USB Cable

@soix 

+1

I agree. While both the DHLabs and Transparent USB cables are really good ones… I use both… Transparent on my main system and DHLabs on my headphone system… they are connected to wall wart wifi extenders and first class streamers on the other end. I would recommend not wasting money on USB interconnects until you get the PC out of the picture.

I ran all sorts of PC configurations for years… different software, CODEX, cables… and none of that mattered until I got a dedicated streamer. The huge jump in performance made a better cable worth it.

OP,

Holy cow! Definitely get a streamer of that caliber… I recommend an Aurender W20SE given the rest of your system.

Our systems are very similar… Audio Research REF 6SE, REF CD9SE DAC, and for me ref 160s and m. You definitely want the Aurender W20SE… I have had a host of lessor streamers (including PCs, MacBooks.. etc) and an Aurlic Aries G2, Aurender N100, N10, and W20SE, and a Grimm. Each of these steps was a big upgrade. The W20SE moved the sound up to the level of my outstanding analog end… Audio Research Ref 3 / 3SE Phonostage and my near Klimax Linn LP12 with Koetsu Rosewood Signature.

@soix

+1 Very true. PCs cannot compete.

I played with PCs for a number of years. I used different software, striped down the background jobs, Changed cables, added noice reduction… did the same on a MAC, ran it on batteries. Still my first stand alone streamer was completely blew away the PCs… the noise floor dropped precipitously, the treble improved enormously, imaging vastly increases… etc.

If you are using very inexpensive audio gear that itself is very noisy and low fidelity… then there may not be a difference. But as soon as you have a good system, there is no comparison. I am sure this line varies from system to system.

@soix 

+1

@hce1 

Nice post.