Using streaming as a main source ---DSD, FLAC, MQA Streamers and DACS

OP

 The hobby is supposed to be fun.  Compare the shopping process to buying a car, and the decisions there? SUV or Sedan?  EV?  Hybrid?  Not to mention the different brands and features?

  I’m not a car guy.  I just want to get from point A to point B, safely, as economically and comfortable as possible, and be reasonably eco friendly.  I would much more like to obsess over audio.

  Once you hit a certain price point whatever you buy will probably give you a lot of satisfaction listening to music.  Then it’s a question of flavors.  Do you prefer well made vanilla or chocolate?  
  All of these formats don’t sound exactly the same, but they all hit a certain standard of acceptable quality.  The music is the thing.

  There is a lot of good advice in the previous threads.  I just want to remind you to have fun.  If you get frustrated just buy something, listen to music, and relax.  After a few years you might want to try a different flavor for the heck of it

I think this is an excellent thread for this subject. I agree with @ronboco about the bluesound node. This is good advice and if you add fiber to the mix with s good audiophile Ethernet cable you’re in for a good ride! Hard to beat in many respects However, I’ve been also considering the next level ie: Aurender or Lumin. Aurender has its issues being proprietary (I don’t want to get into it again with the two salesman) but it’s a great product. Lumin is also a great product with more flexibility. What I haven’t heard is an end game streamer, and I consider that to be dCS, which I am now looking at as something that will give me 10 or more years as some have mentioned in this thread. My main focus I’d flac files from ripped cds.
I’m not doing tidal or Quobuz, so my NAS is my server. In any event @kiwiscott I thank you for posing the question the way you did to get such good responses and wish you luck. You’ve helped me!

OP. I am new to streaming after 50+ yrs of analogue combined with 10 yrs of playing ripped CDs (AIFF) on my Mac Book Pro through my pre. I too was daunted by all the rapidly evolving technology. I finally went to a local dealer, Jonny Rutan at Audio Connection, and he got me started on a nice easy path with which to begin my streaming journey.

I bought an Auralic Altair G1 streamer/DAC one box solution. I am ecstatic. It is so simple and the quality is extremely good for the price of around $3,500 USD. It punches way above its price point. For years I resisted streaming because it seemed so overwhelming, and now I have the world of music at my fingertips. BTW I use Quobuz.

Do yourself a favor and find a dealer to work with if you feel the need to jump right in and build a really high-end system. But if you don't mind going slowly like I am doing, then the Aurelic Altair is a great starting point. Enjoy the journey.

Bruce

@kiwiscott -- "What I’m really wondering is -- should I spend my 7k on a set up which would set me up for the next 10 years or do I wait, spending perhaps half that now, and wait to see where the market goes."

And, after the market goes to that point, then, with time, it’s going to go to another point. In short, change is endless. You can easily find yourself endlessly frozen in place waiting to see what the next change is. 

The key is to listen to your current system, then see what is available within your budget, and then decide if the new stuff you’ve just heard is sufficiently better than where you are currently to justify spending the money. That decision is different for everyone. Only you can decide whether an upgrade is worth it for your musical enjoyment. I know many people -- often musicians -- who get great pleasure from listening to simple and inexpensive systems. And I know others who spend enormous amounts on fancy equipment who are never satisfied.

I wouldn’t get too caught up in the audio format debate.  If you are interested in trying or using MQA, buy a DAC and streamer that support MQA and Tidal.  Just about any setup that will handle MQA will handle FLAC and other audio formats including DSD.  Using MQA, however, will limit your choices with DACS and streaming services.  If you buy an MQA compatible system, you can try both MQA and FLAC files and determine what sounds best to you.  I use Qobuz because it sounds good, and it does not involve imposing licensing costs on gear manufacturers or producers of music.

I think that it more important to consider the streamer user interfaces, software, and how you will be playing music in your home.  Your hardware needs are very different if you just want a streamer, a server, and music file storage in one device than if you might want to stream music to different rooms in your house.  Some user interfaces on streamers might appeal to you more than others.  

As others have suggested in this thread, you should consider going to a store to check out streamers.  A decent stereo store should be able to show you Roon and at least one proprietary system like Auralic or Aurender.