Aha! Funny, I was thinking "mechanical" picturing somebody shooting billiard balls - direct, distInct and precise. Maybe I choose the wrong word...
I other words, I find the Meridian interface "as good as it gets" (in terms of speed). But it wasn't a very good test since the Meridian had a dedicated system and the Squeezebox was running on an old sluggish NAS... So, have anyone seen/done a more reliable test?
Speed is imperative for me. I don't want my digital audio system to be like my digital TV system - press and wait (the lag experienced when, e.g., changing a channel)!