Streaming resolution

@mahler123 

Do you have any experience with Magnetar players?

No, but they are very similar to the Reavon - same system-on-a-chip, etc.

I always recommend finding out what dacs are used, and looking up the spec sheets for each type of dac.  If DSD is not explicitly mentioned, steer clear.

My Reavon works brilliantly as a transport, where DSD is output over HDMI to my Marantz AV8800 pre-processor.  This has eight 2-channel dacs from AKM which do natively process DSD.

@seymour-krelborn hits a lot of nails on the head.  The quality of the recording is paramount.  I have a decidedly mid-fi system.  When I started streaming, anything above 44.1/24 sounded muddy or worse.  I'm a bit of novice, and between the forums here, a little AI and a couple of concerned friends with monster systems I was able to clean up the signal and the EMI.  What I found was that working hard to clean up the signal get rid of the extraneous noise was a monumental leap with each step.  I'll spare you the gory details that I may have blurted out in another forum, but I'm at a point where everything I stream, provided the recording is half-decent, sounds fabulous.  

@richardbrand 

I output DSD from SACD from my Oppo 105 to my Bryston DAC-3 which has HDMI inputs.  I worry about when the Bryston goes, but I guess a pre pro like yours is one solution 

@mahler123 

Yes!  Audiophiles tend to sniff at Marantz these days, but they are where the A/V action is, and economies of scale make them very attractive at the higher end ...

Personally, when I buy a SACD, I expect to hear all its channels, not just 2-channel.  I only own one SACD that is 2-channel only!

I really hate the Marantz label.  Hopefully my DAC holds out.  I have 2 multichannel systems in my home to go with the 2 channel and I like listening to SACD in 2 channels as well.  Just because they can be played in more than 2 channels doesn’t mean that they have to