There are certainly several logical fallacies in the video. Those inclined may have a field day but I choose to take the good and throw away the bad. To that end, I hear him say to **dive deep** before investing large amounts of cash unless you are at/near audio nirvana - which is excellent advice for those into music and audio gear.
OCD Mikey doesn't criticize spending exhorbitant sums for gear. Rather, he reps several very high-end ($$$$) brands such as Rockna, Jeff Rowland and Playback Designs. He also sells what he portends is a high-value/high-end AudioByte DAC (if a $4k DAC can be considered a value.) He tells what he believes makes AudioByte a value (uses latest proven technology FPGA clock and DAC.) He also states that their soon-to-be released HUB streamer (est. $2,000) will be worth the money and the wait.
Is the Taiko SGM Extreme Server a compromised design? I have no idea. But it certainly is remarkable that the motherboard and USB subsystems are non-proprietary. The Taiko Extreme is undeniably a "statement piece" - so shouldn't its internal design make a stronger statement? The Rockna and Playback Designs servers he reps use proprietary motherboard designs with comparable aesthetics/build quality. He is certainly ripping Innuos - and perhaps unfairly - although surely some of their dense product line is overpriced.
I think what he is getting at here is that far more audible system improvements are possible using other gear ((such as DACs)) - and that high-end servers/streamers are reserved for those reaching for the final few drops of audio goodness. He happens to sell some killer DACs - and the same companies also make high-end servers - so, if you're going for the best, high-end, luxury system, you may also want the physical design of the DAC and Server to match.
On a personal note, if I had that kind of scratch to spend on audio systems I would go for MSB, dCS, or Meitner DACs that, unlike Mikey's brands, also support MQA. :-)
OCD Mikey doesn't criticize spending exhorbitant sums for gear. Rather, he reps several very high-end ($$$$) brands such as Rockna, Jeff Rowland and Playback Designs. He also sells what he portends is a high-value/high-end AudioByte DAC (if a $4k DAC can be considered a value.) He tells what he believes makes AudioByte a value (uses latest proven technology FPGA clock and DAC.) He also states that their soon-to-be released HUB streamer (est. $2,000) will be worth the money and the wait.
Is the Taiko SGM Extreme Server a compromised design? I have no idea. But it certainly is remarkable that the motherboard and USB subsystems are non-proprietary. The Taiko Extreme is undeniably a "statement piece" - so shouldn't its internal design make a stronger statement? The Rockna and Playback Designs servers he reps use proprietary motherboard designs with comparable aesthetics/build quality. He is certainly ripping Innuos - and perhaps unfairly - although surely some of their dense product line is overpriced.
I think what he is getting at here is that far more audible system improvements are possible using other gear ((such as DACs)) - and that high-end servers/streamers are reserved for those reaching for the final few drops of audio goodness. He happens to sell some killer DACs - and the same companies also make high-end servers - so, if you're going for the best, high-end, luxury system, you may also want the physical design of the DAC and Server to match.
On a personal note, if I had that kind of scratch to spend on audio systems I would go for MSB, dCS, or Meitner DACs that, unlike Mikey's brands, also support MQA. :-)