Solo streamer

@mdalton - Amen. If it is engineering, they must be able to show what is it, exactly. Maybe even have a patent. Otherwise it is vapor.

@invalid - true with Sony, but engineers were easily able to show jitter issue with DACs. Nothing fancy. Audio CDs were never designed to be bit perfect delivery of data. But networks are.

As is USB protocol. We don’t connect hard drives, smartphones or cameras to PCs over SPDIF or Toslink for a reason. But we don’t lose phone backups, pictures or signed house deeds when sending data over USB or networks. Financial industry operates over same protocols sending money. Military send missile launch orders.

"Ethernet cleaners" can never explain what is that they do.

And for some reason cloud datacenters that stores all those Tidal files never use $$$ USB or Ethernet cables. Google network engineers would have a good laugh if offered 'cleaned Ethernet' or 'upgraded network cables'.

The important part of this exercise is that you can now upgrade either DAC or streamer as needed when tech changes. I just dumped good $$$ on speakers that will allow me to upgrade from an $8k McIntosh integrated (that I enjoy) when I feel the sound needs something else. 

Latest update. The Aurender was shipped from South Korea to Music Direct via MY mailing address.  Since those two entities don’t match, it’s being held in customs in Cincinnati since last Wednesday, the day it was supposedly to be delivered.  Now, after much aggravation from DHL, the shipping manager from Music Direct contacted customs to try and unravel the red tape.  Now the unit is supposed to be delivered THIS Wednesday.

All this could have been avoided if Aurender sent the streamer from their facilities in California. But, I guess that’s how they do business.

The N200 seems popular,  mine shipped directly from Aurender California and I live in Boston.   I'm guessing they were out of stock and that was the quickest way, via DHL.   I think it will be worth the wait, hopefully you'll feel the same once you get it