@russ69 I would be more than happy to lend a helping hand if I were close by. It’s hard to imagine such complexity without seeing it firsthand.
I prefer variety when two devices offer equal sound quality (SQ), so I decided to try the highly praised Wiim Ultra. After putting in a good number of hours with it, I was disappointed—not only with its internal DAC but also with its performance as a streamer compared to the MXN10. The Ultra’s internal DAC sounds dull, and while pairing it with a capable external DAC improves the sound significantly, the notes still feel noticeably softer compared to the MXN10. The clarity, crispness and dynamics from MXN10 are in another league.
Ultimately, I decided to purchase another MXN10 (in a different color) for my second system, replacing the iFi Zen Stream. In my setup, the MXN10 > iFi ZS > Wiim Ultra. The gap between the MXN10 and the iFi ZS is relatively narrower than the gap between the iFi ZS and the Ultra, though.