Review on 🎧 Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra - Black: Premium Audio Streaming Excellence by Mike Campbell

I bought a streamer to replace my laptop as a source. A TIDAL interface capable of carrying MQA signals was required. Sonically, it was a definite improvement over the laptop. More supple, completely tireless and open. Once set up, it was easy to control from my iPhone. But at first I wasn't impressed with the TIDAL interface. It couldn't handle any of my large playlists and could be slow or just plain uncooperative at times. But the sound was so much better than my laptop that I just figured it out. The December 2020 firmware update was a huge improvement! Even a playlist with 1000 songs is handled effortlessly. This update also added TIDAL's "My Mix" ability to create playlists for me, which is great. Randomization is excellent, better than my laptop. Now very happy with the interface. Really fast, really reliable. Works equally well over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Easy to use, lots of features and great sound. I'm glad that Pro-Ject continues to improve the Streambox with firmware. WRT price, yes it's awfully expensive compared to using a Rasperry Pi with open source Volumio. That being said, I believe the Streambox's performance justifies its price. The design includes improvements to power supplies, clocking, jitter and noise reduction. IMHO they work. I've heard other Raspberry Pi setups and they don't sound like it. Smooth and sweet.