I recently upgraded from a Qutest to a Dave/M Scaler setup (with BixPower BP90 12v battery for the M Scaler) and couldn't be more pleased! All the usual adjectives about soundstage, detail, etc. all contribute to an emotionally satisfying reproduction of music. I listen to both headphones and speakers (B&W 802 D3 crossed over to two DB1D subs) and both reveal Rob's DAC accomplishments. I would appreciate anyone's insights about the questions below.
1. Right now, I use an Aurender N100H music streamer, which has USB galvanic isolation, to connect to the M Scaler which also has galvanic isolation. Upstream, I use the new English Electric EE1 ethernet noise isolator inbetween the router and the Aurender. Given the "double" galvanic isolation between the two components, and the asynchronous USB control of the M Scaler of the streamer data transfer and the M Scaler's immunity to jitter, will this configuration remove all or almost all noise into the M Scaler? Some companies, including Aurender, offer much more expensive streamers with even more advanced power supplies and designs, intended to further improve sound. Will this matter for the M Scaler/Dave?
2. I couldn't find any discussions online about whether or not the best DACs already exceed the ability of the best headphones and speakers to accurately reproduce subtle information such as small signals and fast transients. For example, can a headphone transducer or speaker cone handle the full benefit from the M Scaler/Dave? And looking at Rob's next generation of DACs, which will be even more advanced, will we be able to benefit from them given these potential limitations? And you can add in the potential limitations of other components downstream such as interconnects, preamps, amps and speaker cables--all of which will have less precision than the Chord DACs.