I'm not all in on digital systems because I'm not all in on DACs

Thanks for the information on DEQX!

I'm afraid they are a little rich for rmy blood and I'll have to stick to miniDSP for a long while.  They do have some with purely digital paths.

@jonwatches1 I have to agree with a lot of what you typed.

I know there was a big jump in performance for RedBook audio around 2000-2005, later I found out there was a change to .... something something capacitive coupled DAC’s which greatly reduced jitter and I attributed it to that.

As I read my own writing and think about what it is I’m not willing to give up it’s control and having my hands in the guts of my system. I like being an active participant. Let’s say I were to evaluate an all in one package, that went from streamer to speaker. I feel like I give up so much engagement in my hobby. I mean, sure it could even be better sounding than anything I’d put together with separates, that’s for sure, but there’s pride and connection and affection that I’d be losing along with it and that’s really at the emotional core of my decision making.

I'm sure if I was a well-heeled music lover, say a movie producer, getting into the dirt would not be the fun part.  Having a great sounding bleeding edge system from Arion that integrates with my home automation and security system would be all the satisfaction I needed. 

Not to say you can get DACs and amps, preamps that add distortion and coloration but I dont bother with such lousy measuring gear.

I wish my experience was that consistent. It’s not. I’ve listened to DAC’s all over the price spectrum. I have a Mytek Brooklyn and a Topping DX3 sitting side by side in my living room. I only use the Mytek for music. The Topping was out to see if I had an issue measuring but while it's out I tried it for music to see if my memory of the previous comparison held.  It did.  It does not sound as good. Just does not.  This sucks for me trying to buy a cheap HT processor.  

I repeat what I’ve said before, measuring DAC’s isnt’ science it’s quality assurance. If you want to claim you are doing science then do research and discover something new. Don’t just stop and say "we made up these measurements 20 years ago and that is all there is." To further take those old measurements and ascribe them to audio quality or desirability is further, unscientific folly. 

Erik, how familiar are you with DEQX? Also, which model of OPPO did you listen to in your system?

Never heard them. I believe I have the Oppo 103. Not the top of the line, but still the quality of the sound that came out of it, feeding a Parasound P7 was outstanding.

It’s also worth pointing out that there’s no DAC, no digital to analog conversion, taking place inside the SU-R1000. Incoming digital signals are upsampled

Ok, now they are really splitting hairs.

1 - This applies only to incoming digital signals.

2 - The output stage IS a DAC.

From what I can see, Technics is using a PWM output with feed-forward built into the DSP engine.

Maybe there is feedback on the output as well, but I haven’t heard anything about that portion.

A real shame that after all that work it doesn't actually measure a lot better.