To DDC or not to DDC. That is the question.

@audphile1 I will try this tonight and report back. 

@audphile1 That was an interesting and very worthwhile investigation. I have the Merason DAC1 and the SCD-XA5400ES CDP in neighboring inputs so it was very easy to switch back and forth between them while listening to tracks. The first thing to note is that the CDP is louder than the Merason. I had to turn up the Merason channel about 3db (preamp has .5db clicks) to equalize the volumes. Overall the Merason is much more refined and accurate. Way more detail and realism. I also noted more clearly defined and separated instruments in the soundstage. But what the Sony offers is ENERGY. It’s more brash, upfront and in your face. So for rock, bluegrass, electronica I’m going to go with the Sony directly. For Jazz, acoustic stuff, piano, classical, vocally rich recordings I’m going with the Merason. Diana Krall is Merason. The Clash is Sony. I love that I can just switch inputs and change the flavor!!! Thanks for the suggestion, I learned something new about my system tonight! 

@maprik cool! I kind of expected this outcome.
It’s nice to have some variety and not get bored with one type of sonic presentation. Also, this shows you what your streaming is doing. And having original CDs as opposed to the remastered versions on streaming allows you to listen to what sounds best. 

I use 2 DDCs in my system. Both my streamer and DAC have galvanically isolated USB, yet the DDCs are doing god’s work. Research some good DDCs and see what pops up that interests you. Then weigh against the DAC upgrade. Either route will probably get you to about the same place.