‘Should sound better’ ‘all sound the same’ is subjective in Hi-Fi. If you are happy I wouldn’t worry about what may be better or worse. You have a very good set up there, plug in and enjoy.
Leave the streamer pre amp off and let your streamer stream and your very good amplifier amplify.
It depends how you control the amp volume , I have my CXN set to preamp so that I can control volume via Roon or StreamMagic
Turning preamp off on the 851 settings simply allows fixed volume output, it leaves all input output stuff to work normally
If set off, Roon will have no impact on volume control, it depends really on how you control amp volume , ie Remote Control or Remote app
Good choice I hope you enjoy it , to reenable the 851 should you wish will be a simple cable switch
Good point re Roon controlling the volume, I didn’t think of that in my answer. The choice is yours.
Regarding volume, the Hugo 2 DAC is also a preamp and has a volume control. However I prefer to use the Hugo 2 in line level mode, which effectively turns it into a DAC only, and I then control volume from the Lyngdorf amp.
From the Hugo manual
" Line Level Volume Output
Press and hold the Crossfeed switch whilst turning on to activate line level volume
output. The volume control will illuminate light blue. Using this mode, Hugo can be used as a standalone DAC into a preamplifier with volume control. Please note the volume control is still active in this mode so the volume can quickly and easily be reduced, if necessary"
Without wishing to ignore the ‘go with what sounds best to you’ approach, and with the caveat that I might be misreading the capabilities of the Lyngdorf…
The Lyngdorf is a ‘digital’ amplifier, using the loudspeakers as the last part of its digital to analogue conversion. It’s analogue input is converted to digital internally. The ‘correct’ way to connect would be to feed it a digital signal wherever possible. If the Hugo sounds ‘better’, it can only be because that path is adding something.
The most elegant solution - and I’m aware this is another can of worms - would be to add the optional usb input to the Lyngdorf and connect directly to the Roon Core.
Bummer… I’ve just read up on the Lyngdorf and you’re absolutely right. All amplification is done in the digital domain, analogue input signals are converted to digital signals.
It then seems clear that the best way to use this amplifier is to feed it a digital signal, either connecting it directly to the Roon Core, or use a network-connected Roon Bridge (851N?).
Using the Hugo2 in the chain would involve three conversions… digital to analogue in the Hugo2, analogue to digital in the Lyngdorf’s input stage, and finally another digital to analogue conversion in the Lyngdorf’s output. And that couldn’t possibly be the best solution.
Sorry for the confusion and thanks to @AndyR for pointing this out.
It may be two digital conversions but if it sounds best to your ears then go for it.
My NAD amp changes my phono from analogue to digital but it sounds great to me. If you only look at convention then there would still be a ‘flat earth’.
Hi Andy, thanks for your input (no, really 
). I knew the Lyngdorf was described as a digital amp when I bought it, but I really had no idea what made it different from a “conventional” amp, the main thing was it had all the inputs and outputs I needed to stream music and play vinyl.
So seems like I am pretty much back to where I was when I came in lol. My setup is still Roon server, 851N streamer (with DAC disabled), and Lyngdorf amp (DAC enabled) using Toslink digital cable between Lyngdorf input and 851N output - but instead of USB cable from Roon server to 851N I am using Ethernet. But it’s no bad thing that I’m back to square one, no matter how I had hooked things up over the last day or so the sound was always amazing.
Before buying the Lyngdorf I was advised by any dealers I spoke to that the DAC was better than my Hugo 2 DAC that I wanted to partner it with, this was also backed up by any forums where I asked that question, so I am happy that I get to keep the Lyngdorf DAC in the equation. My next best scenario was to use the Hugo DAC over the 851N’s DAC but that solution seems unworkable.
So bottom line, I’ve learned that my 851N is now just an expensive Roon bridge, but as I said earlier that’s not the end of the world as I am very fond of it.
Massive thanks to everybody for chipping in!!
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Glad to ‘help’… 
Maybe there’s a chance Lyngdorf will release an ethernet module for the amp; in the meantime the 851 should be fine!
You could try coax instead of optical - it might sound different…
Seriously, you did help Andy lol.
Lyngdorf actually do an amp with a built in media player called TDAI-3400 (description below).So effectively a one box solution that would have suited all my needs, unfortunately due to bad timing (or bad research) on my part I had only just bought the 851N streamer a few weeks before I started looking for a new amp. So that’s why I went for the Lyngdorf 2170 amp, however even though it was approx £1000 cheaper to buy the 851N and the 2170 separately I sometimes kick myself that I wasn’t aware of the Lyngdorf one box solution before buying the 851N.
Mediaplayer: Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, DLNA Support (uPnP/see DLNA formats) Airplay, Local file playback (USB), Internet Radio (vTuner), TIDAL Connect
Regarding your coax suggestion, that is what I am actually using lol. For some reason I said I was using Toslink, probably because it was in my head due to having to use it with the Hugo 2 DAC ( the Hugo 2 doesn’t have normal Coax input, so always use Toslink with it)
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And, the good news, if you ever decide to setup a second listening situation, you have enough equipment to add an amp and couple speakers somewhere else in your house. Connecting by ethernet from your Roon core allows as many as you want.
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I was going to mention that too. I currently have three systems in my house, two utilizing Rpi/Ropieee solutions and one with a CA CXN v2 streamer that is Roon Ready.
The CXN serves as a Roon endpoint and I utilize it’s DAC and preamp functions. it outputs to powered speakers (that don’t have a DAC or preamp). The CXN is connected by wifi and works great. I’ve never had dropouts and regularly stream 24/96 files from my NUC.
So maybe keep the 851N and use it in another system.
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Yes Jim and Jeff, as I say I love the 851N and it’s going nowhere.
Actually that reminds me. I asked the question is a Roon bridge just a plain old Roon bridge regardless of the quality of the equipment and don’t think I got an answer? I’m struggling with the concept that the components in the 851N do not elevate it’s performance above that of a Raspberry Pi when either are used as a Roon bridge, when both of them are used to partner the same amp and speakers.
You will get various opinions, but many here, including me, believe you cannot alter the sound quality of a digital signal. As long as your Roon bridge device is not introducing unwanted noise, you’re good to go. My RPi4 playing through a Meridian Prime headphone amplifier and another playing through an AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt and Sony or AEON headphones sound marvelous. You can build a RPi4 in a FLIRC case for $75.
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That’s one of those questions that demands the ‘it depends’ answer…
If the ‘bits’ reach the Lyngdorf intact, it shouldn’t make any difference - but if the upstream device is putting electrical noise on the wire as well as signal, and the Lyngdorf is susceptible to it, you might hear a difference…
The other possible effect relates to the signal timing (which would also affect toslink) which might modulate the analogue side of a DAC.
Since the Lyngdorf is ‘digital’ end-to-end, it could well be immune to these potential effects…
So that is my point Andy - wouldn’t you expect the more expensively assembled 851N to do the job better than the relatively inexpensive Pi for example?
At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter and it’s probably getting into geeky anoraky territory 
. I did have a Pi in my system before and it still sounded wonderful.
Short answer…no.
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I would expect the better engineered solution to perform better…
… which doesn’t necessarily correlate with price!
The 851 also includes a lot of ‘stuff’ that is both expensive and superfluous to producing the best S/PDIF signal; that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong choice, just that the best S/PDIF signal is not the only factor in making that choice.
Caution : slippery slope!
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I have always battled with that one but to my less than “golden” ears I can’t spot a difference . I just keep 2 sources via my headphone amp . I too have no desire to get rid of my CXN even though it is nerly redundant these days (its V1 and not Roon Ready)