Choosing a Network Player/DAC

I finally have the audio setup I want for vinyl. I’d like to add digital to the system. I’m finding it very difficult to choose a product and any help would be appreciated. I have a McIntosh MA5100 paired with PSB Stratus Mini’s. The best way I can describe the sound I’m wanting to achieve is smooth reference..I favor a bit of brightness and separation is important to me...none of that information may be important when choosing a digital component but I thought I’d share. I have a media server, mainly for video, running PLEX. I have like 500gb of FLAC files on that hard drive. I also have a Tidal Account. I’m looking to add both to my audio system. My budget is around $700 but I could do more if that doesn’t cut it. So Network Player? DAC Attached to my Laptop/Server? Buy a mac mini and attach to DAC? Tubes (since this is a vintage system)? There’s so many ways to slice this up..I’m having a hard time. If anybody has experience and can recommend the merits of one over the others, it would helpful...also, this isn't necessary, but multi-room/zone would be nice.