Best possible sound from "Squeezebox" - which way should I go

[spacecase-25]

Haven't tried one of these myself, but I would be willing to bet that it's absolutely top notch quality.

https://www.kitsunehifi.com/product/holoaudio-red-ddc-network-streamer/

Personally, I use a NUC running Debian and Squeezelite. I'm using a real time kernel, and have configured SL to run in real time with the highest priority. I connect to my DAC (Spring 3 KTE by the aforementioned company) via USB as this DAC has one of the absolute best USB interfaces on the market. For good measure I've also got the NUC powered with a linear power supply, just because I had one on hand that was the correct voltage. Whether the power supply makes a difference, who knows? Makes me feel cooler tho.

The options I use for squeezelite:

$ cat /etc/systemd/system/squeezelite.service 

[Unit]
Description=Squeezelite
After=network.target systemd-udev-settle.service

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/squeezelite -b 2048:1048576 -o hw:CARD=Enhanc,DEV=0 -n Lyra -m b8:ae:ed:72:d1:83 -C 2 -p 1 -M "Holo Spring 3 KTE"
Nice=-10
IOSchedulingClass=realtime
User=root

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Sounds most excellent. The only reason for me to purchase a fancy streamer device would be for a fancy case, but most don't work with LMS, and going the DIY route gives me total control. I've got AirPlay, HQPlayer NAA, Squeezelite, and Roon all set up.