Why I Sold My Aurender N200

Now just sit back and enjoy a good glass of wine and listen to music with your wife. It’s hard to put a price tag on a level of improved sound quality. Like you, if I’m going to upgrade a component and spend several thousand dollars more, I expect to hear a significant difference. A percentage that I always keep in mind is 30-40 percent. Is 10-20 percent improvement in sound quality worth $3, 5 or 7K more, probably not. This is where your ears and gut kick in. Don’t look back, enjoy your system and life. 

The nice thing about this hobby of ours is that there is no right and no wrong.  It’s all about our ears and our musical tastes.

Congratulations on your daughter.

I think many people place too much importance on the streamer and not enough on the DAC.  Sounds like a positive move on your part all around, eliminating something that has no sonic impact on your listening experience and providing a wonderful opportunity for your daughter.  I tip my hat to you sir.

You’re kinda of comparing apples and oranges when comparing a network card which is Ethernet based and a dedicated streamer that is USB based to the Dac. I had a Bricasti M3 w/network card and switched to a Melco server/streamer. The Network card made for a much cleaner solution but the Melco was a nice upgrade in streaming.
Of course there is different cabling involved and the difference between Ethernet and USB but I think the Bricasti M3 will always benefit from a high quality streamer.

Very interesting findings.  Thanks for reporting in. Just goes to show you that it really doesn’t matter what the reviewers tell you or what you read on these forums.  The only way to know is by putting it in your system and listening for yourself.