MONTHS 1-6: I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! MONTHS 6-12: OKAY, MAYBE THE BASS IS A BIT WOOLY, BUT STILL LOVE IT! YEAR TWO: YUP, THE HORNS AREN'T EXACTLY RIGHT, I MEAN ESPECIALLY AFTER I READ THAT REVIEW ON THOSE HORN SPEAKERS. YEAR 3: I HAVE GOT TO GET HORN SPEAKERS. I MADE A BIG MISTAKE BY NOT BUYING THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. YEAR FOUR: HONEY, TECHNOLOGY HAS REALLY CAUGHT UP WITH THESE OLD SPEAKERS. FOR A MERE $195,000 I CAN GET SPEAKERS SO GOOD I'LL NEVER NEED ANYTHING NEW AGAIN. AND WE CAN TIGHTEN OUR BELTS BY NOT HAVING THAT SECOND KID. AND YOU CAN WAIT FIVE YEARS FOR A NEW CAR.
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?
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- 291 posts total
- 291 posts total

