Wouldn’t it be fun to have twenty discerning music aficionados, four from each decade of life from 20 to 70 years old, to each do a blind test of all of these prices of kit!
And for $hits and giggles, throw in a cross section of sub $1,500 items as well.
+1 for the Lumin X1. It’s just an awesome bit of kit.
I’m under no delusion that I wouldn’t enjoy some of the lower priced items. Hell, I built an RPi that was quite nice. But, first world problems. 
Linn Klimax DSM
Using a Cocktail X45 here since i did moved over to Roon.
It is more than just a great streamer and DAC, since it has a phono amp and cd player as well in case you would occasionaly need those still
The Linn Klimax DS/3 (Katalyst) or DSM Klimax (Katalyst) (if you need a pre-amp) are available for well below your budget on the used market (circa £7,500 for the DS/3) and would sound superb. A fantastic streamer/DAC that will provide you with access to Tidal or Qobuz via the Linn Kazoo app, or of course via Roon if that is your preference.
I have heard of a number of users who say they have upgraded from the Klimax DSM Katalyst to the DCS Rossini + clock and that it is even better.
I have no way of knowing, because I have never heard the DCS Rossini with or without the additional clock. However, I do know that the Rossini + clock are very difficult to find on the used market, and that the price of a new DCS Rossini and clock is significantly more than the price of a new Linn Klimax DS/3 (Katalyst) or DSM Katalyst.
First things first; let me talk about the Mark Levinson 519 media player: It is not 30k, its 20k and you can get up to $1000 discount on this piece. I do not own it but I have listened to it and the features, build quality and ergonomics are superb. Most of all and importantly, the sound quality is excellent. I have owned other Mark Levinson products in the past and generally been very happy with them. If your budget allows it, you can go wrong with this one.Having said that, the roon nucleus+ is an excellent choice as well and this one I do own. It communicates wirelessly with a dCS network bridge that feeds my Devialet Expert Pro 100 through a digital AES/EBU connection and is a supremely satisfying combo. I was thinking about Grimm MU1 but at $10,000 it has a slower processor then the roon nucleus+. At this price, one should really be getting the best process around. I have heard a lot of good things about Mola Mola from fellow music enthusiasts. I got rid of my Aurender N10 because once I got the roon this things sounded like an AM radio. In addition, this company stubbornly resists partnering with roon and if that is important to you, Aurdender should be scrapped from the list. dCS products have always been good and one cannot go wrong with them. Naim is typical relaxed British sound, it is rather different from the others. If you like that kind of sound, this may be ticket. Did not like the sound of the Lumin or the Auralic and Innous is, as far as I know, windows based which in my opinion are buggy and I stay away from.
Chord M Scaler
Chord DAVE
And whatever front end and storage you have any money left for, a Roon Nucleus, a NUC, a Mac something or other … it won’t matter.
You missed Totaldac. You can add the streamer board (and separate power supply) to any Totaldac and have an all in one box. I chose to wait and add the D1 streamer/reclocker box later but I’m not sure that was the right course. Knowing that I can upgrade all the way up the line without a financial penalty means I’m most likely a customer for life. I’ve never been so happy with digital sound.
Enjoy!
A Raspberry 4B plus a very good DDC could be a very best cost-no-object streamer.
I have Raspberry 4B with Audio-GD DI-20HE, that can easily beat dCS Network Bridge and Aurender N10.
Maybe you might think my suggestion is a bit lower end than your other selections. The Innuos ZENmini mk iii works as a server, a Roon Core or a Roon player only, has it’s own high quality dac, plus storage. The only thing missing from your requirement is Spotify Connect, but it is very easy to quickly change it from it’s control browser, to a UPnP streamer. I then run Windows app ‘Squeeze control’ and I get Spotify, Tidal and Quobuz. I also use android app ‘Orange Squeeze’ to run it as LMS. Sounds very good as well, possibly better than Roon, especially when used with it’s linear PSU but nowhere as flexible or convenient. Also the price is very reasonable £899 for the ZENmini and an extra £500 for the psu, in the UK.
