Here is a path that will tie you up for a bit. The New Cambridge Audio CXN V2 is Roon Ready. explore upgrading to that and firing up a Roon trial and running the core on a PC or desktop you might have on the network. At this point you are not testing SQ but all the other features ROON environment provides, like blending your Local files with Qobuz offerings and all the other meta data features. Then if that is all good then get a real audio quality host of the Roon core like a SGC ST i5. Then you can compare the SQ of Roon to what the CXN V2 can do with Roon out of the loop.
Does an upgrade make sense?
I may be coming down with the upgrade bug, and I’m open to suggestions. I’m quite happy with what I have—excellent imaging, musicality, dynamics. Maybe I could use a little more depth (left right is fine and speakers truly disappear), and maybe a touch more dynamics.
Almost everything I listen to is Qobuz streaming or hi res and flac files from a NAS (hard drive). My system:
Cambridge 851 Streamer/DAC
Bel Canto Pre5
Bel Canto Ref 500 monoblocks
Dali Mentor 6 floorstanders
Everything sits on maple plinths, Gaia iiis, or pucks.
Cabling is mid range Morrows. I previously had Kimber KS1116s but sold them as the Morrows sounded just as good, on the current set up.
What do I need to get more of everything? Speakers? DAC, Streamer? Amp?