DAC in player vs DAC in computer.

Orpheus - There are no "good" master clocks in computers, or sound cards for that matter.

This is the point I'm trying to make. The master clock should be outside of the computer, in another chassis with a good power source etc.. This is the ONLY means to low jitter playback.

This is what is happening in Async USB interfaces and Squeezebox Touch. They have the master clock. The computer is the slave.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Now I have the Music Streamer II, so what's my next step on the upgrade path?

If you dont want to change the DAC, then the next step is to insure that you have a good ripper and good playback software. Good rippers are dbpoweramp for PC and XLD for Mac. Good playback software is Amarra 2.3.2 (4317-19), Pure Music or Jplay for PC.

These will not improve on the master clock jitter, but they will insure that the data is delivered intack.

Then, third-order effects for improvement include putting the OS on a SSD rather than spinning hard disk, improving the PC power supply and eliminating extraneous applications.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio