@retiredaudioguy great posts, I agree with nearly everything you wrote.
One comment caught my attention however. “If changing your streamer affects the sound IT IS YOUR DAC THAT IS DEFICIENT.”
Maybe. It could be that a better sounding streamer is generating so much less noise back into the mains, or is generating so little EMR that, depending on the juxtaposition of boxes and cables on your shelf, and the amount of shielding in the cables and boxes, that lack of electrical noise could improve analog output of the system regardless of the quality of the DAC and it’s resistance to electrical noise arriving via the cable carrying the digital signal from the streamer.
To me, one of the interesting inferences from the video is to reinforce the notion of system dynamics, and how electrical noise control is paramount for maximum quality audio output. How everything matters, including how your gear and cables are placed relative to each other, how good are your power supplies from the wall and in your components, how good your cables are at rejecting ambient noise (analog) or keeping noise inside (digital and power), and finally the synergy of your components with each other.
Given this, bench top measurements for individual pieces of equipment are just a starting place, and can never stand alone in judgement compared to tuning of gear and cables together in your listening space. And that takes time, money, and a willingness to experiment.
kn
