Berkeley DAC’s are designed and optimized for AES/ SPDIF digital interface. So I would feed this DAC with a streamer that is just as meticulously designed to complement your DAC i.e. N20. I used to own N20 :-)
Aurender N20 vs N200 with a Berkeley Reference DAC 3 and Berkeley USB Interface Box
The Aurender N20 OCXO clock pushes outputs to the DAC (unlike asynchronous USB where the DAC pulls info), but only on the AES or BNC outputs. Supposedly OCXOs are much more accurate and stable than the temperature-varying crystal oscillators (like the one used in the Berkeley USB interface)? Additionally, the N20’s upsampling only works on the AES/BNC (not USB) output. So, is it better to use the N20’s AES or BNC to connect directly to the Berkeley Reference 3 DAC, or use the N20’s USB output via the Berkeley USB interface box? I primarily listen to MQA and Redbook files via Tidal/Quboz.
- If better to connect the N20 directly to the DAC via AES or BNC, are there any other features of the N20, that make it better than the cheaper N200 (I have no plans to use an external clock)? What are those features?
- Is the USB output better or the same between the N20 and N200 units?
- Is there a difference between the N20 and the N200 in the way DSD is handled (played natively vs FPGA conversion)?
- Does the N200 have the All-Digital Phase-Locked Loop system (ADPLL), or does the ADPLL only work on the AES/BNC and not the USB output?