Nope

DAC is in standby mode. It turns the mono blocks on/off via a 12V trigger.

Looks like junk.

A small dose of marijuana should do the trick 😉.

8 feet.

Speakers and room acoustics by far play the biggest role in sound quality. Differences among sources, especially digital, are way smaller.

It appears the myth persists. https://productionadvice.co.uk/no-stair-steps-in-digital-audio/

I make tone adjustments in DSP, so I don’t need tone controls in my amps.

Your state of mind is not conducive.

Some computer monitors are 42 inches these days!

There are benefits, but not in the sound. Nicer aesthetics and the convenience of a remote control. But there is no need to spend $750. I built a streamer using Raspberry Pi 4, a 7 inch touch screen and an IR receiver. Total cost was well under $200.

Have been doing that forever. First it was a Fab Filter plugin running in Audio Hijack Pro. Now it is a convolution filter in Roon. But I really added this as icing on top of the cake (room treatments).

UMK-1 from Mini DSP.

That would be a strange reason to buy a Mac. Most audiophiles will use the USB out to an external DAC.

They also sell a stand for this switch. Only $299. One would think a ethernet switch with magical capabilities wouldn’t need any accessories. Oh, and also you need to use their special ethernet cables to get the full benefits.

Magni rhymes with Agni, which is the word for fire in Hindi.

Room ~ Speakers > Amp.

I don’t know because I got rid of my analog preamp a long time ago. It’s really unnecessary in an all digital system. Digital volume controls in modern DACs are extremely transparent, assuming the system is gain matched.

Synergistic Research? Definitely SO. I fell for it 25 years ago when I started in this hobby. I’ve gotten wiser since then.