Eera Tentation

[dallasjustice]

Hey Al, glad to hear from you. Wow, disc spinners - is this a group that's going to emerge from the shadows and proudly declare our pride in extracting a cd from a jewel case, pop it in a cdp, and listen? I sure hope so, the more the merrier. I know the lowly 5" silver disc will never rival it's sexier 12" vinyl compatriot, but it sure beats the hell out of subscribing to the cloud.
Like you I'm really happy with my cdp, but there is a definite information gap going to my tt, not in terms of transparency necc, but the solidity of the message. Ironically, I hear even less solidity with hi rez, but the gist of the Eera Tentation sound seems to point to bridging this gap. Just a struggle to audition it.
I'd love to audition the Trinity PC Drive/DAC, it seems to set new standards with rbcd playback. But at a price. And this is my other objection to hi rez, the high end DACs have all taken a massive hike in price to the $30k+ level. It seems that the territory of this new way of listening is going to empty the wallets of lots of audiophiles.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Ahem, Dallas, that was a very "interesting" diversion. But what does it have to do with things?

 

[treitz3]

Perhaps the action of taking a CD out from the jewel case and prying that action from his cold, dead hands...

Tom

 

[spiritofmusic]

Hmm, forget gun control, let's have spiralling audio prices control!

 

[dallasjustice]

You only have a right to use physical digital media in defense of your home or for hunting. Otherwise it's strictly prohibited.

 

[spiritofmusic]

This is all v.surreal, Dallas! What coffee are you on? I need some !

 

[spiritofmusic]

JackD201, rblnr et al, just another q re the Tentation. How does it deal with poorly recorded discs? For my sins I own a lot of, let's just say, "challenging" (aka crap!) sounding discs, maybe the majority of my collection. A big reason why I chose the Emm Labs CDSA SE over other cdp's at the time (incl. the Reimyo, and AMR), and had to replace my Marantz SA-1, was it's amazing trick of making a lot of these discs more than just palatable, but actually quite listenable.
I would hate to invest in the Tentation to find it excels at well recorded discs, but fails at the worse ones.

 

[JackD201]

Well, bad discs still sound worse than the good discs The player it replaced in my main system however was a CDSD/DCC2 which you can see in the earlier pics of my room.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Well, that's a truism if ever there was one! I actually rate the Emm for tonal density (well ahead of the AMR that I auditioned at the time, and on a par with the Reimyo). But I get the impression from you that the Eera will be a major step forward, am I right? Is it a very different sounding player from your previous Emm combo? I've emailed Cor, awaiting his reply. My main reason to have stuck with the CDSA SE over time is it's almost unique ability to get the message out from flat sounding discs. So I'm not expecting the Eera to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear with poor discs, but just hoping it works as hard as possible with difficult material.

 

[spiritofmusic]

May have a chance of home demo of Tentation in February. Interested to see what the (non) hype is about ! I mean if this player is as good as it's fans claim, it'll be the most under the radar digital, or any audio product, ever.

 

[JackD201]

But I get the impression from you that the Eera will be a major step forward, am I right? Is it a very different sounding player from your previous Emm combo?

To me it was a major step forward. The presentation is quite different as you'll soon experience. I hope it pushes the right buttons for you.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Jack, v.fair of you to state it was a big impvt, but just IN YOUR OPINION. What I've found is that system synergy is becoming more critical than individual components' brilliance, at least in my system. I've got my biggest system wide improvements moving to balanced power and Entreq Silver Tellus grounding (not necc just going for the next pricey round of equipment purchases), and the EMM has been transformed by these. So in context of my system, the EMM still outperforms the challengers I considered (AMR, Reimyo etc). My Zu Definitions 4 spkrs major fantastically on tonal density, and from what I can glean from your comments, this is the area the Tentation excels in. And with my SETs also big on tone, it may really fit in.
Btw, in the intervening 3-5 years plus since you invested in the Eera, have you found a standalone cdp which compares, and how do you feel it stacks up against the current crop of DACs/streaming/hi rez? Not where I'm going personally, but still interested in the comparison.

 

[MRJAZZ]

HI SPIRIT
I too find most CD PLAYBACK SYSTEMS are lacking in image density, body, natural harmonic bloom. Have to admit have not tried mega buck systems (MBL,DCS,TRINITY,ETC), however one I can whole heartedly recommend is the AESTHETIX ROMULOUS. WE (I am the owner of QUINTESSENCE ACOUSTICS www.quintessenceacoustics.com ) used this CDP at THE SHOW, this CES, 2014, and it did a very nice job for us, along with the VPI CLASSIC DIRECT DRIVE.
THE ROMULOUS is very musical, with excellent image density, and tonal purity. It also is some what future proof in that it has multiple digital inputs (USB, etc). so if you want to get into (I DON'T), HI REZ downloads you will be able to use the DAC portion of the CDP to good effect .

