@DJM … and if all this is starting to sound a little fraught, you could just buy an NDX2 and run it wireless.
(It might provide more flexibility to connect other sources too; including the ability to run without Roon should you ever need or wish to… )
@Martin_Kelly
Nice Linn system
How do you like your TT2/Mscaler and how does it compare to your Linn?
I run a Klimax DS through a 552/500
@Bill_Turner, @David_Crosbie1, @Jacques_Distler -
Not again.
BTW - Streamers and especially switches do not make a difference in SQ. 
@DJM, some people let their imagination get the upper hand.
Nobody is going to spend a huge amount of money on a useless device and then admit it is a useless device, especially if they are married.
My Nucleus+ wouldn’t fit on my rack, so it’s in a cabinet with my cable modem and UPS (battery backup). It connects to the router via Ethernet and then sends the ones and zeroes via Ethernet to an Allo USBridge Signature in the audio rack which sends the signal via USB to my Denafrips Ares II. Sounds great to my ears and the Allo was not expensive in the scheme of things. Using the Shanti linear power supply for the Allo and the background is black and silent.
@DJM some folks swear a separate streamer is quieter than connecting the Nucleus directly to the DAC. Didn’t matter to me…it was a physical restriction on space and the resulting systems sounds very nice to me. Good luck with your quest!
After stating in post #31 about how pleased I was to hear that I wont be needing to purchase a streamer to go along with my Nucleus next time and a that a plain ol’ DAC will suffice, I’m confused all over again.
I sure wish you guys would come to some kind of consensus on this issue. 
Start with a Nucleus and DAC. You can always add other stuff later if you think you need to. In my case, I don’t need to add anything except maybe some high quality speakers in the future.
As I stated earlier in the thread, I already have a streamer and a Nucleus but I’m always trying to peer over the next hill.
Don’t look for a hill where there is not one.
There’s always another hill, right over the next one.
That’s not a hill. That’s your bank account you’re getting ready to bulldoze for no reason.
I’ve been in this hobby for nearly 50 years and I think I know a hill when I see one and I know which ones I can scale and the ones I can’t.
So, some things are up for debate some are not. Will a better source than a Nucleus make a difference in sound quality? Well, provided you’re always using the same DAC on the same input and the signal path then no… it’s impossible. That’s literally the definition of a lossless digital signal path.
Now, can a better DAC make a difference? Of course. Well engineered DACs basically have no jitter when used via USB (they’ll just reclock everything), super low noise, and super low distortion. Comparing among well measuring DACs then there’s probably some subjective opinion too. I’ve heard eg; the Chord Qutest (around $2k) blind against a well measuring Topping DAC and picked the Qutest as my favorite the majority of the time.
Amplification can also definitely make a difference. Possibly more so than the DAC (in that most DACs a roon user would consider are already pretty decent nowadays). But speakers make by far the most difference. It’s the transducer. Spend your $$$ on speakers not ethernet cables.
As for streamers being quieter… well, no. Unless you’re using the onboard DAC and it happens to be quieter than your other DAC there will be zero difference in the bits coming out. I love self-proclaimed engineers speculating about how bits for audio are different than work bits. No. Any decent networking gear is going to have an astronomically low error rate. This is literally why TCP and check-summed streaming protocols over UDP were invented. You get a streamer for its convenience. It’s a nice way to add a “roon bridge” to a room and also eg; play spotify on it. You also get a nice display. But no, it won’t be superior in sound to a nucleus.
It wasn’t too long ago hifi peddlers were insisting display off to ensure the precious delicate signal isn’t polluted with added noise, now here we are displaying artwork in streamers.
Lol …everything I have tried is on a trial basis, so don’t try and be clever There are lot of clever people out there, moreso than people on these boards.
Good luck to you sir. If you like your system, brilliant, but don’t say that other stuff doesn’t work unless you have tried it… That’s all I’m saying
I’ll leave this here…https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/network-player-reviews/antipodes-cx-ex-part1/
Riiiiiiiiiiight, a website that requires me to hit PgDn 4x to bypass adverts before landing on the so-called “content”.
Then the self-confessed objective perspective 
:
" Point of view
Naturally, there is no such thing as a purely objective review. My reviews are also colored by my subjective opinion, but I always try to approach things from various angles, involving an ever-changing range of other equipment. I never make a secret of my opinions but also try to provide perspective in every review."
Not worth the digital poop it’s written on.
Hi Gregg,
I don’t own a Linn streamer/DS//DSM. The bit of Klimax kit on my rack is a Klimax Kontrol/2.
When I bought my first streamer a few years ago (a Lumin), I didn’t want a Linn streamer as they didn’t support DSD at the time. That’s why I chose Lumin.
As to the HMS/TT2, it’s very, very good. It does lack a little warmth compared to some other digital sources, but this is made-up by other attributes. Like with anything, system synergy is important.
Answering the OP, put simply a Nucleus and compatible USB DAC will result in an uncomplicated, near unbreakable setup that will integrate well into an existing system and provide excellent sound. There are relatively inexpensive things you can do to improve matters but that isn’t a priority to begin with. You can take things forward at your leisure should you wish with proper demo’s to see if the benefits of the dealer and forum suggested alternatives stack up. But I would simply say “take your time”.