OK CORRAL SHOOT-OUT RESULTS
The long awaited results are here...but unfortunately I must report that the dealer sold the demo UX-1 they had on the floor a couple of days before we arrived. That was a HUGE disappointment as I really wanted to face off the DV-50 against the UX-1. Oh well, the show goes on!
Before I start lets give a quick glimpse into the demo system:
Sonus Faber Cremona speakers
Hovland 2 channel sold state amp (no model #)
Thor tube pre-amp (no model #)
All cabling/interconnects by Cabasso/XLO
Stock power cords/no line conditioning
Theta Compli universal player/Audio Research cdp MK III (it was the latest version) Esoteric DV 50 Denon Exemplar 3910
This was the first auditon session (second followed at 711's house):
DV 50 vs. Theta Compli (CD/SACD)
Listeners: AVGURU,Jactoy, Audiophile friend of Jactoy, Dealer
No comparision..not even close. Theta sounded lifeless/mechanical. More importantly, it didn't sound like
a high end end player. Dealer explained that the Compli was really set up to be used as a transport with the Gen V or Gen VIII dac's. In that configuration it is a deadly combo that may have no equal! Compli was only slightly better in SACD than CD. Listening results were unamimous
DV 50 vs. Audio Research CD MK III
Listeners: AVGURU, JACTOY, Audiophile friedn of Jactoy, Dealer
I've heard the AR was supposed to be a great standalone cd player but again fared poorly against the DV 50. AR had a trmendously open and wide soundsatage and a warm, analog sound. The soundstage actually curled around and enveloped you. However, inside the soundstage there was nothing there. Poor imaging, no center imaging, detail was fuzzy, definitely not 2 dimensional. Everyone agreed the DV 50 was better.
Exemplar 3910 vs. DV 50 (CD/SACD)
Listeners: Jactoy, AVGURU, Audiophile friend of Jactoy,711,
Dealer
Again, the Exemplar threw a wider, more dynamic soundstage with living, breathing images that were at minimum 2 dimensional. Also surpised at the detail of the Exemplar as it was marginally more detailed ( a hard feat to accomplish against the DV 50). More air. It all adds up to a more musical presentation.
All were in agreement except for the dealer who felt the Exemplar had a "tin can" sound compard to the DV 50. We wrote it off as the dealer not being used to hearing anything remotely as "musical" on his showroom floor as the Exemplar.
NOTE: IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT ANY UNIT THE DV 50 BEAT THE EXEMPLAR DEMOLISHED! NO NEED FOR COMPARISIONS TO THOSE UNITS.
2ND LISTENING SESSION AT 711'S HOUSE
Listeners: AVGURU, JACTOY, 711
System Set-up:
Klipsch Cornwall Speakers
Tube Amps (forget name)
Exemplar 3910, APL 3910, APL 1000, Sony XA9000ES/Dan Wright
All cd players were direct to the amp/ no pre-pro
Power cord- Virtual Dynamics Nite I
No Power conditioning
Generic interconnects/speaker wire
Exemplar 3910 vs. APL 3910 (CD/SACD)
Tough call and the preference varies from song to song. But in the end the APL was consistently better sounding on most cd's than the Exemplar. Both units threw 2 & 3 dimensional soundstages. The Exemplar was slightly more transparent and detailed whereas the APL was more musical and engaging. The Exemplar was slightly more extended in the highs while the APL had the better and more detailed mid-range. Bass was solid on both units with detail and slam about equal. Results/conclusions were unamimous.
Sony XA900ES (Dan Wright) vs. APL and Exemplar 3910
This was the biggest surpise of the night. The Sony gave the most musical presnetation I personally have ever heard. Soundstage was routinely 3 dimensional, palapable and believable. Dianne Schure sounded like we were at a night club listening to her. What this player really excells at is space. Each musician on the soundstage has his own open and airy space to perform. No instrument/performanceis ever crowded or drowned out by another. When an instrumentalist solo's its as if the whole soundstage opens up for them to their thing (just like in a real concert where the other players will tone down their part and just add minor support) and then when that soloist finishes another hole in the soundstage opens up and another soloist takes the spotlight.
The other characteristic it excelled at was a full bodied, harmonically rich sound where you routinely heard 2nd and heard harmonics naturally roll off and decay into one another. The full harmonics of each instrument were easily displayed.
Finally the speed of transients as well as PRAT semed to be very good. We played some very fast jazz pieces (full bands with qucik horn sections and super tight rhythm sections) and the Sony just loved that stuff.
The Exemplar (and especially the APL) shared a lot of the same traits ..air, dynamics, bass impact, detail, three dimensionality, etc but in the areas of tonal richness, speed and spacing the Sony was superior. The APL took a little longer to warm and in all fairness as our session neared its end the APL started toclose the gap in terms of the degree of separation in these three areas. But it wss also clear to me that even with more time the APL would not have closed the gap to the point where the differences were miniscule.
Some may prefer the Exemplar or APL over the Sony as there were times where it sounded more accurate in absolute terms. But with a sound this musical it is very easy to
eschew any thoughts of accuracy and just enjoy the damn music!
It's time for me to go to bed. I will wrap up and summarize our listening sessions tomorrow. I have some interesting and rather favorable comments, observations and also some concerns about modded units and in particular the units that were demoed today.
