Given your short lived exp with trial and error, CDP vs HDD/DAC and the whatever interface, I would amend your friends statement somewhat…
Better said, “…. I would agree, so far.”
Blanket statements such as this or that setup blows away this or that setup could very well be accurate, subjectively or imperically, yet it/they do not cover all the setups available.
This could be a matter of simple settings being amiss with the software, or the file type & formats… and not the error or fault of the setup. IOW, ‘operator malfunction’ and even an overlooked configuration issue…. Or and I don’t mean this in a derogatory manner, but it could be user bias too.
My audio world is quite myopic, but my experiences with HDD vs CDP as sources has grown at some length over these past years and there are numerous factors which will surely affect playback and hence, sound quality using PC or Macs as source units.
Just ‘cause everything being used is ‘spensive, don’t mean it was setup exactly right or truly optimized. Sounds to me as though it was not. Or it’s software installation is in error… as both ways used the same DAC, right?
If so it’s obvious the personal confuser has something amiss. Somewhere. Somehow.
At very least though and once again, your shoot out isn’t THE final word, as you’ve so indicated…. It’s merely YOUR final word given what you have on hand with which to experiment…. ‘so far’.
Of course if this exchange is all you will do for investigative purposes for PC vs CDP performance ratios, and you’re satisfied, then it’s all good for you, and that’s great!
It does come off demonstrative and short sighted to remark that A vs. B gave you the impetus to discount ALL other such variations and thus their own challenges. To your findings. There’s a bunch more ‘B’ setups out there you haven’t heard yet, I’d bet. I’d not go all in on one vs another, just yet.
I’d like very much to get about my area and interchange components with other like minded sorts but so far I’ve not found too very many quite as forthcoming as myself nor as open to this interaction either… despite the potentially enormous mutual benefit the end result would be. Consequently I’ve my own perception and ears with which to ascertain gains & losses. Better and best.
Thanks for the comparisons of those two particular agendas though. Please, don’t stop there though, if using pc or Mac as source remains alluring to you.