David_Ten:
It occurs to me that there is a major revolution taking place with the Lyngdorf 2170. This approach removes the necessity of a DAC and a Preamp and maintains the digital stream intact until the final amplified signal is converted to analogue right before the speaker terminals.
Lyngdorf solved the volume control issue by having it control the power supply and that control the power output.
So, as a continuation of the computer-centric approach I suggested above, this means that all signal control and processing takes place in the virtual realm.
At my other place I have a 5-channel system with a computer right next to an Emotiva XMC-1 -- which is also a Linux computer. Why all the computers?
One is enough. It can hold the music files, control all of the signal processing, then convert the digital signal by class D to speaker terminals . Only one box is needed and a completely open-ended design exists as regards apps and future file formats/changes.
Would have gotten the Lyngdorf rather than a Nord amplifier but needed more power and was not convinced the file formats currently supported by the 2170 will be sufficient in the future.