@Initim
I was using an Oppo 105 in the same system as my Vault2. At first I was using the Vault2 as a stand-alone source into the preamp and quickly realized that I preferred the CDs that I was burning into the Vault2 played back from the Oppo. I then plugged the digital out from the Vault2 into digital inputs for the Oppo and much preferred that. It didn’t sound identical to the same discs played back natively on the Oppo, but very close. After a while I added the Manhatten, using both the Oppo and Vault2 as digital transports, and they both sounded much better via the Mytek. The very subtle differences between the Vault2 and the Oppo 105 May have been due to the differences between the coax and toslink inputs on the Manhatten, or due to differences in the 2 transports themselves, but they are very close.
When Oppo announced that they will cease making disc spinners I bought a 203 and replaced the 105 with that. I moved the 105 into a home theater system in a different part of the home and there is a Bluesound Node2 in that system. I now run the Node2 into the DAC of the 105. This has improved the sound of the Node2, but the rest of the HT system is made of mid fi gear that costs a fraction of my 2 channel system, and the upgrade for the Node2 isn’t as blazingly obvious as the upgrades in the two channel system.
The take away would be that the Bluesound products are fine as digital transports, but like any component, you need to consider the entire system before you make your choice.
I didn’t understand the last part of your post regarding connectivity. Can you rephrase that for me?
