Wireworld Platinum Starlight® 10 Twinax and AQ Diamond

@audphile1 , thanks for your review.  I was ready to pull the trigger on the new Alpha cable but there was a long lead time, so went with the Omega.  I don't find it lean sounding at all, but in fairness it has yet to be tested on the stereo side, where the rubber really hits the road.  Time will tell on that one.

After a mini DAC merry-go-round, the Meitner has been a joy, so much so that I decided to (again-- notice the trend?) go for the gusto and upgrade to the "i" version.  Your comment about preference vs. better is spot on: it's different, and therein lies the beauty .  It's easy enough to A-B the setups, with and without N200, and use one or the other as the mood strikes.

Robert

Btw, I wondered whether the upgraded MA3i could be used as my primary streamer to replace the Aurender, but the fact that you have the N200 in your system indicates the MA3i is good, but the N200 is better.  Care to comment on that?  Thanks,

Robert

@audphile1 , the front end of my system is as you have: Aurender N200 to Meitner.  Currently the Meitner is MA3, and it literally just arrived in Calgary for an upgrade to the "i" version.  I have been using the Hidden Treasure, which was a big bump from an older Shunyata Alpha ethernet cable, very pleasing to these ears.  Then I upgraded my home theatre side (the lion's share of my entertainment time), plugged the Hidden Treasure into my new video streamer for giggles (a whole other story) and the Audience cable made things pop.  I had to wonder what an even better cable would do, found a used Shunyata Omega cable that needed a home, and went for the gusto.  In fairness, all the pieces of the puzzle are still on the coffee table, but the Omega is an excellent cable, better than the Audience.  Worth the extra cost?  Hmmm...   I considered the AQ Diamond but it has silver conductors, which can be problematic for me.

When the Meitner comes back and the puzzle is put back together, I will compare the Audience and Omega cables on the stereo side to see where they work better.  I agree the Hidden Treasure is a keeper.  I even thought of getting a second for the home theatre side, but couldn't resist seeing what a purportedly better cable would do.  We should all be saddled with such dilemmas.

Good luck and happy listening.

@audphile1 , thanks for the Meitner feedback.  I heard from others that they are very happy they invested in the "i" upgrade, although one got beaten up mercilessly by tariffs when the DAC was shipped back.  That was not supposed to happen.

@buellrider97 , I am still a babe in these woods, learning as I go, enjoying what I have and what comes next, sometimes with a big win, other times taking one step forward and three back.  So it goes. Regarding your long ethernet run, this has been discussed elsewhere on Audiogon and those threads were my inspiration.  I have a 50ft run from router to my system's switch and opted for fiber optic cable and converters rather than going for a long run of ethernet cable.  There are pluses and minuses all around, many opinions, many ways to get from here to there.  For me, fiber was a reasonably priced/ good quality solution from router to switch, with a quality ethernet cable from switch to device.  According to the cognoscenti, the last few feet leading to the device are what really matters.  As to which ethernet cable, or if you even need a network filter, it took me a number of tries, but I'm there now... until I'm not, and something else catches my fancy.

Robert