I have a Holo Audio May that in NOS mode in conjunction with HQPlayer that with a good master can rival my Linn LP12 Klimax with a Kiseki Purple Heart. Without HQPlayer it's merely adequate. Peak experience is still vinyl by a little though.
Does anyone have a digital system that is as involving as their analogue front end?
I have a good analogue front end. Not stratuspherically good but good enough for this comparison. VPI Prime Signature 21 turntable, Pass Labs XP-25 pono preamp, Pass Labs XP-30 preamp and Hovland Radia amp. It has a lovely, very involving sound. On the right recording, I just drop everythng and am drawn in to listen.
My streamer, on the other hand, is decent but not spectacular. It is better than my CD player, but it is not jaw-dropping like my analogue front-end. My question is this: does anyone have a high-end, tier-one streamer (dCS Bartok Apex, Lumin X2, or something like them) that can rival a good analogue system?
- ...
- 237 posts total
@deep_333 love your post. I want to believe it. But, seriously, how high were you when you wrote it? |
@audio-b-dog best option for streaming with the MA3, knowing your streamer, would be to use the Meitner network card and bypass the Moon. I highly recommend Jplay app for the iPad. Easy to use, great UI. Works woth Qobuz and Tidal. |
Thanks I will give Jplay a test run. Do I just download it off apps? I have read others who have tried directly hooking the Meitner MA3 to their amp. I think, though, when someone has a preamp with the qualities of the Pass XP-30, direct to amp streaming doesn't stand a chance. I have also tried good passive preamps and haven't thought they sounded nearly as good as a decent powered preamp. For me, the preamp is the heart of a system, and I have become very picky about the preamps I use. The Pass Labs XP-30 is every bit as good as the ARC Ref. 3 I had, and in a number of important ways better. |
- 237 posts total