lucretius

Benchmark has a cable XLR -> RCA, with pin 3 floating: https://benchmarkmedia.com/products/benchmark-xlrfm-to-rca-adapter-cable-pin-3-floating?variant=547648461 However, I take it you want to use your own RCA cables?

1. I see your DAC does DSD64 via DoP. I'm not sure what will be better, 24/192 vs DSD64. Try both and see what you like better. 2. Use a minimum phase filter (abbreviated mp). For PCM I use poly-sinc-short-mp and for DSD I use poly-sinc-short-mp-2s. For modulator I use TPDF for PCM and ASDM7 for DSD. 3. 44.1k x64

@damien78 hasn't been active for almost 1 week. Perhaps he is away due to vacation, the requirements of his day job, or family obligations? (It's pretty much a one-man show.) I hope Damien is well!

You use your admin account for every day use?

What are you doing to make it sound different? (Something other than using Audirvana as a bit-perfect pass-through?)

So they don't even want to tackle XLR to RCA?

I suppose if you try to squeeze in as many outputs/inputs as possible on the back of equipment, then you'll likely need twice the real estate for N connectors. I do like BNC -- easy/quick to connect and reconnect. Doesn't the B in BNC stand for Bayonet?

By my calculation, DSD768 requires 0.036864GHz (36,864kHz 48kz family / only 33,868.80kHz 44.1kHz family). and double for DoP. Can you check your calculation? Or did you actually mean DSD 32,768?

I like to buy in the sweet spot (if I can afford it). I'm thinking $1,500 headphones may be the sweetspot.

There's a heck of a lot of room between these extremes.

It could be that a company's flagship model is merely a statement of their abilities, values, etc. and not made to bring in much profit itself but helps to sell a lot of 'lesser' affordable models.

I like Type N connectors like this (but probably good for only unbalanced cables): https://www.amphenolrf.com/connectors/n-type.html

Yes. The nickel plating may be really thin but on better connectors it's thicker. Gold-plating on connectors is always very thin.

Hmm ... point me to the cables/connectors with $5,000 worth of gold.

The gold plating is so thin and soft it quickly wears off. Therefore, it's not good for constantly connecting/reconnecting. In that case, I'd take a nickel plated connector any day.