The Fed

Isn't this device, pretty much identical to the SOTM SMS-100? I don't doubt that improvements have been made, but it seems to be identical in its intended purpose. Ethernet in, USB out.... Even using SGC software for the OS. Maybe I am missing something. Is it just smaller?

I respect what Bob Stuart is proposing and Ithink it is a novel idea.... Writ large. But Ithink it is fairly unrealistic once you step outside of the audiophile bubble. I don'tsee how industry giants like Sony (which have both global hardwaredistribution, and large, relevant catalogs of music) will be shoehorned in tousing a proprietary recording, mastering and playback format from a companythat has no where near the same reach into the industry. UnlessMeridian is purchased by Viacom who is able to offer them Global Hegemonicinfluence, I don't see companies like Sony, RCA/ Victor, Warner Bros, UniversalMusic, Def Jam, Philips, Columbia, Capitol etc... being forced to abide byMeridian's proprietary technology.... The main plus of MQA is highquality/compressed files for streaming. Themarket demand for high resolution music is already extremely limited.... NeilYoung wasn't able to change that despite bleating on and on about it foryears... So Tidal and their ilk may not even care about offering highresolution streaming... But ifthey did. I don't think any container that is going to gain industry wideacceptance is going to be locked down by proprietary licensing. And thetrend that I have seen in the short term is kinda bass ackwards. We'veseen one record label come out in support of MQA... An obscure Scandinavianlabel with a very small catalog and equally small roster of talent. On theflip side we've seen a fair number of devices on the playback side that areadopting MQA compatibility. So, IMHO,it looks like the same mistake over and over and over.... A format comesalong... HDCD, SACD, High Res, DSD, Audiophiles swoon... Hardware manufacturerscash in by manufacturing High Res, DSD, now MQA compatible hardware that neverdevelops into a viable format because the catalogs of music are ridiculouslysmall. Musicfirst, then hardware.... Otherwise its just another niche ploy to getaudiophiles to buy a new decoder. Donethere, been that.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I guess I've been trying to work around and work around the case limitations because I locked in on the mini form factor, but at this point it seems a bit silly. I may as well get something that accommodates my build, not something that inhibits it. I may splurge a little and get an Origen S10 (since they don't make X10 anymore as far as I can tell) or maybe go with Streacom Full width cases you mentioned. Those will give me CPU cooling pipes and allow me a full size fanless atx supply. I just don't have the cash and can't really justify $750 for something like the HDPlex power supply. I'd rather spend that type of money on a top notch card like an RME Hammerfall DSP card with the word clock board piggybacked to it. Not that I have that type of money for the build but still... It'd be pretty killer.

I am in the process of building a Music Server and was looking at the Origen M10 Mini Chassis and all the other mini iterations but this case won't fit a m-ITX board, optical drive and standard ATX PSU (fanless) let alone the SOTM USB Card. In a previous iteration of the CAPS builds (V.2 I think) an Origen chassis was used with Intel board and SOTM USB Card with a 160 Watt Pico PSU. That build did not have an internal optical drive. I am just curious if builders with experience could chime in on whether the Pico units are enough with an optical drive in the mix. I am not keen on using an external drive but also don't want to use a full rack width case if it comes down to it. I am planning on using an MSI mini-itx (Z170 Chipset) with the new Skylake i5 processor (65 watts) as well as an optical drive for CD ripping, the SOTM Usb Card (PCI x16 version) and a Samsung M.2 SSD (120 GB) Anyone who's done a similar build who could chime in here?