AVGURU
The long awaited results are here...but unfortunately I must report that the dealer sold the demo UX-1 they had on the floor a couple of days before we arrived. That was a HUGE disappointment as I really wanted to face off the DV-50 against the UX-1. Oh well, the show goes on!
Before I start lets give a quick glimpse into the demo system:
Sonus Faber Cremona speakers
Hovland 2 channel sold state amp (no model #)
Thor tube pre-amp (no model #)
All cabling/interconnects by Cabasso/XLO
Stock power cords/no line conditioning
Theta Compli universal player/Audio Research cdp MK III (it was the latest version) Esoteric DV 50 Denon Exemplar 3910
This was the first auditon session (second followed at 711's house):
DV 50 vs. Theta Compli (CD/SACD)
Listeners: AVGURU,Jactoy, Audiophile friend of Jactoy, Dealer
No comparision..not even close. Theta sounded lifeless/mechanical. More importantly, it didn't sound like
a high end end player. Dealer explained that the Compli was really set up to be used as a transport with the Gen V or Gen VIII dac's. In that configuration it is a deadly combo that may have no equal! Compli was only slightly better in SACD than CD. Listening results were unamimous
DV 50 vs. Audio Research CD MK III
Listeners: AVGURU, JACTOY, Audiophile friedn of Jactoy, Dealer
I've heard the AR was supposed to be a great standalone cd player but again fared poorly against the DV 50. AR had a trmendously open and wide soundsatage and a warm, analog sound. The soundstage actually curled around and enveloped you. However, inside the soundstage there was nothing there. Poor imaging, no center imaging, detail was fuzzy, definitely not 2 dimensional. Everyone agreed the DV 50 was better.
Exemplar 3910 vs. DV 50 (CD/SACD)
Listeners: Jactoy, AVGURU, Audiophile friend of Jactoy,711,
Dealer
Again, the Exemplar threw a wider, more dynamic soundstage with living, breathing images that were at minimum 2 dimensional. Also surpised at the detail of the Exemplar as it was marginally more detailed ( a hard feat to accomplish against the DV 50). More air. It all adds up to a more musical presentation.
All were in agreement except for the dealer who felt the Exemplar had a "tin can" sound compard to the DV 50. We wrote it off as the dealer not being used to hearing anything remotely as "musical" on his showroom floor as the Exemplar.
NOTE: IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT ANY UNIT THE DV 50 BEAT THE EXEMPLAR DEMOLISHED! NO NEED FOR COMPARISIONS TO THOSE UNITS.
2ND LISTENING SESSION AT 711'S HOUSE
Listeners: AVGURU, JACTOY, 711
System Set-up:
Klipsch Cornwall Speakers
Tube Amps (forget name)
Exemplar 3910, APL 3910, APL 1000, Sony XA9000ES/Dan Wright
All cd players were direct to the amp/ no pre-pro
Power cord- Virtual Dynamics Nite I
No Power conditioning
Generic interconnects/speaker wire
Exemplar 3910 vs. APL 3910 (CD/SACD)
Tough call and the preference varies from song to song. But in the end the APL was consistently better sounding on most cd's than the Exemplar. Both units threw 2 & 3 dimensional soundstages. The Exemplar was slightly more transparent and detailed whereas the APL was more musical and engaging. The Exemplar was slightly more extended in the highs while the APL had the better and more detailed mid-range. Bass was solid on both units with detail and slam about equal. Results/conclusions were unamimous.
Sony XA900ES (Dan Wright) vs. APL and Exemplar 3910
This was the biggest surpise of the night. The Sony gave the most musical presnetation I personally have ever heard. Soundstage was routinely 3 dimensional, palapable and believable. Dianne Schure sounded like we were at a night club listening to her. What this player really excells at is space. Each musician on the soundstage has his own open and airy space to perform. No instrument/performanceis ever crowded or drowned out by another. When an instrumentalist solo's its as if the whole soundstage opens up for them to their thing (just like in a real concert where the other players will tone down their part and just add minor support) and then when that soloist finishes another hole in the soundstage opens up and another soloist takes the spotlight.
The other characteristic it excelled at was a full bodied, harmonically rich sound where you routinely heard 2nd and heard harmonics naturally roll off and decay into one another. The full harmonics of each instrument were easily displayed.
Finally the speed of transients as well as PRAT semed to be very good. We played some very fast jazz pieces (full bands with qucik horn sections and super tight rhythm sections) and the Sony just loved that stuff.
The Exemplar (and especially the APL) shared a lot of the same traits ..air, dynamics, bass impact, detail, three dimensionality, etc but in the areas of tonal richness, speed and spacing the Sony was superior. The APL took a little longer to warm and in all fairness as our session neared its end the APL started toclose the gap in terms of the degree of separation in these three areas. But it wss also clear to me that even with more time the APL would not have closed the gap to the point where the differences were miniscule.
Some may prefer the Exemplar or APL over the Sony as there were times where it sounded more accurate in absolute terms. But with a sound this musical it is very easy to
eschew any thoughts of accuracy and just enjoy the damn music!
It's time for me to go to bed. I will wrap up and summarize our listening sessions tomorrow. I have some interesting and rather favorable comments, observations and also some concerns about modded units and in particular the units that were demoed today.
AVGURU