A Confused streaming system - Mutec / SOtM Ultra

[baconbrain]

One interesting thing happened recently, I was playing a copy of Kraftwerk's 3D Blueray.  The Blueray player was running via the REF10 clocked Mutec MC3+USB, and it sounded absolutely incredible, quite superb.  This got me thinking, and at a later occasion, I tried playing a CD which is burnt with some of my demo tracks, again Blueray player to MC3+USB.  In some respects, this sounded great, maybe totally a touch better than the SOtM kit, but is other respects it was a bit messy.  Just out of curiosity, I then tried the same disc via my old CD player, again feeding the REF10 clocked Mutec MC3+USB.  The CD player is a Musical Fidelity A3 CD, and must be about 19 years old now.  I think it cost me about a £900, which back then was a LOT of money for me.  I was not expecting much from my trusty old workhorse of a CD, but no, it sounded sensational!  For a while, I was a little gobsmacked, my goodness this was good.  After a while, I started to suspect that there were some slight negatives, but maybe the overall tonality was a touch better than the SOtM kit.  This morning for a bit of fun I played the same music simultaneously via the SOtM kit and the CD player.  It was then possible to instantly switch between the two using the input selector on the MC3+USB.  Hearing the two directly compared, the SOtM kit was clearer, more coherent and realistic sounding, although the margins were perhaps smaller than you might expect.  Within this though, there was something I liked when listening to the CD, I am sure some sections of music sounded better via CD, a slightly richer presentation that was very listenable.  As things stand, I am not sure if there is some benefit from eliminating USB, but it could be that the CD player ends up with a slightly messier bass or something, which just happens to be euphonic.  

As an aside to this, a while back I was considering trying the dCS Network Bridge.  Later, there was much talk elsewhere of low-cost NUC's running AudioLinux beating all-comers.  Seeing new developments like the AL NUC causes me to adopt a "wait and see" approach, sit back and watch developments, meanwhile enjoy what you have.  There is no point trying stuff like the NB if there could be something new and wonderful emerging in a year or two.  (I don't know enough about Linux to try a NUC myself, so I would be waiting for one or two "turnkey" options to emerge)  However, the CD player episode has got me wondering if a streamer running AES/EBU into the MC3+USB might be just what I need to nail the system synergy I am seeking, I might just try this sometime when I am not as busy as I am now.

As usual another excellent post. Must admit I had a bit of Deja Vu while reading it. Made me think of one of my previous experiences:

https://devialetchat.com/Thread-The-negative-positive

I also share your thoughts on the MC-3+USB. After putting it back into the signal chain, and complementing with the Ref-10, I now realized what a versatile and important piece of equipment it is. Once Innous releases their USB reclocker for the SE, I am definitely looking forward to feeding the Mutec with a USB signal again while routing via AES/EBU to the DAC. (mirroring the old Dev setup)