Just leave it on.

Certainly, some DAC designs could need a brief warm up after being fully powered off for a period. The best argument for this is due to the operating temperature of the clock circuit.

https://www.quartzpro.com/tcxofacts.html

There are also a lot of arguments online about the re-forming time of capacitors which have sat idle. Hard drive manufacturers acknowledge this in technical papers. It’s reasonable to consider this reality in any circuit. The question is, how long will the process take? Minutes, hours, or days? I suspect it depends on the type of capacitor (dielectric type) and the voltage level relative to the rating of the cap.

Subjectively, I’ve heard solid state components change their sound noticeably while listening. For example, I borrowed a T+A integrated which had been sitting unplugged for > 6 months. The sound changed noticeably over the first 20-30 minutes.

100 hours? This OEM makes the argument for it. Clearly, they’re not trying to exhaust a return policy window.

https://www.sozocapacitors.com/break/

Bjork - Hyperballad

Speaker width = listening distance, or slightly less if the center image isn’t locked in.

Fair stereotype, but not always the case. Music selection tends to be age/demographic rather than budget related in my experience.

I’m one of those guys with a big expensive system. The music I use to audition gear tends to be a broad mix of modern stuff like Phantogram, Beck, Radiohead, Halsey, The Who, Massive Attack, techno DJ’s like Charlotte De Witte with a little jazz or classic mixed in for good measure.

Similarly, a reviewer I know will often lean on Kruder & Dorfmeister, Slayer, Elvis Costello, Massive Attack, Amie Mann, etc. He’s in his 60’s.

The reviewers you need to be careful about are the guys who only listen to acoustic music, unless that’s also your jam. If they think Quad ESL’s are the pinnacle of hifi, turn the page. Look for the reviewers who will wax poetic about the sound using an average recording like Led Zepplin IV or Ramones Rocket to Russia.

The thing to remember is, there’s a contingent of well known hifi reviewers who are in their 70’s. Even if they enjoy contemporary music, they don’t write about it and they’re not going to tell you how low-fi/mainstream recordings sound on the gear under review.

When I attend hifi shows, I’ll often ask to hear a track like “Atlas Air” from Massive Attack’s Heligoland if I really like a system. As long as the room isn’t packed, they’re usually cooperative especially if I’m there in an official capacity. You can immediately tell if a system is a one trick pony by playing tracks like that.

FWIW, I like Steely Dan but I don’t write about it. Aja will make nearly any system sound good.

Bowie, The Cure and Depeche Mode sound far better on vinyl in my system. It sounds decent/good on digital, far better on wax.

There’s something about the way most of those catalogs were mastered for digital which really takes away from it.

Here’s my advice: see if you can find a old used CD version of violator or let’s dance and compare it to your streaming source. If it’s better, it’s the streaming master that’s your issue.

Also, try listening to Depeche Mode’s Momento Mori album in your setup. How does it sound?

The mini has less connectivity (no optical input, no Ethernet input), and is missing some features of the pro (Chromecast, google nest). That might be an issue for some users.

I’ve heard power supply upgrades improve Naim gear, in particular a Supercap DR into a Superline phono amp. There was a difference running a Flatcap into my Naim Nait XS also, but it wasn’t enough to justify the retail cost and added space requirement in my opinion.

It becomes a value question. A) do you care that the Pardo power supply will have limited resale value if you ever try to sell it, and B) could you get more for your money elsewhere in the system?

2 questions:

1. Does Teddy offer a return policy if you don’t like it and

2. What impact is the war in Israel having on exports of his products?

On a $5000 budget, I’d buy a WiiM Pro Plus and put that DAC/Streamer budget into speakers.

Whenever I want a lesson in physics or electrical engineering, I go to Guitar Center.