Common sense would suggest that the longer the signal chain the worse it will sound.
In other words, a short chain will always outperform a long one.
But is that true?
I think that bit of common folklore wisdom may be a bit simplistic.
In my experience, a longer chain of low distortion high-performance electronics will always outperform a short chain of the opposite.
So I think it's helpful to move away from sweeping proclamations and take a closer look at the elements within the chain as opposed to its length.
Harder and longer don't always equate to better any more than shorter and easier are the obvious path.
Best to evaluate the end product before judging the process.
