The RakuStream+ is hand assembled and terminated by Reiki Audio and although it is aimed firmly at the final, most critical link in the network chain, from terminal switch to server input, just like upstream switches or optical decoupling, it will also contribute elsewhere in the chain. Reiki are keen to point out that they aren’t suggesting you rip out all your existing (often lengthy) cables to replace them with RakuStream+. However, if you want to use their cable on the last two or three steps between network and system, I’m sure they won’t stand in your way. Price starts at £1,100 (plus sales tax) for the 0.5m lead, rising to £1,850 (plus tax) for the 2.0m version. With a 1m lead costing £1,350 (plus tax), in market terms, that places them as firmly middle ground, right between the Nordost Heimdall 2 at €839/1m (inc. tax) and the Valhalla 2 – or V2 – at €3,420/1m (inc. tax) that I habitually use. Chord Co streaming cables stretch from a little under €100 to €5,400 (inc. tax), with plenty of other options topping out beyond five figures! To date, of the cables I’ve tried at home, including various AudioQuests such as the €1,800 (inc. tax) Diamond and a slew of alternatives at higher and lower price points, the V2 has been by far the most musically successful. In other words, the RakuStream+ should be facing some serious competition from a seasoned and proven performer that costs nearly two-and-a-half times the price.
I used the RakuStream+ in two different systems: the full Wadax Reference Server with PSU, fed by the Reiki Audio SuperSwitches and Optical Bridge, as previously reviewed; I also used the cable in the context of my ‘cooking’ network, consisting of a Roon Nucleus with Sean Jacobs linear power supply and a pair of Netgear switches, also running from LPSs, all hooked up with Nordost Heimdall 2 network cables and feeding the Streaming-HD input on the CH Precision C1.2. But before listening to the RakuStream+ I also revisited my collection of alternative streaming cables, just to reassure myself that the V2 still sits top of the heap. It does – displaying way better timing, dimensionality, body, presence and harmonics than any of the other options. With the V2 duly sat between switch and streaming input in both systems, I was ready to listen to the RakuStream+.
The full Reiki Audio set-up…
I’ve been running the V2 in this context, with the Wadax Reference Server for quite some time, so I’m familiar with its performance, both pre and post Reiki Audio network components. Normally, swapping out the V2 for anything else produces an instantaneous drop in performance. Using the RakuStream+ in place of the V2 in the two final links (from Optical Bridge to Super Switch Master to Wadax Ethernet input) the results were certainly different, but if anything slightly better with the Reiki Audio cable. The V2 retained an edge in terms of detail, air and dynamic shading, the RakuStream+ offered even greater presence, weight, body and dimensionality. Timing was on a par across both cables and performance was close enough that choice would come down to individual preferences, musical tastes and system – if the two cables cost the same. At less than half the price, the RakuStream+ turns in a stonking performance and delivers serious value.
