Best hardware DLNA renderer?

thanks Edorr for the guidance. I rarely use the analog outputs so I'll try disconnecting their power. I was also contemplating a next system upgrade to be a system power conditioner which may bring in additional benefits. And I'll start investigating the PS Audio DLNA server.

DLNA is a surprise to me, I was expecting MP3 like performance and instead got playback that was more musically natural than the JK MkIII asynch USB to SPDIF with none of the tweaking and PC resource stripping used. Harmonic colors are much more correct, I'm not being ambushed by random aggressiveness and vocals never have a "sandpaper" edge. No Jplay or Fidelizer needed and because the PC is running in "normal" mode I can use all the remote options with JRiver MC in theater mode.

I've made some changes feeding the Oppo that have yielded even better results. I had dropped back to my WIN8Pro image because it supports the HP media remote with Jriver and I couldn't get it to work with a 2PC Jplay setup. I decided to give Windows server 2012 a shot in single PC setup using Tchuyev's optimization script at the link below (step 1 and step 2 for the audio PC). Wonderful improvement over using the JKmkIII for async USB, with either optimized WIN8Pro or stock server 2012. With an optimized server 2012 setup using DLNA and dedicated Ethernet to the oppo with Jriver MC18 and Jplay, what a treat with lush mid range and clean high/low transients and much simpler than a 2 PC setup. The only knock I could make was that on the loudest complex passages there was blurring but that could just be the limits of a stock oppo needing a better power supply or my amp. I'll find some other way to use a remote for theater view :<)

http://jplay.eu/forum/computer-audio/windows-server-2012-from-gui-to-core-the-easy-way/

absolutely correct that Jplay isn't in the chain for DLNA. What does enter in is Windows Server 2012 optimization. In my case the audio files are on a 1TB HD on the JRMC PC (I use SOTM filters). To do NAS I'd have to get a bit more complex with switches/routers than my comfort zone as the single Ethernet port I have is tied up connected direct to the Oppo. I've tried some new cables with the JPlay/async USB setup (Wireworld Starlight 7 Coax/Supra USB) they made positive improvements but the main difference remains that spectrum seems shifted up with asynch USB and Jplay, that energy in the primary harmonic seems shifted into second order harmonic so that mid range and upper bass sound thin