Newbie Question

Hello Stu - Check out Cocktail Audio.  They might make an all in one like you are looking for: rip, store and play back.  Don't know if the DAC is by-passable.  Dunno about pricing.  Audio Advisor carried them and has other offerings that might be pertinent.  I'm using an Auralic Aries Mini to play back ripped CDs and stream Tidal, Spotify and internet radio.  It has an internal DAC that can be by-passed.  It can house hard drive storage  (separate purchase) but I'm using an externally connected 2TB Seagate Hard Drive.  

I rip CDs to it as ALAC files using an Apple Superdrive and iTunes.  ALAC is compressed but lossless.  Some people say they can hear differences between ALAC and WAV (lossless, uncompressed).  I can't, though I can hear changes associated with wire.  You'll have to decide how far along the Audio-OCD continuum you want to travel.  The Aries comes with Auralic's proprietary Lightning DS app/software that loads onto an iPhone or iPad.  Roon is another more highly regarded alternative, though last I knew the Aries was not Roon ready.  

LOTS of different options out there.  Computer Audiophile is a useful resource.  Easiest way to get your feet wet is run a USB cable from a laptop into USB of the DAC and play some downloaded files or CDs ripped to your drive.  You can try free versions of Tidal and Spotify though their respective premium versions that require subscriptions definitely sound better.  Not saying Laptop vis USB to DAC will give you best sound quality but you can get started that way.  Might be surprised how good things sound - maybe....

Hi  ghosthose. I checked and it is possible to bypass internal DAC in BlueSound vault2. I've been reading some reviews of various servers and apparently the server does affect the sound fed to an external dac, so I have to decide whether I just want to go ahead and jump in, inex-pensively, or wait till I have more to spend. For now, however,  I will definitely try what you suggest with a laptop. I'm not in a big hurry-- I haven't even settled on a DAC, yet. (I already use  Seagate for storing photo files, so that's one recognizable element in this otherwise alien landscape). Thanks!

Stuartk: Yep. The Vault 2 has both coax and optical digital outputs. It is supposed to pass through MQA, too, if your DAC is MQA. I think it’s great for the money, but I’m sure more money can get you better, of course. Its internal DAC isn’t bad at all, and, on some items, I just run Tidal MQA through its analog out. Mostly, though, I run it through a separate DAC, which is often "better," even without the full MQA. In most instances, I can’t tell any difference from the ripped CDs from the actual CD from a spinner (sent to the same external DAC).

For me, the best part is that it can be used without a computer and is really idiot-proof. Took a couple weeks to rip through the cd collection in lossless WAV (but it will also do FLAC).

It does require an ethernet connection, though, and isn’t fully wifi like the Node 2.

BUT, as Ghosthouse said, lots of options out there.

@stfoth: I just took a quick look around Computer Audiophile. . . yikes! Seems to me there's an awful lot of do-it-yourself building and/or modding of gear over there. I'm a music lover, not a hobbyist (let alone, trained,) engineer!  I have no desire to wade into that morass, so what you say about the Vault not requiring a computer and being "idiot-proof" is very much closer to what I'm looking for. If you can't tell the difference between the ripped file from the disc, that's significant. Thanks for your input. 

@stfoth: You mean the Vault requires an ethernet connection for streaming, or to simply play ripped cd files stored on Vault ??? Probably a dumb question, but this is all new to me.