In Reply to: First of all... posted by E-Stat on April 5, 2025 at 13:57:57:
Yeah, everything in the chain makes a difference. With a USB DAC (Gustard R26) I tried an iFi Zen streamer, sending music over the network from my MacBook Pro, and it sounded awful.
So much better to use my aurender N100 server (that's not a streamer)
Then putting a Gustard U18 DDC between the aurender and the R26 improved things even more.
I use top quality (custom) cables such as the coax on the U18 -> R26. Have very good custom power conditioning. These things probably make my system more revealing.
So to me, everything upstream of the DAC matters: a lot. In the end, my opinion. Your experience may vary.
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Follow Ups
- RE: First of all... - mike1127 23:44:24 04/26/25 (0)