Added value of separate server?

No value in sound quality if you gave a good DAC. It just depends what is best for you in terms of convenience and user interface.

I’ve tried a few combinations of computer, Apple PC and DAC and the best to date, both in sound quality and simplicity is storing all my music on a NAS drive with dual mirrored drives using RAID config and use a Blusesound Node 2 to stream content from the NAS and the internet

Why the NAS drive? - if a drive fails you simply replace it and the RAID takes care of copying everything from the old drive to the new drive - but you do need server quality drives for longevity. I tried using regular drives and one of the drives failed in 6 months - but the recovery was so simple - the server grade drives are like build like tanks

Why the Bluesound and not the MAC? - I got fed up with the software upgrades creating incompatibility. Also - the onboard DAC was better than my upgraded/tweaked Schiit Bifrost - much better! 

I now have Bluesound Node 2 on my audio system, A Powernode 2 on my TV and a Pulse Mini for outdoor music 

The Bluesound Interface is one of the easiest and most intuitive I have tried ( even my Wife can work it ) and their software updates always work. 

Their support is top notch also - never failed to resolve a problem yet

Hope that helps - Steve

John Atkinson's recent Stereophile review of the Ayre QX-5 Twenty Digital Hub  suggests its digital-to-analog processing is superb, and when couple with the KX-5 Twenty preamp so is the resulting sound.

Files from the iMac are backed up daily by Time Machine to an external hard disc, so I assume the music files are among them.  I pay a fee for Cloud space, but I don't know if files are stored there or if I need to direct then there.  I haven't bothered learning about the Cloud, and may be missing a lot.  

A Bluesound Node 2 is inexpensive enough I might try it as a option; the same cannot be said of an Aurender N10.

I suspect my current setup is all I need if I can get the Roon remote app to run on the iPad.

db

Tremendous difference between a laptop and a purpose-built music server. Those who say no just don't know. My server beats any laptop, the differences are undeniable and obvious.

Be sure to check the Stereophile review of the Aurender. Middling at best, they say.