One other word about improving DAC performance. It was recommened by Alvin Chee (owner of Denafrips distributor Vinshine Audio), that adding a Denafrips Iris between my Bluesound Node 130 and my Denafrips Pontus II DAC might improve overall performance. If it didn't work, I could sell it for not much less than the purchase price. Alvin has never steered me wrong, so I bought one.
What does it do? The Iris DDC (and I assume most DDCs), takes an input signal and filters it galvanically and optically to reduce jitter and noise. The Iris then re-clocks the signal prior to outputting (via I2S HDMI in my case) using a TCXO which is superior to the one in the Pontus II.
Does it work? Absolutely it does in my configuration. The SQ improvements were immediate and not subtle. Soundstage width and height were improved (but not depth), the noise floor was lowered and I could more easily separate instruments and hear detail that was not as obvious without it, it took away some of the sharp edges while at the same time allowing more detail in higher frequencies, and improved vocals beyond what I thought were already great qualities in the Pontus II through my Buchardt Audio S400 MKII speakers.
Others have shared with me that the improvement will be less noticeable when I migrate to a better streamer (Innuous, Aurender, Lumin, or the like) as they have a far superior treatment of the signal path.....less noise, less jitter, more stable clock, etc.....and I may find the Iris redundant in this scenario. We'll see when I get there
