Thiel Owners

dsper

since you discovered that 10 gauge stranded copper wire sounds good to you then I would suggest trying Cardas 9.5 gauge stranded litz
wire , only $6.50 a foot for 6n copper with the Cardas multi size strands.

 this is on my dyi list after I finish upgrading my DNA-250 amp .

Hi Dsper,
I'm a great believer in quality multi-strand cabling for audio frequencies. That's why I've used Belden stock for years.  (Disclaimer: I have no financial nor proprietary interests in Belden.)

Recently, Belden has offered a new stock, specifically aimed at the audio high-end market. It looks very interesting as an alternative to some of the exorbitantly priced mumbo jumbo cables designed to separate a HiFi addict from his hard earned dollars.

 I found the explanation of this Belden Iconoclast  cable to be reasonable; however, since I haven't auditioned any system using these new cables, I can't vouch for the increase in performance over what I now use.  

If you're interested:  https://www.iconoclastcable.com

Just my ancient two cents
George

^Market priced?

Dsper,

I am interested in other Thiel owner opinions regarding transports and DACs and at what point a listener needs to start playing with interconnects.

You don't need to play with either.  (And certainly not transports...and streamers/servers don't 'have a sound of their own' if they are operating properly).

But from what you wrote, I don't think that's the point of view you are looking for.  It's your money  ;-)

Thanks Tom for your comments on the 7 vs 7.2.  Would also love to hear your and others thoughts on how the 7s and the 5i compare.