Ok so today I got to evaluate the following:

MS200
MS600
218

The setup:

ATI 200 watt amplifier
Monitor Audio Sliver 10 speakers
AudioQuest Ruby RCA interconnects
AudioQuest Type 6 speaker cable

Playing Tidal non MQA material the sound was very similar between the MS200 and 218. The MS600 had a slight but discernible edge on the 218. Playing the same material in MQA goes without saying, the 218 performs well and as some have said the quality is sublime. The MS600 balanced outputs into an appropriate amplifier will definitely give it an edge over the 218 or The MS200 on non MQA material.

For another evaluation, I connected the 218 to a pair of DSP320 in ceiling speakers via SpeakerLink. In this setup, again playing the non MQA track and then the same track in MQA, the MQA track was always preferable and sounding more expansive.

To turn things up a notch I connected the 218 via its digital output to a pair of 24/96 DSP5000's borrowed from a client. As with the DSP320, the MQA track was always preferred by those present.

The 218 was a welcome addition to the whole house music system allowing us to enjoy MQA tracks in our favorite outdoor space through a pair of Monitor audio Climate 80 speakers. When in this setup, there were two 218's playing in different zones. As with all Sooloos products, choosing between multiple devices of the same type is a simple process when they are appropriately named.

Lastly the 218 vs. 818v3 into DSP8000SE. In the first part of the evaluation, we used Tidal into each device and went digital out into the RCA digital in of the 8000SE. In this setup, in my room, to my ears, the difference was just not appreciable. Maybe longer term sessions with wider varieties of material will expose some differences. With MQA material using the SpeakerLink in, I want to say that there was a big difference but I can't. I think that the 818v3 is better in some way but, so far I can't put a label on it. If you are going to use the 218 or 818 solely as a streaming endpoint, get the 218, as it is simply that good. If you need the 818 DACs, DSD, 4x rate, superior electronics, RS-232 MSR plus, and a lot of inputs, the 818 would be the right choice.

Frankly, given the price of the 218 and all things it does so well, it should cost twice as much. For the legacy DSP owner, it provides a way to enjoy the first unfold of MQA as well as being able to switch between the Sooloos endpoint and digital or analog sources from your iPad. Add an AC12 and you have a really good minimalist system.

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