Search results

  1. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Roon functionality is the primary motivating factor for me to flip back to local and remote streaming from physical disc. Someday! Simply put, there are a decent percent of audiophiles who seem to put gear and sound quality well before music- sort of an academic pursuit. For me, this whole...
  2. jh901

    Looking for best pre amplifier under $12k

    You might consider LTA (link).
  3. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Has anyone heard the EERA Autographe (flagship single box) or Meister/Staccato pair? Seems worth an audition.
  4. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    How critical is it to you that this vintage unit be accepted as today's sota? I like my DAC, but it's not sota anymore. Pretty close back in 2015 maybe.
  5. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    What is a 360 S? Why? Audiophiles are enthusiasts. Many of them very informed. Sort of short sighted on your part.
  6. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Is it the opinion in this forum, generally, that PS Audio DirectStream has competitive word clock, power supplies, and analog section of even the fully upgraded MPS-5? I do hope you try the '8' series. I'd wager that there's no comparison at all. Yet the whole system falls apart if any of...
  7. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Purist unit. Nice. Would be nice to hear this one!
  8. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    And I never will. My budget simply isn't there. And I have other interests. I'm not making the claim that I know which DACs are at the very top in April 2020. I do think that it very well may be a mistake for some participants in this thread to dismiss the "dream series". Will 1 in 10 sell...
  9. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Or? Or perhaps you simply enjoy mushiness!!!! Revel in it. LOL. Sincerely though, is there only one way to handle PCM? Is it delta-sigma? Ok, so which oversampling implementation? Or is non-oversampling R2R the only way? How has this been determined? Who's to say that FPGM DSD DACs are...
  10. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    There will always be components at various price points, particularly from ultra-boutique (small volume, direct sale, etc) operations, which garner little mass recognition. I likely have the only AVM Audio 6.2 Master Edition integrated amp in the US. And that's a huge business over in Germany...
  11. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    And...this is why I'd expect many here to have bought the MDP-8 by now. How can anyone who access to "10 or more DACs" justify dismissing Playback Designs without ever giving it a shot!? Is the notion that FGPA DSD DACs "soften and mush-up the sound" widely held? Maybe this is why no one...
  12. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    There were some hardware upgrades for the MPS-5 offered a few years ago as well (in addition to any software releases). I wouldn't expect a "fully upgraded" MPS-5 to compete with today's megabuck DACs, but isn't it odd that MPD-8 is ignored? I'd expect some of you to consider just in case...
  13. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Note that Playback Designs wasn't even a passing thought until 11 pages deep. Gotta be related to "brand energy" or the like as mentioned up-thread. Well, unless we hear from a bunch of folks who have a better explanation. Who designs the actual D/A conversion for EMM Labs these days? Do they...
  14. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    I tend to agree, but I have no personal experience with today's most impressive digital front ends. My MPS-5 has the hardware upgrade from several years back. Had to send out to Andreas for a repair, so it's with FedEx back to me now. Been slumming with my old Logitech Transporter DAC using a...
  15. jh901

    Best DACs comparison test result [[My Subjective Opinion]]

    Right, the new K 01HD and K 03HD feature Esoteric's proprietary fpga from their cost-no-object gear. Pretty cool that they are bringing that tech down into the semi affordable offerings.
  16. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Empirical Audio is another forgotten name out there. I can see why such a small firm could be dismissed, but the Playback Designs MPD-8 should have a far, far bigger part of these sota DAC conversations. Well, at least it seems to me it should - it's not as if Andreas Koch hasn't been around...
  17. jh901

    Best DACs comparison test result [[My Subjective Opinion]]

    Wow, amazing. Where is Playback Designs MPD-8? Any way you can get your hands on one? Hopefully, it will compete ok against Select Dac despite huge price gap.
  18. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Interesting. Very cool. Hopefully a few others are in a position to give MPD8 a go. Andreas Koch's gear isn't mentioned too often. I'm really curious to learn if your experience is similar to any others on the forum.
  19. jh901

    State-of-the-Art Digital

    Hi all, is there an inherent shortcoming to the Playback Designs MPD-8 which is likely disqualifying as a contender versus MSB, dCS, and the like?
  20. jh901

    T+A PA 3100 HV VS Gryphon Diablo 300

    Did anyone end up getting a home audition of the T+A PA 3100 HV? I wouldn't think it would be difficult to have one shipped as they seem to be trying to crack the USA market. Finally.
  21. jh901

    End game pre amp + amp upgrade

    Are T+A P3000 HV and A3000 HV not relevant in the discussion of SS "destination" amplification?
  22. jh901

    Goodbye Vivaldi

    This thread just died?! How are Select II owners finding their digital versus turntable? I was also hoping the thread would get to Light Harmonic DaVinci. Is it the final step up!?
  23. jh901

    Playback Designs MPS-5

    I'd be curious to hear comparisons of fully upgraded MPS-5 (firmware, clock generator, other hardware) versus latest from the likes of Totaldac, dCS, PS Audio, LH DaVinci Mk II, Lampizator, Empirical Audio Overdrive SX, and others. Is there a high traffic forum which may be best to get...
  24. jh901

    New Playback Designs Dream Series DAC and Digital Transport

    Are Dream Series components in the hands of consumers yet?
  25. jh901

    Playback Designs MPS-5 SACD Hardware Upgrade for 5-Series Products

    When was the new clock generator hardware initially released? Is it a further development of the "Frequency Arrival System", which I think uses MEMS oscillators as opposed to crystal? _________________ Which firmware version are each of you on? There's much more info all over the web...

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