Just returned from the DC Audiofest and am off to the California Audio Show tomorrow. So I don't have much time to provide detailed information now. But it will be about another month before we ship any beta units and October before we make them available to the public. So we'll have time to answer all questions before then.
On the question of a DAC, the only issue is whether or not the DAC is USB recognized audio class 2. It will work with ANY USB DAC at up to 24/96. Above that, the DAC must be audio class 2 compliant. For DACs like Ayre, Wavelength, Wyse, Antelope, etc. there are no issues up to 24/192. The StreamPlayer does not really care what bit rate and sample speed are involved, so a simple upgrade in the future would allow resolutions as high as 48/384.
As TJHUB pointed out, you can use a USB to SPDIF converter as well and would only be limited by the capability of the DAC itself.
A question was asked as to whether or not we might be able to provide SPDIF output. This may be possible, but we will probably not pursue this with the initial release. This would require additional hardware which kind of flies in the face of the philosophy behind the player. It would add complexity to the system with potential negative performance implications.
It is always easy to pile on features. For example, we looked at an LCD readout. But it would serve to increase the cost and since it is a switching device, it could add noise to the system. What's more, it really doesn't add much practical value to the product. With all the apps available to control a system like this, it really didn't seem to make much sense.
We will probably also have an Li Ion battery option with the player as well so it can perform off the grid. Since it only draws 3 - 6 watts, it should not be an issue and we just received some Li Ion packs to evaluate.
Well, I've got to get ready for the CA show now. More later...
- Jim