Any way to listen to wav or high bit files with anything approaching audiophile sound?


Forgive the question, but this is my first time posting on Audiogon in a few years and I'm not up on some of the latest technology.  I'm doing a project where I'm going through as much music as possible for a blog I'll be creating where I find my 1,000 favorite albums of all time and ranking them.  I'm most of the way through my thousands of CD's (don't do LP's), and I have decent audiophile equipment, though nothing top of the line.

For other music, I'm going to have to listen to it online or purchase a digital version of the music, as there's no way I can afford to buy thousands more cd's, or they're out of print on cd's (as much of the music I love that I don't have is somewhat obscure), or they never existed on cd.  Some albums I know I won't be able to find. 

First off, is there a way to legally find more obscure albums online other than illegal downloading? 

Secondly, is there ANY way to listen to said music in anything remotely approaching audiophile sound quality?  Does it have to be a certain file type or bit rate?  I've always stayed away from digital files in the past, but now I kind of need them.  Is there some kind of audiophile digital storage device where I can download music to and play it on my stereo system?  I'm pretty ignorant about these things, so again forgive me, and any help would be appreciated.  I don't expect the music to sound quite as high fidelity as using cd's on audiophile equipment, but what are my options to get as close as possible?
soulgoober
BTW I don't consider anything less than a Yggdrasil an "audiophile grade" DAC. Certainly not the Chinese toy junk (Topping, SMSL, etc). Source quality improves noise / digital hash reduction. Get a CD transport like the Audiolabs which is very well-received. Possibly a high-end transport clone from AliExpress (I have one such). For streaming, get something focused on clean power / low-noise like those Soundaware units, or go the route of DIY building an audiophile streaming PC (linear PSU, externally powered USB card, SSD isolation, etc). For network streaming you'll want an audiophile network switch (ie, Paul Pang) or network conditioner of some kind (ie, UpTone). Wireless is inferior.
Hello soulgoober, I began my audiophile search just over a year ago, and I’ve found that the thing which lifts sound quality almost more than anything else is the quality of power that is coming into your system from the grid itself, regardless of what kind of power controls or conditioning you have in your system. I have discovered the best most amazing moments of music happen for my after 9pm, when most people are finally off the grid, or are not using power hungry equipment on it. I had, like many other audiophiles, believed it had strictly to do with system warm-up, but have discovered otherwise - truly ephemeral audiophile moments happen for me in the dead of the night; the difference is almost shocking.

In friendship - kevin
Hi Calvinandhobbes,
I'm curious to know what you did to improve the sound of your Streamer S2 Ultra out of the box.
@soulgoober ,
Sorry you have so many negative comments on you thread. It seems some people cannot help themselves and just post anything that comes into their heads.
PM me if you want information regarding streaming.
Bob

@soulgoober,

How is your project doing? Did you find what you were looking for?

Secondly, is there ANY way to listen to said music in anything remotely approaching audiophile sound quality?  Does it have to be a certain file type or bit rate? Is there some kind of audiophile digital storage device where I can download music to and play it on my stereo system? 

Regards