What is new with the Memory Player?

I heard the player at the RMAF in 2006. The demo was held in the Virtual Dynamics room. In the tests that were performed there was only one song from one CD that IMO did not sound better reproduced by the Memory Player. Of course we're talking about a large room in a hotel that had some interesting equipment that I'm not familiar with. Not to mention the Memory Player is around $10k. It was getting pumped up by Clement Perry and the house player was a Wadia 581 I believe. Take what I have to say with a grain of salt, but I'm happy with my existing digital set-up and don't see a need to spend $10k on one, no matter how good it sounds.

I'd be interested to hear how this unit compares to the much lower priced Zero One products. Granted, the technology is a bit different, but the basic use of computer HD as a transport is the same if I understand correctly.

I heard the transport/DAC combo at RMAF where Clement Perry was promoting it. It is very good, but at $10k I think there are a lot of excellent options.

Didn't Clement Perry do a review? He has been one of the biggest proponents of this player and owns one.

Doesn't Clement use the model with the DAC in it? I saw him demo the player in the Virtual Dynamics room at RMAF last year and I don't remember a separate DAC being used. The MP was being compared to the Wadia 581 which I believe had GNSC mods. It was Rick Schultz's personal player.

Tbg - I preferred the MP over the Wadia. The Wadia sounded a bit analytical in comparison. Somehow the MP has a way of making digital sound very smooth. I can't really put my finger on it, but it is a very enjoyable presentation. You can get lost in the music very easily.

In comparisons of the original CD recording vs. those uploaded and played back through the HD of the MP this was also evident. With the exception of one song on one CD (where we compared all tracks on that CD) the MP version was noticeably better than the original version, and it was a matter of seconds to notice the difference.

Now is it worth $10k? To a vinyl guy like me no. I'm happy with my North Star combo, but I did enjoy the listening session enough to hang out for a couple hours.

Tbg - it was a special audition after exhibit hours arranged by Clement Perry with Rick Schultz. Went from 8 -10pm. That's probably why you didn't notice it.

I'm not sure if this is the same product that Askat is referencing, but according to the VRS site pricing for the Revelation Music Studio starts at $9500 and can go up to $15k. Then if you need or want additional storage add another $1K - $4k.

You can also read more about the VRS here:

http://6moons.com/audioreviews/vrs/vrs.html

According to the VRS site Jack Elliano is affiliated with VRS and contributes to circuit designs and research. I have spoken to Jack on a number of occasions and used his equipment and transformers. IMO he is very knowledgeable and I would further say he has a pretty impressive resume in the pro audio and consumer audiophile world.