Sound quality differences between NAS units

[winxi]

Hi,

the music which is digitally stored on a NAS is

1) read from the storage medium,
2) sent over the network,
3) received by the renderer,
4) D/A-converted,
5) amplified,
6) converted in pressure variations of the air,
7) transmitted over the air,
8) received by the human ear, and
9) processed by the human brain.

This is a rough categorization and these steps may be split in many more detailed intermediate steps.

Steps 1) to 3) are digital and I think that it is important for anybody with a basic technical understanding to emphasize that modifications to parts involved with these steps _do not_ affect the quality of sound. Specfically, buying a different NAS, using an SSD instead of a HDD, an expensive power supply for the NAS, expensive network cables, etc. _will not_ improve the quality of sound in your system. No way different such components will provide a 'warmer sound', a 'more open voice' or other sound improvements.

Clearly, devices involved with steps 4) to 6) (renderers, amplifiers, speakers) do affect the quality of sound.

And no doubt, a great influence on the perceived sound quality is the device involved with steps 8) and 9) - the listening individual itself.