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?
The best system I heard is the "Living Voice R80 fed by Innuos Zenith Mk3, BP Zola DAC, and BP S20EXD power amp. The sound was silky smooth, with rich and controlled bass, an airy top end, and a sweet midrange. Natural and very musical." You are really onto something. |
I am listening to Cassandra Wilson's "Blue Light Till Dawn" on my Moon 280D. It is an excellently recordeed album, which I am thinking about purchasing on vinyl. I have been switching back and forth from listening simply on the 280D and listening to the CD on my McCormack UDP-1 as a transport. It sounds better with the McCormack transport. I'll test this on the Meitner when it comes. What I think I am learning from this experiment is that there is more jitter and interference coming from wifi (although I'm directly plugged into the router with very good cables), and that the McCormack is feeding it a steady, well regulated flow of digits with far less jitter. |
@audio-b-dog no problem. As I suggested with that DAC you are better off using Jplay. I assume you have an iPad. They offer 14 days free trial and I think it’s around $50 per year. Extremely reasonable given the features and sound quality. |
I was pure analog in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. I fought digital clinging onto reel to reel and Nakamichi cassette for years after. Never liked CD but always had one but loved the convenience. That changed when I got the Wadia 27. I now slightly prefer Cd over everything else. Even streaming. Best move I ever made. |
