@sbank streaming isn't the answer to anything as you're still pulling the signal over a wire from somewhere it just moves the problem and USB vs ethernet is a religious war of disagreement that I don't want to get into. Having a dedicated HTPC driving the USB is clearly better than driving it from your main work station with all its other uses and connections but doubles the cost.
@erik_squires yes I had already planned on getting a steel case to reduce physical noise - having a good steel enclosure around the power supply does help reduce noise from that source. Moving a PC power supply outside the cabinet is very difficult with current power supplies with their short connectors for the motherboard
I also realize that the USB head that drives the connection to the DAC should not have anything else attached to it so I'll look for one with a spare internal head that I can wire the connection to.
I'll relocate my question to computer audiophile as suggested
@erik_squires yes I had already planned on getting a steel case to reduce physical noise - having a good steel enclosure around the power supply does help reduce noise from that source. Moving a PC power supply outside the cabinet is very difficult with current power supplies with their short connectors for the motherboard
I also realize that the USB head that drives the connection to the DAC should not have anything else attached to it so I'll look for one with a spare internal head that I can wire the connection to.
I'll relocate my question to computer audiophile as suggested