Solo streamer

@mdalton I cannot speak for anyone who has disposable income to procure 'expensive' gear for hobby or entertainment. However, compared to the Aurender N30, which costs $25k, the N200 is more affordable for those who can afford it. Perhaps sometime soon, the Op will jump on the stage here and talk about upgrading his DAC. Wait and see.

Congrats on your excellent new streamer!  Please report back with your impressions that I suspect will ruffle the feathers here among those who think streamers don’t make much difference or can’t make a difference with your DAC.  Of course they’ll just say it’s you fooling yourself into thinking the Aurender sounds better if that’s your conclusion, but your thoughts will be interesting either way. 

lol!  and if you don’t hear a difference, you’ll be accused of having inadequate hearing, an insufficiently resolving system, or both.  Good luck!

Mdalton - a sound decision is made by an individual based on feedback from others who have experience with the item in question, research conducted and the available budget. Your help is appreciated. But all you’re providing is simply an opinion. No one is obligated to follow your direction. 

@audphile1

Surprise!  Am gonna have to disagree with respect to the soundness of the decision.  You - and others - are applauding the OP for spending more on his streamer than he has spent on any other component in his system, indeed more than the total of his DAC, amp and preamp combined.  I know you personally feel validated because he chose the same piece of gear that you own, but in what alternate universe, given his system, is that a sound decision?  

Don't get me wrong, I love his stuff, it’s a cool system.  But even if I believe a $10k speaker cable sounded better than a $1000 cable, I would never advise another member to make that purchase if he had a $10k (or $20k or $30k) system.  That would not be a sound decision.  And I certainly wouldn’t applaud him if he went ahead and did it anyway.  Your help is appreciated. But all you’re doing is providing an opinion.