Yep, I guess I misunderstood you. We agree on a wireless device outside of the tower.
In over 25 years in this hobby, and now more than ever, I'd opine that a price-point does NOT necessarily determine how good a component will sound. I don't use a stock Transporter. I didn't say a TP sounds like an Esoteric DAC, just that the two shared the same choice in DACs (in the case of the model I pointed out - yes, they make more than one model). Of course the implementation and the rest of the component will have impact on how it actually sounds, as will the rest of the system. I've never compared my TP or any TP to an Esoteric DAC. Have you, or are you just speculating based on their price? Have you ever even heard a TP? Or a Modwright TP? You've kept comparing the AE to a TP and I'm pointing out that one is quite different from the other in the internals, not the least of which is the DAC. As I said, my listening with the AE was consistently inferior as fed through toslink to an external DAC (no jitter device in between). The Modwright TP is one of the best digital front ends I've ever heard. It warrants no comparison to anything I've ever heard from an AE via an external DAC. My experience there is limited to the DACs I listed, and clearly that does not include the way you've suggested implementing a de-jitter device. I would not spend time doing any critical listening to the AE setups I've tried out. YMMV, and your de-jitter solution sounds like a step in the right direction. Bravo. Again, I'm just conveying my experiences here, and I suggest anyone make their own judgments with their own ears.
In over 25 years in this hobby, and now more than ever, I'd opine that a price-point does NOT necessarily determine how good a component will sound. I don't use a stock Transporter. I didn't say a TP sounds like an Esoteric DAC, just that the two shared the same choice in DACs (in the case of the model I pointed out - yes, they make more than one model). Of course the implementation and the rest of the component will have impact on how it actually sounds, as will the rest of the system. I've never compared my TP or any TP to an Esoteric DAC. Have you, or are you just speculating based on their price? Have you ever even heard a TP? Or a Modwright TP? You've kept comparing the AE to a TP and I'm pointing out that one is quite different from the other in the internals, not the least of which is the DAC. As I said, my listening with the AE was consistently inferior as fed through toslink to an external DAC (no jitter device in between). The Modwright TP is one of the best digital front ends I've ever heard. It warrants no comparison to anything I've ever heard from an AE via an external DAC. My experience there is limited to the DACs I listed, and clearly that does not include the way you've suggested implementing a de-jitter device. I would not spend time doing any critical listening to the AE setups I've tried out. YMMV, and your de-jitter solution sounds like a step in the right direction. Bravo. Again, I'm just conveying my experiences here, and I suggest anyone make their own judgments with their own ears.