Takedown of pricey servers, streamers OCD HiFi guy

Disagree ... the 'Takedown' (by OCD) is not a valid criticism because no evidence of knowledge are cited. Only misguided opinion.
One quick trip to SGM Extreme Music Server web site provides seven bullet points highlighting design consideration.
For example:
"  The Extreme is built for bit perfect output without up sampling the data stream to cater to the latest premium R2R and Sigma/Delta D to A converters. With bit perfect streaming, system latency (= active processing time) becomes a significant part of the resulting sound quality. In our design of the Extreme, we focused on providing the lowest latency possible for every instruction or set of instructions the server has to manage. ".  
The video starts with a flow chart explanation of components used to render audio files. 
Which appears to be the focus of the posted video and criticism of ' over
priced Gear ' as an aside.
A reference to lower priced ' Streamers ' is a bit more to the point - comparison in terms of value of dedicated renderer for Roon, Tidal, and Qobuz vs. PC / Mac.
I would state that a personal PC custom built and optimized for playback
could be more cost effective but not equivalent. 
Another note is that a ' proprietary ' board is not a guarantee of anything.
My opinion ...
# cheap Asus parts ... this I would also take exception to as well.
@hilde45 if the implication is that Asus is equivalent to ' Cheap ' or that Taiko is somehow offering a misrepresented product is irresponsible and
does not serve a meaningful discussion.

@hilde45, you are making the assertion 'Takedown'.
The Title of this post is " Takedown of pricey servers, streamers " with OCD Guy thrown in ...
The title of OCD Guys Rambling Video is " Music Server, Music Streamer,
Music Computer ..... Whats the Deal? "
Just OCD Guys poor choice of an example ...
As I noted in my first post-I Disagree ... Not a Takedown.
What I understand is your phraseology echoing OCD Guys examples adds to a rambling rant.
The OCD Guy even says "Trust Me".
And why would anyone do that if you don't have to?
OCD Guy does not use the term Dedicated Audio Streamer and dances around the fact that Dedicated Audio Products are more expensive than
a comparable 'High Quality PC".
Cost (high cost specifically) is one of your additions.
The reason SGM Extreme is expensive is because the product is low volume production of exceptional quality.
The reason that ASUS products are expensive and affordable is because of high volume mass production of exceptional quality.
Personally I would not turn to OCD Guy for a Review of the SGM Extreme and I do not want to argue with him about any thing at all.

@artizen65, I am not making an argument for horsepower, that's just how SGM Extreme designers did it. 





 

@hilde45, Repeating something over and over does not change (or establish) a valid assertion!

"  But I had never heard that there were cheap ASUS parts inside some of the most expensive of them. This, for me, was revelatory."

"  But it's pretty clear if someone is charging enormous $$'s and is putting a cheap Chinese gamer board "

"I see every audio purchase as part of the larger audio budget that I feel contained by. "

The assertion that you are making about the SGM Extreme using ' cheap parts ' begins on shaky ground and falls off fast ( 'revelatory' ).

' cheap Chinese gamer board ' Do you really want to go There ... ? 
Why ... ???
 
Many Custom Build Audio Streamers use ASUS Gaming Boards and are not inexpensive (definitely not 'cheap').

The Extreme utilizes a Server Enterprise Class Board apparently (Sage EEB Server).
Built for Longevity ... also a design emphasis by Taiko.

Motherboard - $ 500
Xeon Scalable x2 - $ 500 - $ 1000 per chip for Gold (Platinum $ 2000) 
x12 A-Grade ECC DIMMs @ 4 Gig $ 500 (wild  guess)
Total of around  $ 3000 (up to $ 5000 already)

@hilde45, do you know what a - Hyper M.2 x16 Card is ... and why it would matter?

Custom Passive Cooling
Aluminum Case / Copper Shield 
Proprietary Plywood 
Uber high cost power supply components 
Reworked Enterprise OS
24 TB of Enterprise Drives
Making everything work / as noted previously
Craftsmanship

 > Your best cost guesstimate  here _ <  

From Taiko website:
"  Ever heard of DRAM refresh?  You should, because it is one of the main reasons why many think fewer and lower speed DIMMs are better for sound quality. "

Do you think OCD Guy even bothered to look before (or after) going off in the video ...

Do I think an interested AGon participant could craft a Custom Audio Streamer / Server for less money and have a High Performance Playback Component ... yes. (not even closely articulated by OCD Guys rant)

SGM Extreme in intended for use as a part of a HiRez Playback System.

Overbuilt Custom Electronics is an endearing quality with a tradition in Audio Recording Production ... now Playback as well.