How would you improve the sound of Squeezebox?

Cerrot,

you just made me wanna get a benchmark again! Did you used the CI VDC 9.0 for the SB? or did you upgraded the PS for the benchmark? or both?

You'll be very happy with the Benchmark. I was truly surprised at the performance for the money. I upgraded the squeezebox power supply with the CI. The Benchmark goes into a Shunyata Hydra 8 with a Shunyata Python helix Vx power cord, which was a pretty nice upgrade itself.

currently running sb3 coax out via 1.5 meter 75 ohm canare digital cable into bel canto dac3...excellent results. Sometime ago I splurged and bought a wellborne labs high performance linear supply (did not want the stock switcher wall wart spewing more noise both of emmitted and conducted type)to go with it. I had an SA11S1 for quite some time...also I had a Benchmark DAC1 w/same SB3 setup...I like this current setup better sonically.
Flexibility wise is a whole 'nutha ball of wax b/t any music server and the solo sliver spinner.

Via S/PDIF the SB3 has a jitter spec of <50 pS; the transporter <35 pS. Into a competent modern dac like the Lavry, Benchmark DAC1, new musical fidelity, or Bel Canto Dac3 that offer high degree of jitter rejection I think you will be aok. I also use a dvd player as transport, and even though I have a more expensive virtual dynamics digital cable I can't hear 1 bit of meaningful difference.

I am all in on the music server way of life and can't see any turning back at this point. Sort of related, I find it annoying that some high end cd player manufacturers are not on board with digital inputs. For instance the new ARC CD5...same story...yawn... new analog circuitry, possibly better power supply and maybe "better" transport...how much better can that be over the cd3mkII... for real now? Why did they not toss in a simple s/pdif receiver when the design was on the open table to make use of the excellent conversion/analog stage? Cary seems to get the picture. Picking on ARC, I do realize they probably don't want to shoot themselves in the foot by offering a new DAC line with a new cd player line (that also could be an excellent DAC)...but come on now this is a bit ridiculous. These types of situations don't do any favors for people thinking about getting into the high end.
All aboard!
Sorry for taking this off the OP subject a tad

Dpac,

I've been eyeing the Bel canto Dac3 but kind of don't want to spend the bucks. Do you think the upgrade from SB/Benchmark to SB/Bel Canto is worth $2,500? (I wouldn't sell the benchmark, but, rather, move it over to my PC-rendering the Musical Fidelity XDAC3/PSU3 to the closet).

Cerrot,
It's more like (new dac1=1k, new bcdac3=2.5k, for 1.5k delta and used dac1=850,used bcdac3=1850, avg used for 1k delta ), and yes the diff is def worth it. In my system the dac1 was a bit on the analytical and dry side (If perhaps it's b/c the dac1 is more accurate then I must not like accurate). The bcdac3 is quite amazing. Very likely to be my last digital source for quite some time.