The Sound and Conclusion
Contents
We recently upgraded our Alpha Audio PC by installing a more modern motherboard with a faster cpu (AMD Ryzen 5, ZEN3). However, we can’t directly say that it sounds better. The Intel version we had before it actually sounded just as good. In short: nice experiment, but we did not directly improve in terms of sound. It did in terms of speed, though.
The Alpha Audio PC, however, certainly sounds good thanks to the JCat cards and filters. In short: to make it (even) better, you have to do some serious stuff. So when we were offered the SOtM by Hans, we were very curious.
Windows 10 is already installed on the PC when we get it. We install ROON Bridge and the drivers for the Mutec MC3+ and can start right away. We do not tweak anything else to keep the battle fair and give you an idea how it plays ‘out of the box’.
Clean
What strikes you fairly immediately with the SOtM AudioPC is how clean the reproduction is. The calmness, the lack of ‘harshness’ and the flow in sustained notes, for example, is striking. The whole thing just feels very robust and controlled. However, without becoming dry or analytical. The foundation is right with this streamer. And with a good foundation, the rest off the spectrum is also solid. And that can be felt and heard.
Space
Another – also very striking – feature is the air in the reproduction that the SOtM AudioPC brings. The stereo image simply feels larger than with the Alpha AudioPC. The whole imaging is also much more free. It doesn’t stick to the speakers. Although we can’t say it really ‘sticks’ with the Alpha AudioPC. However, the SOtM manages to make it even more holographic, so that there really is only music and the hi-fi system disappears.
Both the ‘glare’ and the imaging must be thanks to the clocking. After all: jitter makes the image flatter and makes the reproduction feel ‘rougher’. S-sounds, brighter t-sounds. You know the feeling: that digital feeling. And we do not have that feeling at all with the SOtM. It just plays very clean and smooth.
And now?
Well… the SOtM is very good. Without a doubt better than our Alpha AudioPC which certainly doesn’t perform without merit. The strength of the SOtM is without a doubt in the clocking. By clocking everything ultra-clean and stable, the next step can be made. Software optimization also helps, we know from experience. And perhaps a linear power supply will do something. In short: there is still some extra to get out of it. However, that is for the tweakers. (Yes, we are too, but not right now :-)).
