Although I don't own a high-end DAC, I'll offer my opinions on your 2nd question. I have an MSB LinkDAC III which I think is very good for the price. I consider it entry level audiophile along with the rest of my stereo setup.
To my ears, the analog outputs of the SB2 can't compare to its digital output + external DAC. To me, the difference is very significant and doesn't even require blind testing. In my opinion, for the SB2 to be in a high end setup, an external DAC is a must. Others will probably disagree but this subjective anyway. Everyone has different equipment, listening environments, preferences, and ears. Still, I think the SB2's internal DAC and analog outputs are very good considering the price of the whole unit. I have my SB2 connected via analog to an integrated amp and I think it works quite well. What amazes me though is how well the SB2 works as a digital transport. To me, there's no noticeable difference between the SB2 (with the digital output bypassing volume control) and my CD changer when both are connected to the external DAC. -- Aylwin _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
