surrender n200 vs n20

Main reason I chose N200 over 150 was the USB and SPDIF out and display.  
 

if I had a system that had components in the N20 price range and I could swing it I would.  The N200 and a great sounding DAC really is a great digital front end for someone like me who streams a lot.  I still listen to FM and CDs , BluRay Audio but most of the time it is some type of stream or playing back from some type of drive. 

Well, it was quite a while ago and I did not have them both in my system at the same time.  

I did have a Bel Canto e.One Stream at the same time as the N200 and I actually preferred it to the N200, all else equal.  (Amazing considering the price difference.)  According to my listening notes they both sounded great, but the primary advantage of the e.One was the very deepest bass.  But I hated the user interface with the e.One.  So that is what convinced me to upgrade to the N20.  

I’ve been totally satisfied with the N20.  I compared it directly with the e.One, and the N20 is superior in my system.  The very deepest bass is present and articulate, and there is more overall clarity, focus, and ease.  Therefore, by inference the N20 is in another league from the N200.  All these comparisons were with the same system/room/cables and multiple DACs, the most satisfying being my Mola Mola Tambaqui.  That’s my experience in my system.  Totally worth it for me. 

One more point. The combination of Streamer and DAC depends on what connection each is optimized for.  I’m using AES from N20 to Tambaqui. 

Many people tried talking me out of a high end streamer , saying a Raspberry Pi or PC or Mac sounds better than something like the Aurender.  No way !   They have never experienced a really streamer to be making that statement 

I tried both and preferred the SPDIF with my current DAC