 

[JackD201]

I think E.A.R.'s top player is the closest I have heard. I could live with that one happily too.

 

[spiritofmusic]

MRJAZZ and JackD, thanx for your thoughts. Jack, what are your thoughts on how these excellent standalone cdp's stack up against streaming/hi rez? In HK and SE Asia, they're literally giving away their SOTA stacks like Vivaldi 4 box (rrp £70000+ after just a few months s/h for...£12000!!!) for the Trinity. Don't know if it's collective insanity, or a real SOTA pushing of the boundaries of digital beyond the rbcd spec.
If you've heard streaming/hi rez really work, does the Eera hold it's head up proudly in esteemed company?

 

[JackD201]

I'm a long time Mac user. Not what you'd call a Mac fanboy but close. My problem is that my rips using iTunes and the internal CDR transports are awful compared to the same CD played on the EERA and to rips of the same album done right by a good friend of mine (using Gary Kho's "recipe). Since I don't have the time nor do I have the inclination to rip my CD collections, I just play CDs. Now I do have a growing collection of HR and DSD files. That my collection continues to grow albeit at a slower rate than LPs, shows that there really are HR and DSD titles out there worth investing in the gear for. It's not like the days when I was starting out where 24/96 DACs were being pushed but there were hardly any DVD-A titles available. I was using my 24/96 DACs with transports to play CDs anyway.

As far as whether it can hang with 24/96 while limited to 16/44, if I can switch between CD and LP without much need for mental adjustment, so it is between CD and Hi-Rez. I've always been content driven and a bit format agnostic. Hearing James Taylor's Hourglass (available on SACD only) was enough to get me to buy my first SACD player. Going forward, given cost and time to get a CD from the USA, EU or Japan vs downloading the files, I'll go with the files if they are available and hit Amazon for the CD if they aren't.

In a nutshell, my opinion is I like 24/96 and DSD more than CD in general BUT CD still has the edge in titles when it comes to old releases and moreso on new ones. For original Filipino music, there is no HiRez to speak of. Another reason why I not only want a CD player but NEED one.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Thanx Jack, a really nice overview. I can tell from your low key style, that yours is an honestly held opinion. I was a little concerned that when I asked for opinions on the Eera, I might get the usual hyperbole and hype, but I'm grateful for such a sober assessment.
My issue on formats is similar to you, except that my fix is below the radar progressive rock, that won't ever see hi rez, let alone reasonable mastering. And I'd rather watch paint dry than spend time ripping cd's.
So here I am in the position a little like you, relying on rbcd for prob over half my listening now, trying to fill the shortfall between analog and digital, and not going headlong into the new format horizons.
I'll be chuffed if the Eera can really bridge this much better than my EMM.
And re prioritising the content and not the format, I still invest in...laserdiscs! Despite the brave new world of Blu Ray and upcoming 4k.

 

[gammajo]

Just to chime in - I am still very wedded to the CD. I live in a rural area where it would take a day to download a high res album, the complexities of computer audio still need to be sorted out, and I spend much od my day on computer and don't associate them with the joy and relaxation of my listening time. But most important is listening. A friend with great ears and I just listened to two very well regarded and expensive streamer based systems and we both felt great relief upon returning home and firing up our CD based systems. This disappointment with computer based audio has been there every time I have listened with high hopes to high res. I am a detail freak, but even more so am looking for richness and naturalness of timbre, attack and decay etc.
My reference is live concerts and a 6'8" Grand Piano in the same room as my system. To my ears properly set up with very careful attention to reducing noise from electrical and mechanical issues, CD play can allow that going back and forth from analogue without a feeling of loss and provide much of the realism and delight of live music. I do use Albert Von's Signature wire throughout with his Ultra from Ayon CD5s (Transport-DAC-Pre, combined) to mono amps. I do not think Albert's wire is essential for getting a great sound (as defined in this thread) from a CD player, but in my system it did take things to a level well above what I thought possible.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Gammajo, I agree. Hi rez hasn't done it for me yet. My demo of the Tentation is hopefully happening soon. But whether I go for it, or remain with my Emm CDSA SE, I'm sticking with RBCD for the forseeable.

 

[gammajo]

Spirit
Please be sure to post your initial and longer-term reactions to the Tentation. Over the past decade I have learned to trust Albert Von's recommendations and he is very positive about the Tentation, putting it along with the NeoDio on my short list for audition. I am very pleased with the Ayon CD5s, particularly with its liquidity and naturalness but always exploring options.