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When I moved 10 years ago, I had the option of getting rid of my 1990-vintage Sony STR-D2020 receiver. I came very close to doing it, since it was heavy, took up a lot of room, and I had a (then) fairly new MSB Link DAC with upgrades, etc.
I recently connected an Amazon Fire Stick to the TV. I decided to buy a cheapy Toslink to connect my TV to my Sony, since the MSB couldn't accommodate another source. And it sounded very promising.
So I took my Deezer Elite service (through the Sonos Connect) with jitter treatment playing it through the Sony and compared it against Pandora through the Fire Stick and down to the MSB Link III. (If you followed that, you win a prize.) I matched the songs and did my best to level match.
The receiver definitely has the Sony house sound*. Compared to the MSB Link it is more vibrant in the treble end of the spectrum, more detailed, but less impactful in the midrange and bass (more "hi-fi," less "musical"). Truth be told, however, I could probably live with either DAC.
I'm going to have the Sonos upgraded by Wired4Sound and we'll see if there's a definite winner then.
Try dusting off your old equipment. It may surprise you.
P.S. I assume Pandora uses 320 kbps streaming at best. I didn't notice a big difference compared to Deezer's lossless signal, on headphones or speakers.
*Compare with PS3, which although made by Sony, does not have the Sony house sound; it's dark with no almost no treble extension.
Follow Ups:
I just put on CeeLo Green's Lady Killer album, one I know fairly well, through the Sony DAC, and boy does it sound uninvolving and full of boom and sizzle. Maybe I jumped the gun in declaring a truce!
I would like to compare the MSB to the Oppo 105 next. I still have some CDs, DVDs, and BluRays that deserve a transport better than my PS3 and my old Pioneer DVD player.
Thanks! for sharing.
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