What CDP gets really close to vinyl?

47 Lab Flatfish + super Audio Note DAC surpasses vinyl set ups I have heard.

Audiofeil, you are guessing. I have heard marvelous vinyl systems costing 6 figures. My duo set up brings in the last ounce of detail a recording provides. You would be amazed at how much artistry is available on CDs.

Audiofeil, I will take you up on that challenge! You will lose. Of course you have to come here, or, pay my fare to wherever you are... hades, I assume.

Audiofeil, I will take you up on that challenge! You will lose. Of course you have to come here, or, pay my fare and shipping of my system to wherever you are.

audiofeil, all you do is pontificate blowing out a lot of hot air helping no one to the truth. You have no idea what I have here. Not one iota. You are just a dealer who is sore at me because you just can't stand someone talking about a system's greatness when nothing you sell is part of that system.

Ok, back to the topic at hand. I have tried many CD players. Some were good at PRAT. Some were good at smoothness, and some were clocked to a Souza march. All lacked one thing. That is harmony. It's what strings the notes together into seamlessness. Vinyl has that naturally. It sends the untouched musical waves to the preamp.

The problem with 98% of CD players is that the engineers strive to get clean notes for the outcome. So you often get a sound that can be perceived as correct analytically. Their scopes show low distortion, and accurate clocking. I look at it this way, The best oversampling CD players sound really good if that is all you know.

As usual, for me, I argue for non-oversampling DACs often. I want to talk about that something else that digital players OS and NOS can't get. The notes are all there, but the analog result lacks a very important condition that vinyl has naturally. It is hard for anyone to explain it. You just have to witness it. Music should flow harmoniously, as little handled as possible.

My class D amps and house preamp has balls with truism. The Apogee Scintilla starves for real music. The best I had heard with this grand speaker was with an excellent record player. The sound was never forgettable. With my power group I could get the fast turns, powerful dynamics, and great detail. It was better than my memory, except for one thing, that eery liveliness. What was wrong, I thought to myself, walking around a circle wringing my hands. It was a record player. Maybe....

I have the ticket to bring that missing ingredient only vinyl could give. Someone up above mentioned the PS Audio Perfect Wave duo and as careful as the engineers were to give you a clean chain of notes, it does not equal vinyl to that listener. It is very smooth and dynamic. Unfortunately it misses the frankly honest analog play from a good vinyl rig.

Instead of buying the PS Audio, I chose the 47 Lab Flatfish unheard. I did that, because their philosophy matches mine... simple brings better things. Their attention to a solid reading of the CD and a remarkably short circuit works magic into the outcome (I can say that, because I am not an engineer). The designer says you will experience harmony and bass detail you always missed before. I was looking forward to the bass improvement because my PS Audio transport was not too good at that.

I was frankly shocked just what this little transport did to my non-oversampling sound. I was use to great dynamics, quick transitions, and fine detail. I did love the bass of the Flatfish. I didn't know what expect in terms of harmony. Like everyone, I didn't know what I was missing with a great NOS system. When the Flatfish spun the CD, I understood exactly what they meant by harmony. The information off the CD is amazingly complete. The original recording does get stamped on that silver disc complete. Engineers have done everything they could to change the output with multiple chips. The flatfish/AN sounds real, and beautifully entertaining. The music flows lyrically. The detail actually improved. That was just an insignificant bonus. No, this is something else... Music, as it should sound.

There is a review of the Flatfish with it's Progression DAC. The reviewer got it right with the same comments I am using. Unfortunately his, and all reviews of the 47 Lab Flatfish include it's DAC, the Progression. I am sorry to say this, but my Audio Note DAC with a pin up it's butt is a far cry better than the 47 Lab house DAC sound. I remember a reviewer bringing up just that point, AN DACs rule over the 47 Lab DACs.

I hope I explained this well enough. It isn't the 1s and 0s that are the problem with digital players. It is the overworking of the signal that is the problem. See what huge CD players are out there. They have size, cushion, and every up sampling, oversampling, filter, clocks invented.

First, to beat vinyl, get a DAC with no chips other than the convertor with clock. Then buy the 47 Lab Flatfish transport, and it's power supply, the Dumpty. Then match it to a great system. There, you have got it, I promise. You will not fret another crackle playing your vinyl again.

Ok, let the stones fly!

Pani, It was not my intention to give impression I was trying to get a vinyl sound. What got audiofeil al worked up was I said my system beats vinyl. I can't agree CDs don't contain the lows and highs that vinyl systems do. The lowly CD does have all the lows and highs, and beyond that it has some 30% more dynamic headroom. Now, that is significant.

I know, from past experience, high res discs (I liked DDD) they have a thicker presence in most systems. In the real good systems I have heard, you really have to listen hard for the difference if any.

My Audio Note DAC is not stock. The remake of the circuit including a crucial diode swap opens the full frequency bandwidth. Now my AN exhibits excellent attack like rim strikes.

The highs are, "Exquisite," according to one listener. Here is the rest of his quote, "It is unreal how good the Flatfish and the Audio note sounds. It has the right amount of ambience, air, staging. Bass is beyond description. Very tuneful and meaty with right amount of pitch definition. Vocal is NIRVANA to listen to. Nothing is exaggerated. No wonder you have been screaming how good your system sounds, unfortunately to most with deaf ears. Oh well, Too bad they missed out big time."

Mapman, upon reading your post, I saw a CD player I never heard, or read a review of, the Constantine. So, I looked it up and found this lovely review of it, and another similar DAC. My DAC has four tubes. There will always be arguments on the worth of tubes. All I care is if the resulting music strikes me as being authentic.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0406/mhdt_laboratory_dac.htm

I fully agree with you, Mapman, that one device in a system with tubes is a good thing. Mine are in the DAC. The DAC is my system's voice. The transport just hands over the perfect digital reading.

Love seeing a new convert to NOS. Hopefully the Havanah has more spark than the stock Audio Note. Not to say the AN lack of spark can't be rectified.

By spark I mean, does the trumpet have bite, can the violin hit those ultra high notes with grace, are drum rim hits in proper proportion with excellent attack?

Audio Note gave NOS sound a bad name in the lower models roll off the highs, and the bass is pudgy. Those same DACs can become world beaters just with a a little component switching.

TT can't compare to CD when it comes to dynamic range. Listening to Liszt played vigorously, you need the full dynamic range to get all the artistry. You also have to get every key press to just the exact degree.

My amp and preamp set up a stage where the source can fully express itself. I can tell you for sure, the Audio Aero will stumble here.

The literature says barely 60 db for vinyl and 90 for CD. That depends on the recording. I have had folks at my place who are record heads. They left with big grins on their faces.