup to an entry-level streaming setup. You might as well be comparing apples to oranges at this point.

I also own an Innuos Zenith MK3 (+ ENO filter) in my main system, and I can tell you it’s orders of magnitude better than the Node. I have friends who own excellent vinyl-based systems, and they have commented that my main system comes very close to their vinyl systems. Just my 2 cents

@cleeds I would agree.

Welcome to the hobby!

I like analog - I still have the first album I ever bought.  And I avoided streaming for several years.  And streaming is awesome for many reasons and access and ease of use is certainly high up there on the list of reasons.

I concur with folks recommendations on the Bluesound - beside having solid functionality as a streamer/DAC it has a very user friendly interface access to internet radio, streaming subscriptions and the like.

The challenge I experienced after I appreciated the streaming benefits was the quality of reproduction between analog and digital.  So if you like digital you may be tempted like me to upgrade :)  (And boy upgrades can be fantastic and fantastically expensive :0)

The upgrades have been appreciated and I've noticed a shift in sources as my listening from predominately analog to predominately digital.

Enjoy the journey :)

 Have a Bluesound Node as a streamer and a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M as a DAC.  They are complimentary.  I tend to use the CA unit for high res files via a USB A connection from my Mac mini and the Node for streaming. The volume is higher and sound is brighter from the Node than if I connect the Node to the CA unit.   Eventually I will get a unit that does both, but for now I am quite pleased.  Both work well with Roon or Audirvāna. Best of luck to you.