So, prior to getting the clock and upsampler, you just had the DAC? This is even more interesting for me. I am also planning to start with the DAC only. Is it true that the DAC alone outperforms almost all other top-DACs available on the market?
Also, did you try it directly into the amp, with no preamp in the chain? The question is: how well can it drive the amp, usually there is some loss of attack and punch.