But where is the laptop? Would you have a cable going across the floor to the DAC?
Here is an example (described):
My system for casual listening consists of:
Windows 11 laptop, about $350
Topping D10 balanced, about $150
Pair active JBL monitors (just some cheap speakers)
The laptop and DAC are located on a low table in between the speakers. There are no other audio components involved.
What I like about this system is:
stable, almost never have to reboot for OS updates
zero, zilch, nada pops or other non-musical noises during sample rate changes, power up/down, etc.
Turns on and off very quickly
Wife can operate it without a problem
Volume control is via two dedicated keys above the mail keyboard and is easy to use
I can play any source I desire, which for me is either streamed from internet or local files on disk
WASAPI playback is used to bypass the Windows mixer for HQ content, for native format rendering. Otherwise WinDoze uses 48kHz (meh).
DAC has a nice and easy-to-read display of the current playback sample rate.
I use this system like this:
The only equipment that is powered up/down are the active speakers.
The lid of the laptop is simply opened or closed to start/stop using it. I never power it off.
The DAC is USB bus powered, has very good performance, and is 100% trouble free
The system is ready for playback in about 10 seconds.
This makes for a simple "household" compatible audio system that we use as a daily driver. The weak link is the speakers but after a recent move they were something that I could set up quickly. A better pair of speakers and amps with auto on/off functionality would improve the sound and make the system even easier to use.
I am a DIYer, and before the move I had a system based around a USB audio interface (ADC+DACs) with additional components connected e.g digital sources, etc. This was controlled by a laptop running Ubuntu and software that I wrote that acts as an input select and preamp and performs DSP processing. The software was also used to stream PCM audio over my home WiFi system to other computer-based active loudspeakers I built that were located in different rooms in my home.
All of this is made possible by building the playback system around a computer and using software to do what is/was traditionally done via a stack of audio components.