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?
Sounds like a plan. I can mute the speakers while running it and it will still be burning in, right? In regards to your Boulder versus Pass, I think it's good that I don't have a Pass amp. I thought about it, but I really love this amp and have never heard anything quite like it. The SF speakers were demoed on Macintosh tube gear, and Macintosh is smooth stuff, but not nearly as resolving as the Hovland Radia. There are so many variations in putting together a stereo. |
@audio-b-dog what I like to do when I break in a new DAC or streamer is put a playlist with different bit rates on repeat. Let it play redbook and high res. |
What is the $300 software package you use? I agree that analogue is also evolving. I have a lower-upper tier turntable (VPI Prime Signature 21) and it sounds absolutely neutral. Theoretically, VPI favors the mid-range, but it seems natural to my ears. I have had turntables since the mid-90s, and yes I keep upgrading pricewise, but it has been worth it. I am now upgrading on digital, and I'll have to see. Analogue seems to have more air than even great digital. But I'm receiving a Meitner MA3i which is supposed to be a great streamer, so I'll see if it compares to my turntable. I can't imagine myself selling my albums, though. I have floor-to-ceiling record racks on each side of my system, filled with 1,000 records. It would be psychologically hard to get rid of them. I like the tactile angle, also. |
@audio-b-dog awaiting your thoughts on MA3i. By the way I keep mine on 24/7. Just turn off the screen. No need to power it down. |
Thanks. I'll let you know about the MA3i. I leave all solid state gear on 24/7, even my amp which stays cool even while I'm playing it. Pass Labs stuff doesn't have an on/off switch on the front. It wants to stay on all the time. My Meitner MA3 also doesn't have a switch on front to turn it off. The only gear I turned off wrere my ARC tube stuff. |
