Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] What is the best top end player now ?
Interesting observations - keep em comin pkfox's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5346 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96407 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] What is the best top end player now ?
The top digital players are manufactured by dCS and their "ring DAC" is pretty much the king. For redbook only, the Naim CD-555 is world class. Those and many, many other players (excluding the many outboard DACs) have sound quality that will surpass the sound quality of the Transporter by a huge margin. Here's a shortlist: dCS "Ring DAC" (Scarlatti, Paganini, Debussy, Puccini) Naim DAC (CD-555) CH Precision C1 DAC APL DAC-M (Designer: Alex Peychev) Light Harmonic Da Vinci Playback Designs MPD-5 MSB Diamond DAC IV EMM Labs DAC2 Burmester (069, 089, 113) Wadia 9 series Audio Research Reference DAC Simaudio 750D (built in transport but mainly a DAC) Zanden 5000S Note that the next level down includes players such as the Cary 306 SACD Pro, which is now my reference player. The leap in sound quality over the Transporter was shocking. My speakers are very high resolution, so that's part of the equation, but nonetheless I would not have recognized the sound of my system by ear with the Cary replacing the Transporter. And that's no hyperbole. jh901's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=18175 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96407 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] What is the best top end player now ?
Archimago wrote: > Do you mean music streamers? > > If so, I assume the Linn DS series must be high on the list. These will > play hi-res files up to 24/192. Have no idea how good the interface on > this works... > > IMO, I still prefer the Transporter for its flexibility, capabilities > and very cool display :-). I'm also one who believes there is no reason > to listen to 24/192 and I've done multiple DAC shootouts (either blind > or instantaneous switch) and have not heard anything that bests the > Transporter (including EMM, Weiss, Benchmark, Ayre units). In other > words, I believe the technology is mature and there is essentially > nothing to be gained other than esthetics, ergonomics, and features > rather than sound quality. > > YMMV. Well said. I dislike the situation as it is but secretly i hope my old fellow Slimdevices Transporter will last for a while and grow old in grandeur here. I didn´t listen these Weiss and other recent flagships but i guess the benefits coming from a so called "better" DAC these days are minor against other things you can change in your chain. Of course you can get some fancy stuff that does insane upsampling, adding harmonics and this NOS things. Reading about the audiophile reasoning about these units will give you the impression that all gear since 2X upsampling was a pure waste, so for the last 20 years all DACs sounded bad by design :) Not my cup... Wombat's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=4113 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96407 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] What is the best top end player now ?
Do you mean music streamers? If so, I assume the Linn DS series must be high on the list. These will play hi-res files up to 24/192. Have no idea how good the interface on this works... IMO, I still prefer the Transporter for its flexibility, capabilities and very cool display :-). I'm also one who believes there is no reason to listen to 24/192 and I've done multiple DAC shootouts (either blind or instantaneous switch) and have not heard anything that bests the Transporter (including EMM, Weiss, Benchmark, Ayre units). In other words, I believe the technology is mature and there is essentially nothing to be gained other than esthetics, ergonomics, and features rather than sound quality. YMMV. Archimago's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2207 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96407 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] What is the best top end player now ?
Hi all, the title says it all , I've been away from the front line for a while now and get the impression that the Transporter is no longer king ! Is this the case - if so who is the new one ? pkfox's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5346 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=96407 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
