Wadia 381 vs. dcs Puccini vs. EmmLabs CDSA SE

Have not compared them, but feel comfortable saying that if you are not happy with any of them, you will not find a digital player that will. I know own the CDSA-SE which I prefer to my previous Accustic Arts transport/DAC combo. Truth is I was very happy with that combo, but realized I really prefer a one-box setup.

Funny, your description of the dcs, sound like I what I would say of the EMM. Guess it is best to listen to both and decide for yourself if you are considering the purchase of either, or the Wadia for that matter.

I've never heard of an unhappy Puccini owner. I think I'll wait till the current digital processing is obsolete before making the next move though. I somehow think the next move will involve some kind of music server and DAC. I assume there will be some progress made during the next 3-5 years, espeically in the availability of hi-rez downloads.

You might be right, unlike the wrong predictions of the death of vinyl, I don't think there will be a backweard look for reasons of nostalgia or sound quality for 16/44 once hi-rez digital is ubiquitous. It does seem that vinyl might just never die out for both reasons, nostalgia and very high resolution music source. Frankly, I think Redbook is sounding pretty darn good, but hi-rez can only be better - no?

Mike, if analog and digital were comparable, would you ever choose analog? Now I don't think digital is there, but I suspect it is going to get mighty close, with zero ticks, zero wow and flutter, now tweaking, alingnment, and the rest of the "rituals". When that happens, I think the reasons to go digital will overweigh the reasons for sticking to vinyl, even the very best of it. Bit, and an important but, we are not there yet.

Mike, I agree with you, vinyl still sounds better than digital, I don't you get a debate on that - although you never know on Agon :).