Some interesting posts to this thread recently. I have some responses:
@Axel - I do not mind at all that you have posted your impressions of the SOtM bundle in this thread. The way I look at it now is that I think my posts in this thread have given an unfairly negative impression of the SOtM kit. What I think has happened is that my specific system has some minor imbalances that in the past were not an issue, but somehow the improvements from the SOtM kit have brought this to my attention. So better kit equals less enjoyable listening, a curious thing. If this theory holds up, it even gives the prospect that for me, Beta 14 could be so good it would make my system even less enjoyable! Anyway, it is good to include the impressions of the SOtM kit from someone who has not suffered my woes, it adds a bit of balance.
@Dan @Vivialet @Greg - you are all saying something similar, that maybe the SQ improvements from Beta 14 are so good that there is no longer any need for complex, and indeed expensive, front-end kit for the Devialet, just use AIR, it's as good as anything and you are done. I am quite open to this concept. Indeed, after I got the Pro, I was posting about just how good AIR sounds in the Pro era, see link below:
https://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?tid=4427
Furthermore, after getting the Pro, I recall posting that I intended to spend nothing on front-end electronics until after the CI board is released and I had a chance to try it. My logic was that the CI board, with a direct Ethernet connection to an integrated streamer did offer the prospect, from a technical perspective, to be the ultimate way to feed a Devialet. At the time I received a bit of good humored ribbing from @Hifi_swlon, basically, he did not think I would be able last the distance without breaking into a cold sweat or something. I get the last laugh, as this is exactly what I did. I spent nothing on electronics, eventually got the CI board, tried it, and found that for me it did not actually sound any better than the old Roon integrated AIR. OK, Roon AIR sounded excellent anyway, but with CI it was no better, so still roughly matched by say the mR + MC3+USB. Logically, this means that adding the SOtM bundle and REF10 should offer something a little better, and of course, this is the point at which this particular thread starts.....
So it would be a little ironic if Beta 14 comes along and brings the potential that I originally thought the CI board could offer into reality, a couple of months after I buy all the kit to replace it. If this proves to be the case, I would actually be quite pleased. OK, I would take a bit of a hit selling the REF10 and SOtM kit, but from where I am now, this puts lots of lovely cash into my bank account that I could spend in fun ways, there is more to life than just hifi. (what's the most fun thing you could do with £4k?) Plus, in the short term, I would have a close to reference front end to compare the epic Beta 14 CI board with. From a psychological point of view this is good, if I can spend a couple of weeks comparing CI Beta 14 to the REF10 / SOtM kit and conclude CI is just as good, or better, then my mind is clear, stick with CI, there is not much better even if you spend £1000's. If I never had the chance to do this direct comparison at home, then there might always be that niggling thought about trying alternatives. This kind of piece of mind is worth something.
@ogs - it seems unlikely to me that Devialet has 'enabled a re-clocker' with Beta 14, I just don't see how that would work. (but who knows, you might be right, I know no more than anyone else) Although in a way, it does not matter, Devialet never give out much information regarding what they are doing with firmware updates and similar, but if it sounds good, then it sounds good, how they got there might be interesting but it does not really matter. This also begs the question, does Beta 14 just offer it's new SQ goodness via AIR, UPnP or whatever, or does Beta 14 also sound better via S/PDIF? More data and user reports needed here I think.
Anyway, I will not be trying Beta 14 for a while. I am still trying a few things with the HAF filters. I did try my first HAF filter last weekend, I provided some feedback to Thierry, he very quickly sent me some revised versions to try. I have not tried the new filters yet, I quite simply have had no free time with my system. This weekend I will though, it should be interesting. My recent hifi experiences have been confusing enough, to try a new HAF filter and at the same time go Beta 14 might generate brain melting results. So I shall be going slowly, logically, and doing one thing at a time.
Then, once I have my current issues resolved and I have a decent REF10 / SOtM baseline, a head to head with Beta 14 needs to be done. I wonder where all this will end up?
