Ready to move onto next stage of streaming

Uberwaltz,

The 2170 will read the correct incoming sample rate, so if you click "info" on a 24/192 (MQA) is will indeed say 24/192, but the 2170 will then resample the MQA to PWM (24/96) before the final output, as it does with any incoming signal.  So you're getting resampled MQA.

My Aries Mini, which had a BETA firmware installed, was MQA capable with it's internal DAC and would do a full MQA unfolding.  I'd send MQA to the Mini, and then singled ended out into the Lyngdorf's unbalanced input.  I did not like the sound at all.  I'd send the same MQA file through the Mini's digital out into the Lyngdorf and the sound was a bit better, although there was no MQA unfolding, since I was using the Lyngdorf's DAC.  So I ended up just playing the FLAC files (Mini digital out to 2170), and to me that sounded better than MQA

Before the Lyngdorf, I had a Hegel H160 and did the same test.  This time, using the Mini's DAC and playing MQA, going into the Hegel's unbalanced analog input, the sound was always superb.  I always preferred the MQA version, over the normal FLAC.

Hope that makes sense.  ramble ramble

My guess is that the Mytek would produce  similar results regarding MQA as the Aries Mini.  Although the Mytek is a much better DAC, but you would need to pair the Mytek with a different amp unfortunately.

I had a very inexpensive Definitive Technologies Streamer and knew I needed to upgrade. I tried the all in one Lyngdorf and the sound quality was slightly less than the discrete components I had at the time. I tried a Border Patrol DAC with the Definitive streamer and didn’t hear an improvement. I came across Lumin and thats where things began to take the sound to a much higher level. I was still auditioning the BP DAC and tried it with the A1 LUMIN and found the DAC in the LUMIN carried a bit more weight. I’m very happy with the A1 feeding my SET 300b amp!

Darn it
I sold my h160 to help buy the 2170!
Still I think in my situation the room correction helps tremendously.

Room Perfect is a game changer, plus the DAC in the 2170 is far superior to that in the H160.  IMHO.

If you're going to keep the 2170 for long term, maybe best to stay with the Bluesound.  But, If you're keen on upgrading your streamer, I would not purchase anything that is a DAC/streamer combo.  You don't need a 2nd DAC.