A Confused streaming system - Mutec / SOtM Ultra

[Confused]

I think you will be happy with the SR4 they are really good @Confused

I can recommend Ghent cables he built mine with the 4 pole Neutriks with starquad cable. Paul uses 2 poles for +V and 2 poles for -0V so a cable with 4 conductors is optimal regarding the connections.

I had a dCS Rossini on loan from the Swedish agent for a week and it is really good. Just the fact that one box instead of five does the same job is welcome as the system is simplified and much less cables to deal with.

I can see the appeal of the box reducing Rossini.  In fact, I am sure that there are many might read this thread and consider the concept of a multi-box "spaghetti" streamer to be slightly ludicrous, and that simple is better.  On balance, I would say there are good arguments on both sides.  Another case of personal preference and no absolute right answer.

With the arrival of the SR4's, my "streamer endpoint" will be a full six boxes, two Mutec, two SOtM and two Paul Hynes, plus 3 clock cables, 2 USB cables, 2 DC cables, and so on.  Oddly enough, this is one aspect that appeals to me.  It is not the inherent complexity that appeals, here the simplicity of one box wins easily, and the best cable is no cable, so eliminating cable numbers has to be good.  It is more the fact that I now have a modular front end.  So if in the future a better version of the MC3+USB emerges, something better than the sMS-200ultra or REF10, this can be obtained and slipped into the system, it is not a case of having a £8k to £10k streamer (or even more, consider the dCS Vivaldi Upsampler, which is about £16k plus £11k for the clock) and one day deciding if to sell at a great loss and go for a very expensive upgrade.  My current set-up has cost me a lot of cash this year, but from now on I can see myself maybe changing just one thing occasionally, depending on what emerges in this area.  (although it does seem to be a very fast developing area at the moment)  Plus, it enables me to have exactly the streamer I want, in terms of both functionality and performance.

As for the SR4's, I am becoming more and more convinced that decent DC power is one of the key elements of a decent "front end".  If you take the Innuos streamers, they do not look like they are particularly special in terms of the components used, but they do have very good power supplies, amongst the best available, and they do perform.  So I am looking forward to listening with the SR4's, I am quietly optimistic about this one.  Just a bit of a shame about the two month lead time!  That said, I am sure they will be in my system, somewhere, for many years to come, so a short wait is not so bad.