Still breaking in my k50 seems to be opening up as time ticks away...I took to leaving the Roon running and my amp off when not in use, can't leave my amp on for long, long periods because it's pure Class A. Hopefully that is helping.
I'd agree with alot of the sentiments throughout this thread (with the exception of the user Sales the troll measurement idiot who derailed the middle of the thread) the K50 adds dimension, weight, and quiet to the signal that just wasn't there before. I am just allowing the unit to fully break in so I completely understand what thing is doing in my system before I start messing with cables, inputs etc. The temptation is real.
With all that said, I tend to apply a very subjective "is it worth the $$" or a "could I achieve the same with something cheaper" or a "could I be just as satisfied without it" to all the equipment I purchase. As I mentioned I am reserving 100% judgement for now while the K50 breaks in completely, I do realize break is a very real thing. Then I will apply some tweaks, maybe even take it back out and see how my system sounds without it, then judge.
I have however listened to enough music at this point that it might allow for what I'd consider a snap judgement...If I were to go off of those first impressions I'd say I am not blown away by this $15k box. It sounds good, I'd say close to the impact of some other lesser priced tweaks I've made over the 25+ years I've been in this hobby.
For this system I'd say my Amp, and DAC are hands down the most impactful upgrades I've made, I never ever think about whether they were worth it. Take everything I've said at face value, I am optimistic the K50, mainly due to the cost, can achieve that status. Time will tell.
I'm curious, how have you connected the K50 to your MSB DAC?
I ask, because in my experience, I haven't noticed that much of a difference using the LAN Direct from the K50 into my Linn KDSM - the Melco S100 made a bigger difference in my system - so when I demoed one in late 2020, I ended up sending it back (I didn't try the other outputs because Linn says that ethernet is best).
I recently picked up a used K50 because my Small Green Computer wasn't upgradable to the latest versions of Windows and because K50 users have been speaking positively about using the digital outs and the different server/player combos that are available using these outputs.
I am still breaking in cables (Pink Faun Digital Interlinks and BNC) and the digital outputs/clock on the K50 (the previous owner never used these connections, in fact, I had to send it to Antipodes service when I got it because these outputs weren't working - turns out a cable was disconnected for some reason) and I have connected both the Direct LAN and SPDIF outputs to the KDSM so I can switch back and forth and see if the different server/player combos work.
While it is early in the evaluation and the LAN cables have been fully broken in for a while, I still stand by my earlier observation, that used just as a server and the Direct LAN connections, there are better (and more economical) ways to improve SQ, at least in my system. That said, even though Linn says that ethernet is best, I am finding that I slightly prefer using the K50 as player/renderer instead of the KDSM - like you said, there seems to be more weight, dimension and blacker blacks using the SPDIF connection. I think this is a result of being able to use the different software combos and, perhaps, Antipodes' clock...but that said, I don't know if the clock is better than the one on the new KDSM.
Again, while the PF LAN cables are fully broken in, the PF BNC cable needs 300 - 500 hours (per Jord) for it to be broken in and it won't reach 300 hours until later this week and 500 hours the week after that. I'll provide my thoughts after the cable is fully broken in.