I think, Taiko Extreme and APL-DNP could win SQ-wise with all listed before… unfortunately at $$$ expense. The differences between the best at the top are tiny but huge in $, and depend on many factors, including those not related to design or quality of components
I built my own Roon Streamer based on the Intel Nuck and I’m using a mid range Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 DAC. I spent most of my money on Amps & Speakers. I have to say I’m very happy with my DIY option for streaming Roon, but I’m sure the USB Jitter is the weak link. These expensive streamer/DAC combos have that significant advantage. I’ve dealt with all the power supply noise issues with linear power supplies and “battery buffers”. I need to audition some of these expensive options to be able to say how good my DIY Roon Server really is, but I can say it’s a lot better than running from your main computer. Here’s my Roon ROCK DIY $700 Streamer How To. Enjoy!
Thanks!
If I may ask, how is it that you’re sure? Have you measured it?
Archimago has an interesting post on what jitter sounds like:
Would love to know more. Folks like @Archimago seem to think it’s a non-issue, that in fact USB interfaces have less jitter than S/PDIF.
I’ve had great results with my Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC. It’s based on a rather unique design that doesn’t rely on a DA chip or FPGA. Here’s a thoughtful review of the Tambaqui from a reviewer who is a dedicated vinylphile: https://youtu.be/FhnRXgV83aE
Because the Tambaqui is Roon ready you can connect it directly to your network. But if you want the best possible, cost no object, performance follow this video which recommends a complete digital setup: https://youtu.be/Wt2BjUp1lE4
I did. I have a Nucleus Plus connected via ethernet through a switch to an Auralic Aries G2 streamer connected via USB to the Tambaqui DAC. The separation of the Roon Core from a streamer follows Roon’s advice and fits with the consensus you can read on this massive AudiophileStyle thread https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/
I’ve also bought a linear power supply for the Nucleus and network switch, which makes a big difference. The better the the power supply the better the sound. To connect everything i’ve used Kubala-Sosna AC power cords, DC power cords and ethernet and USB cables. These cables aren’t cheap, but each cable made such an instantly noticeable improvement in the sound, I refuse to take any of them out of my setup. Contrary to the “bits are bits” crowd, everything in the chain makes a difference in this high resolution system.
There’s a very diverse range of choices and rapidly changing technology is creating meaningful advances. But I’ve heard the top of the line dCS and MSB digital over the years at Axpona and I think this setup sounds better and at a much lower cost
If you are using USB to DAC with Roon plug in a $60 Audioquest Jitterbug for a SQ benefit.
SOTM-200 ULTRA wirh power supply SPS-500. With DAC Meitner MA-1 sounds amazing.
SOTM supports also Roon, DLNA renderer, Music Player Daemon(MPD), Logitech Media Server(LMS), Squeezelite, HQplayer and Shairport (Airplay).
Disclosure: I am a dCS Rossini + Clock owner, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt.
If you want a very well engineered (“best” is a subjective term) solution, I’d go with the Bartok. In my experience there is a big advantage to one box solutions. The developer has the opportunity to optimize the product end-to-end and make sure minimum quality is lost in interfaces, cables etc. My Rossini through the Etherent input sounds exeptional in its price bracket (based on four weekends of comparative blind testing). dCS are a company that usually takes design decisions based on sound engineering principles. Also dCS products improve over time through firmware upgrades.
If you want to tweak further, I’d potentially add a Etherregen or Melco switch with LPS.
If You got the opportunity You have to try the Trinnov. Not only because it‘s a great pre and renderer, it‘s got a outstanding room-correction That does more than Little differences between several dacs. I run it for several years together with an innuos zenith se (sold out :(( ) over dedicated Ethernet connection; without problems and I love it. Just try, it will be worth it!
Innuos is linux based 