Personality

Could simply be that you’re mentally linking tactile and visual experience during the sonic presentation, somewhat similar to a song linked to a person or event.  

I like them all even have a nakamichi cassette tape drive just for the hiss. Sad my  g2.2 went out of business. Enjoy it all and keep healthy.

+1 @parkergetdean I also find rvpiano’s posts similar, laced with insecurity, seeking others support of his opinion.   I have offered a recommendation that the subjective opinion of others regarding SQ is not of concern.  Rather, his own opinion of the SQ of his system, his problem statement, and goals for improvement are, but not articulated to permit others to assist.  
 

+1 @ghdprentice I agree with your analysis that the homogenization of musicality and expression of emotion (uniqueness or personality) is system, not format related.  I find the cool, detailed, analytical Benchmark to rob recorded performances of musicality and expression of emotion, possibly leading to the homogenization effect experienced by rvpiano.  The Aurender N20 with its OCXO clock and rugged power supply will lower the noise floor and express nuances such as ambient information and harmonic decay that significantly contribute to differences in the personality of recordings, even though I own an N200 due to budgetary constraints.  

@rvpiano The homogenization of musicality and expression of emotion between recordings is system not format related.  I discern vast differences in the personality of different streamed recordings … differences in the emotion expressed, timbre, dynamics, PRaT, staging, imaging, harmonic decay, and ambient information.  The analog camp may disagree, and that’s OK.   I recommend you follow ghdprentice’s lead.  Some DACs that I have found that express the musicality and expression of emotion of recordings include, without limitation, the Mola Mola Tambaqui, Audio Research DAC9, Bricasti M1, and DCS Bartok.  Each has its own sound palate.  Therefore, auditioning is necessary.   It is my subjective opinion that any listed DACs will not homogenize the personality of streamed recordings, and will express a high degree of the quality of musicality.  The only way is to determine whether they will meet your criteria for better expression of differences in the personality between recordings it to audition in your system.  
 

I’m not by any means saying that records and CDs sound better than streaming.  Just that, as Kennyc suggests, there’s an association with something “somewhat similar to a song linked to a person or event.”

 As far as “sonic signature,” not all media sound alike.  Not necessarily better, but different.

Nope rvpiano love 2 stream