sooloos music server sound quality

I got a huge improvement from my Meridian MS600 endpoint/dac by putting it on an HRS isolation platform.

Also, I noticed that it was IMPOSSIBLE to make my Sooloos system (MD600 + MS600) sound like my Simaudio 650D transport/dac because both Simaudio and Meridin Sooloos both have their own "house sound", and this house sound is imposed in the transport/streamer before it ever gets to the dac. The Meridian Sooloos system sounded very different through the Simudio 650D dac than the Simaaudio 180 MInD streamer or the built in transport in he 650D. It took me many months to realize that the manufacturers "flavour" the sound pre-dac.

" I know there is a lot of popular sentiment that, properly implemented, computer/server sound is superior to CD playback from a conventional player. I am personally NOT convinced of that--the best sound I have heard comes from conventional players."

For your statistics. My DAC is the the part of well broken Esoteric K-01 SACD Player/USB DAC. My server is Musica Pristina Virtuoso.

WhenI compare the same CD (or very few SACD) played using best in the world Esoteric Transport with its ripped content (in WAV): both using obvilusly the same DAC the clear winner is server playback. No if and or buts.

I believe that Meridian SOOLOOS is GROSSLY overestimated but its my personal opinion based on a few auditions only.

I feel that in Computer PC, people do not understand what they are hearing, don't trust their ears (ot have none) and respond largely on marketing , particularly brand names like Meridian. Anyone remember Meridian child DVD-A? SACD still well and alive (see www.sa-cd.net)

Problem is the Sooloos library management software is still by far the best in the market. I just put an HRS isolation platform under my Meridian Sooloos MS600 endpoint/dac and the improvement in sound was significant. Finally I'm getting sound out of Meridian Sooloos that is audiophile quality! But I had to spend over a grand on an isolation platform (about half again the price of the MS600) to get the sound where it should have been in the first place! Meridian really has to get their act in gear in terms of build quality, particularly at the price point they sell at!

Camb - you would have gotten a bigger improvement by reclocking and a reclocker costs a lot less than a grand.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

I'm using the dac in the MS600 Steve, so there's nothing to reclock.