Takedown of pricey servers, streamers OCD HiFi guy

Well given the extreme density difference between electrolytic and film caps, if I want 100,000uf and film caps should I forgo the washroom or kitchen.

Not only the aesthetic, but more importantly (to me at least) the sonic differences between many servers from DIY $500 dollar units to cost no object devices is not only real but also SUBSTANTIAL. This truth is no different here than it is in absolutely EVERY OTHER audio component!!!

Because you use capitals it must be true!  Sorry, but many other components have lots of claims that are not true too. After you eliminate electrical noise, there is really not much you can do unless you are purposely manipulating the bit stream, assuming your DAC is good at jitter reduction if SPDIF connected, and with async USB, not much to improve.

Don’t get me wrong, I am an extremely technical guy.
FWIW I have a dual degree in Engineering and hold several Patents in my field.

Okay ... Obviously not Electrical Engineering. I have patents too ... In audio.

What I am saying is I have AND I understand the why. Buy a good USB isolator and a good DAC and the streamer becomes 0 importance unless it is intentionally modifying the sound.

I have Intona 7055-B and Coolgear USB 2.0 high speed isolators. I run them with home brew supplies for the output to keep switching noise out.

I have Chord Qutest and Benchmark DAC3 for main usage. Have a DAC2. Also picked up an RME ADI-2 based on a recommendation here. The Chord and Benchmark are almost impossible to tell apart if level matched. Not sure I could reliably. Have had other DACs from friends, some much more costly in system. Can't say any were better. Different, obviously intentionally, but not better.   Picked up a Topping E30 to play with. With the isolator it is very good. Gave my son my Node2i. I would say the isolator and Topping is quite a bit superior but that is off memory.

Is Laufer even in business?  Looks like their website has not been updated in years and still looks like a highschool project. I love the claims of studio use, but no one I knew who did studio work had ever heard of them. The claims made are quite something ... impossible, but quite something none the less.

lalitk,

I will never have any issue with whatever price someone wants to charge for something. Want to charge $500 for a cable, or $20,000 for a cable or streamer, I have no issue with that.

Now if you use wild or impossible claims to justify that $20K cable, then I see that as a problem. People equate high end audio to luxury goods sales, but no one is under any impression that a Vuitton bag of the same size as a Forever 21 bag will hold more stuff  (I reserve judgement on Tumi).

There are some that are totally appalled and offended that someone would or even could spend $20K on a cable when people are starving, but I think most are just offended by the ludicrous claims.