Like a box of chocolates 
I set the mood… I did… 
my poor me little self set the thread on 
Well anyway… without interfering in matters that seem pretty settled since a long time… thanks to the both of you… I’m not that in a hurry in life… Sometimes when something does not work and should, it’s kind of annoying… and I haven’t got that much hair left to sacrifice in the process… but well… if in the end we manage to have the damn thing working it’s great
I’ll keep everyone posted as soon as I got Ropieee running
Food for thought… If you had a networked DAC with an ethernet interface attached to your Mac, It will show in Audio MIDI Setup…
It won’t.
Streamed sound does not pass through Core Audio.
Okay… I take your insights to be valid… however, how does one create a multi-output device in Audio MIDI Setup if you don’t get information from the networked DACs?
It does not matter if the streamer is in the same box as the DAC or in a separated one.
macOS does not see it at all.
The players see it as an UPNP renderer on the LAN.
It appears you are speaking from the perspective of using a separate streaming protocol on the Ethernet bus, such as those you are using… Can I not use Diretta protocol connected to a DAC connected directly to the Ethernet port of the DAC? And, does it not show as the output device in Audio MIDI Setup?
The only streaming protocol that appears on Audio Midi is AirPlay that is part of macOS.
The other protocols do not appear.
Obviously, a networking software like Diretta that usurps the Ethernet controller, would not display in Audio MIDI Setup… If I were just using a network player using Apple Music, you are telling me that I cannot configure the output sample-rate, channel count, speaker settings, etc and it does not show as the selected Output Device?
Not only Diretta… Any audiophile protocol (UPNP, RAAT, NAA…) won’t display in Audio MIDI.
macOS does support these protocols. You can use them, because the audiophile players support them.
AirPlay is different, because it’s part of macOS, and it offers streaming capability to all the applications on the macOS. The sound is managed then by Core Audio, and that’s why it appears in Audio MIDI.
But it is of little usefulness for audiophiles, because it is limited to PCM 48 kHz.
I understand what you are laying out… However, my question is directly focused on a basic Ethernet connection to a network player with integral Ethernet interface connected directly to the Mac… I’m reading that you are saying this network player will not show as an Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup…
What’s a Ropieee?
what;s an up n up rat? is that right naa.
They won’t show in Audio Midi, because the sound is not managed by macOS. When you stream UPNP with Audirvana, for instance, macOS does not see the renderer at all. It ignores that there’s a streamer on the LAN, but Audirvana sees it.
In french.. it’s nothing… In India, it’s money 
Money for nothing… but as it’s free, it does not make sense… 
Okay… Then if I just connect a network player/DAC directly to the Ethernet port of the Mac and I don’t choose UPnP as the output protocol you are saying the player/DAC does not show in Audio MIDI Setup as an output device?
I told you already that it does not matter, if the DAC has a built-in streamer.
If you stream UPNP with Audirvana, it won’t show in Audio MIDI.
It’s the same thing for all the other streaming protocols.
Only if you stream to it with AirPlay, with whatever app on your Mac, it will appear.
Okay… I guess this is why I don’t see my AppleTV and Xfinity Stream box as output devices,… Only seeing the AppleTV as an AirPlay device… Thanks for the insights… 
Excellent. Bravo sir 
@Cloclo … What do you make of this renderer?
There’s nothing to make with it…
It’s a streamer with all the usual features of a streamer.
It supports some audiophile protocols, but not others.
And it does not support AirPlay.