@Axel - I do not mind at all that you have posted your impressions of the SOtM bundle in this thread. The way I look at it now is that I think my posts in this thread have given an unfairly negative impression of the SOtM kit. What I think has happened is that my specific system has some minor imbalances that in the past were not an issue, but somehow the improvements from the SOtM kit have brought this to my attention. So better kit equals less enjoyable listening, a curious thing. If this theory holds up, it even gives the prospect that for me, Beta 14 could be so good it would make my system even less enjoyable! Anyway, it is good to include the impressions of the SOtM kit from someone who has not suffered my woes, it adds a bit of balance.
@Dan @Vivialet @Greg - you are all saying something similar, that maybe the SQ improvements from Beta 14 are so good that there is no longer any need for complex, and indeed expensive, front-end kit for the Devialet, just use AIR, it's as good as anything and you are done. I am quite open to this concept. Indeed, after I got the Pro, I was posting about just how good AIR sounds in the Pro era, see link below:
https://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?tid=4427
Furthermore, after getting the Pro, I recall posting that I intended to spend nothing on front-end electronics until after the CI board is released and I had a chance to try it. My logic was that the CI board, with a direct Ethernet connection to an integrated streamer did offer the prospect, from a technical perspective, to be the ultimate way to feed a Devialet. At the time I received a bit of good humored ribbing from @Hifi_swlon, basically, he did not think I would be able last the distance without breaking into a cold sweat or something. I get the last laugh, as this is exactly what I did. I spent nothing on electronics, eventually got the CI board, tried it, and found that for me it did not actually sound any better than the old Roon integrated AIR. OK, Roon AIR sounded excellent anyway, but with CI it was no better, so still roughly matched by say the mR + MC3+USB. Logically, this means that adding the SOtM bundle and REF10 should offer something a little better, and of course, this is the point at which this particular thread starts.....
So it would be a little ironic if Beta 14 comes along and brings the potential that I originally thought the CI board could offer into reality, a couple of months after I buy all the kit to replace it. If this proves to be the case, I would actually be quite pleased. OK, I would take a bit of a hit selling the REF10 and SOtM kit, but from where I am now, this puts lots of lovely cash into my bank account that I could spend in fun ways, there is more to life than just hifi. (what's the most fun thing you could do with £4k?) Plus, in the short term, I would have a close to reference front end to compare the epic Beta 14 CI board with. From a psychological point of view this is good, if I can spend a couple of weeks comparing CI Beta 14 to the REF10 / SOtM kit and conclude CI is just as good, or better, then my mind is clear, stick with CI, there is not much better even if you spend £1000's. If I never had the chance to do this direct comparison at home, then there might always be that niggling thought about trying alternatives. This kind of piece of mind is worth something.
@ogs - it seems unlikely to me that Devialet has 'enabled a re-clocker' with Beta 14, I just don't see how that would work. (but who knows, you might be right, I know no more than anyone else) Although in a way, it does not matter, Devialet never give out much information regarding what they are doing with firmware updates and similar, but if it sounds good, then it sounds good, how they got there might be interesting but it does not really matter. This also begs the question, does Beta 14 just offer it's new SQ goodness via AIR, UPnP or whatever, or does Beta 14 also sound better via S/PDIF? More data and user reports needed here I think.
Anyway, I will not be trying Beta 14 for a while. I am still trying a few things with the HAF filters. I did try my first HAF filter last weekend, I provided some feedback to Thierry, he very quickly sent me some revised versions to try. I have not tried the new filters yet, I quite simply have had no free time with my system. This weekend I will though, it should be interesting. My recent hifi experiences have been confusing enough, to try a new HAF filter and at the same time go Beta 14 might generate brain melting results. So I shall be going slowly, logically, and doing one thing at a time.
Then, once I have my current issues resolved and I have a decent REF10 / SOtM baseline, a head to head with Beta 14 needs to be done. I wonder where all this will end up?
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
