Great point Erikminer...thats why I am reluctant to say a component is better than another. This whole hobby is so subjective its impossible to say. Now all kidding aside, I agree with you about just enjoying the music. I have slowed down my component swapping and tweaking. I know just do little things that I find interesting. The goal isnt to reach some holy grail but rather just have fun. I tweak (not twerk) because its interesting instead of for some pursuit of an unreachable goal.
I will be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Devialet.
Erikminer, have you auditioned the Devialet? What happened to the Aries?
And I am with Mattmiller, a big part of being an audiophile is constantly tweaking! Thats how I am with my DIY music server PC. I keep playing with OS, power supplies, usb cards, internal wiring, etc. Its fun!
Erikminer, very well put together system. I am also considering the Auralic Aries or building a CAPS server. Right now I am using an old Atom based PC I had laying around connected to a linear power supply with great results. The PC replaced my Sonos ZP 90. One thing about the Aries I am not sure about is whether it's interface will allow me do some of the things that full blown media management software like JRiver MediaCenter allows like song ratings, smart playlists, etc. That being said the Aries is definitely on my list of alternatives to bullding a CAPS.
