Golden Ears, i respect your perspective and opinion.....but.....i beg to differ. my experience with the emmlabs gear has clearly resulted in a conclusion that it takes digital performance (both redbook and sacd) to clear new levels.
it is one thing to listen to different gear in different rooms at shows and try to perceive differences. it is quite another thing to have the candidates in a familiar room and spend time comparing.
the emmlabs gear has passed the gautlet in my room against my previous digital references (the Linn CD-12 and Marantz SA-1) and other recent challengers (Teac DV-50 and others). in every case the emmlabs gear was easily better. i have also spent time in David Robinson's room with the emmlabs and other challengers (fully modded Sony SCD-1 and the Accuphase $30k combo). at shows i have done the comparative room thing with the other competitors and to the degree possible have compared performance.
but the most significant competitor that i have put the emmlabs up against was one that it couldn't come very close to equaling.....my Rockport Sirius III. even though the Rockport was better in pretty much every way the emmlabs has moved closer to the Rockport than any other digital i have heard in many significant ways. for the first time digital fills the soundstage with musical information in a way similar to good vinyl....for the first time the dynamics and energy of good vinyl exist in digital.....for the first time there are textural complexity like good vinyl. those other digital competitors, as good as they sounded.....were not up to this standard (to my ears). ALL other digital misses the overall presence and solidity of the emmlabs......i would put the emmlabs about 1/3rd of the way to the Rockport from other SOTA digital competitors......that is a quantum leap to me.
i am convinced that the emmlabs gear is worthy of the hype.....it has caused me to choose digital on a regular basis when the Rockport is sitting there idle.....i can't imagine a higher compliment for a digital source.
it is one thing to listen to different gear in different rooms at shows and try to perceive differences. it is quite another thing to have the candidates in a familiar room and spend time comparing.
the emmlabs gear has passed the gautlet in my room against my previous digital references (the Linn CD-12 and Marantz SA-1) and other recent challengers (Teac DV-50 and others). in every case the emmlabs gear was easily better. i have also spent time in David Robinson's room with the emmlabs and other challengers (fully modded Sony SCD-1 and the Accuphase $30k combo). at shows i have done the comparative room thing with the other competitors and to the degree possible have compared performance.
but the most significant competitor that i have put the emmlabs up against was one that it couldn't come very close to equaling.....my Rockport Sirius III. even though the Rockport was better in pretty much every way the emmlabs has moved closer to the Rockport than any other digital i have heard in many significant ways. for the first time digital fills the soundstage with musical information in a way similar to good vinyl....for the first time the dynamics and energy of good vinyl exist in digital.....for the first time there are textural complexity like good vinyl. those other digital competitors, as good as they sounded.....were not up to this standard (to my ears). ALL other digital misses the overall presence and solidity of the emmlabs......i would put the emmlabs about 1/3rd of the way to the Rockport from other SOTA digital competitors......that is a quantum leap to me.
i am convinced that the emmlabs gear is worthy of the hype.....it has caused me to choose digital on a regular basis when the Rockport is sitting there idle.....i can't imagine a higher compliment for a digital source.