Favorite Streamer/DAC combo under 3k?

@crayray13 

FYI I am not a true audiophile, I just like music and decent gear. 

love it... please post more if you are inclined  

need more of your kind here to keep us grounded  :)

On my T8, in the "big rig" The screen is about 20 feet away,  The WiFi & Bluetooth are disabled.

In the 2nd "kitchen & dining room" setup I have no option other than WiFi and I am usually busy cooking or eating, though sometimes I'll sit on the couch about 8 feet from the speakers and read with a glass of wine.

@crayray13 IMHO changing your streamer probably would not improve SQ.

Quote "Additionally,  all digital inputs undergo FIFO buffering and are re-clocked by an on-board CPLD crystal oscillator, providing exceptional jitter suppression capabilities. This minimizes the DAC's reliance on the source device's clock quality, further enhancing audio quality".

You do have to configure the Node to support 24-192.  Also I think it does not support DSD, if you care about DSD then you do need to switch.  Otherwise save your $$ or buy a tube amp.

Hey OP- Keep in mind that many streamers and DACs are not full-sized components, so separates often don't take up that much room. Also, I never look at the screen on my streamer, and if it didn't have one, I wouldn't mind. Everything is done from the phone or tablet.

When I was auditioning DAC/Streamers, I listened to quite a number at different prices. The real standout for me at even vaguely that price point was the Teac UD-701N - it uses the same main board as the big Esoteric DAC and sounds absolutely superb. It also offers both 1-bit & multibit deciding, works natively with HQPlayer, is Roon Ready and its built in preamp is very good indeed. The only reason I didn’t buy it was that I auditioned the Tambaqui (albeit at 3x the price)