Logitech Squeezebox Touch DAC: How Good?

I'm new to the Squeezebox Touch. I quite like the sound of hi-rez .flac files transported over wifi and passed by coax digital from the SBT to my Mark Levinson 30.6. But there is a lot of hashy grain in the louder sections of orchestral music.

But, for playing Apple Lossless CD rips, the SBT does NOT sound as good as my airport express driving the the same Levinson 30.6 DAC through a Toslink connection. The SBT sound stage seems vague, almost confusing compared to the APE.

Is anyone else having this problem?

Could Flac files sound better? I think I am using the SBT server application to do the decoding, but I am not certain.

Is the volume control on the Touch always kept up at 100%?

Kal

05-04-10: Artmaltman
SmHoll, I've been using the Bryston BDA-1 DAC that I borrowed from Dan.

BTW, yesterday evening we have a major shootout with me, Dan and Brent:
- SB Touch analog outs (Mac server)
- SB Touch digital out to Bryston BDA-1 (Mac server)
- Cary 308T cdp player with tube output stage
- MacBook Pro USB output to Bryston BDA-1 USB input
- MacBook Pro USB to Empirical anti-jitter device to Bryston BDA-1 digital input

May I ask how do you connect the Mac server to the SB Touch? Do you stream music files from the Mac server wirelessly or the Mac is wired to the SB touch via Ethernet/USB inputs? I would like to know whether there is an appreciable difference between these two connections.

Thanks in advance.

The Lampizator guy will release a tube output squeezebox based digital transport in the coming weeks. The digital section will have a tubed power supply as well.

This will dovetail nicely with any of his Lampizator DACs.

This promises to be analogue heaven.

Ryder, it can be both/either wireless or wired...

vin