Eera Tentation

[Al M.]

I find it wholly ironic that just as RBCD finally matures, we're all meant to move on to hi rez/downloads.

Yes, why should I move on?

 

[spiritofmusic]

Al, if you're getting what I'm getting, then yes, no need to move on, either re rbcdp upgrade or hi rez/streaming. I've never heard this much analog like flow, density and transparency from digital before, so for me it's a likely last destination in digital upgrades. I was intrigued to hear for myself whether the bold claims made for this totally below the radar player (1 official review in 2012) were hype or reasonable, and I can now see what converts to the Tentation cause are raving about.
Just felt it was my duty to shine a spotlight on this extraordinary player.

 

[Al M.]

Al, if you're getting what I'm getting, then yes, no need to move on, either re rbcdp upgrade or hi rez/streaming. I've never heard this much analog like flow, density and transparency from digital before, so for me it's a likely last destination in digital upgrades. I was intrigued to hear for myself whether the bold claims made for this totally below the radar player (1 official review in 2012) were hype or reasonable, and I can now see what converts to the Tentation cause are raving about.
Just felt it was my duty to shine a spotlight on this extraordinary player.

I have no doubts that this is an extraordinary player. While I am apparently getting a lot of what you are experiencing, I don't know if I am getting all of it -- I am wondering about the density that you describe. Yet at this point I am immensely satisfied and amazed about what CD can do in my system, much more than I had dreamt of.

 

[spiritofmusic]

The usual dilemma with potential upgrades. I had turned down a lot of highly regarded players in favour of my current Emm labs CDSA SE. But feel this one is v.special indeed. As a lover of good analog, this is quite a revelation for me.

 

[microstrip]

Interesting, I nearly shelled out on a French Audiomeca Mephisto cdp a few years ago, but got sidetracked and ended up buying my current Emm Labs CDSA SE instead. That too had an organic quality. This Eera Tentation is really bringing so much more to the table, and, ahem, is outperforming my analog rig atm.

Then you should upgrade your analog rim!

I have found that, unless you really decide to stop, this will be a never ending game. When I got my ARC Ref40 and CD8, I felt that the combo was coming very close to my analog, but once I got the ARC Phono Ref2 the gap increased again.

 

[microstrip]

I have no doubts that this is an extraordinary player. While I am apparently getting a lot of what you are experiencing, I don't know if I am getting all of it -- I am wondering about the density that you describe. Yet at this point I am immensely satisfied and amazed about what CD can do in my system, much more than I had dreamt of.

We should not revere a special piece of equipment - it is the synergy of all the system and room that creates the "magic". But surely some equipment achieves it more often with greater success than other. Forums are great because we can learn from the success of other members and most of all about their preferences.

 

[Al M.]

We should not revere a special piece of equipment - it is the synergy of all the system and room that creates the "magic".

Yes, this is also why the latest incredible increase in resolution and improvement of tone of my system did not come from a change of the DAC, but from the addition of external power supplies to my amps that removed a lot of electronic noise which had prevented the resolution of my DAC that had always been there to fully shine through. My next upgrade will probably also not be a new DAC, but a Shunyata Triton.

Also, both the switch to my Berkeley DAC and the power supply upgrade to the amps would hardly have mattered anywhere as much without prior acoustic room treatment.

 

[spiritofmusic]

It's a score draw btwn analog v digital. I'm actually v.happy w/my choice of tt/arm/cart, getting plenty of the same balance of speed, tone, flow and transparency listening to records, and now for the first time properly to cd. I've actually spent the lion's share of recent budget on things that have improved the whole system incl Entreq grounding, Westwick 8kVA balanced power, and Symposium Isis/Rollerblocks isolation.
This player however is so impressive, that cash put aside for cables/PCs is going to have to be diverted for a while.

 

[MylesBAstor]

We should not revere a special piece of equipment - it is the synergy of all the system and room that creates the "magic". But surely some equipment achieves it more often with greater success than other. Forums are great because we can learn from the success of other members and most of all about their preferences.

Oh boy, you brought the "S" word up again. Pox on you!

 

[spiritofmusic]

Synergy is an interesting concept, esp. in non biological systems. In mechanical systems like audio, I call it luck/trial and error. I've just substituted a different power cord into my preamp, and my vinyl rig now is just shading my trial Eera Tentation cdp, where before the cdp was somewhat ahead. Go figure!

 

[spiritofmusic]

Yes, synergy. As this new PC is bedding in, analog is resuming it's superiority over digital (I always start sweating when I prefer cd's over lp's), and even more interesting the quantum leap btwn the superlative Eera and my Emm CDSA SE is narrowing with the Emm really coming up on the rails. Synergy?

 

[es347]

I'm sure to get flamed for saying this but I have ripped some 4000 FLAC files from cds and am playing them thru a Naim Unitiserve with a NAS drive and to my ears it sounds better than playing the cd on my very respectable MAC MCD500 cd/sacd player. System obviously has a lot to do with this but I am not the least bit disappointed with redbook cds. Ok fire away..

 

[spiritofmusic]

There are many paths to Nirvana. I personally haven't ever heard a hi rez demo that's convinced me (unlike others, I don't go for wispy disembodied sounds floating around the room), and equally I don't have the time/motivation to download/rip, and sadly, still love to handle physical media, even the lowly rbcd. So for me, cd is still where it's at for digital replay. I'm loving my Eera trial, but fascinatingly system synergy impvts are getting my incumbent Emm close.

 

[MylesBAstor]

There are many paths to Nirvana. I personally haven't ever heard a hi rez demo that's convinced me (unlike others, I don't go for wispy disembodied sounds floating around the room), and equally I don't have the time/motivation to download/rip, and sadly, still love to handle physical media, even the lowly rbcd. So for me, cd is still where it's at for digital replay. I'm loving my Eera trial, but fascinatingly system synergy impvts are getting my incumbent Emm close.

All Hi-Rez recordings certainly aren't created equal. Hi-Rez certainly doesn't have to sound like your description and it won't with well recorded music (or good analog transfers). Hi-Rez, unfortunately, can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. And if anything, the best Hi-Rez will like good analog or tape, reveal all the warts in the recording.

PS. That wispy sound more accurately describes in my experience the sound of most RBCDs, especially when comparing the same recording in Hi-Rez and 16/44.

 

[Al M.]

We should not revere a special piece of equipment - it is the synergy of all the system and room that creates the "magic". But surely some equipment achieves it more often with greater success than other. Forums are great because we can learn from the success of other members and most of all about their preferences.

I am grateful for this reminder, Microstrip. I have answered to your post before, but yesterday I marveled again how synergy in the system can bring everything to a much higher level. Here is a recent observation from Matrix on the Trinity DAC thread:

One other thing I think contributes to the listening experience as a whole is the absolute black silence.
I'm not talking about digital "black" silence here.
What I'm saying is that the Trinity on his own is utterly silent (very low noisefloor?) and that lets you perceive the smallest clues in the recordings that help to give the illusion you are there, on the recording location.

When listening to a CD of flute works by Stockhausen yesterday I heard exactly the same thing --- from a DAC that costs 1/10th of the price. Hearing every little, even tiniest, sound detail from the flute finely chiseled out in the soundscape against utter silence, and with an incredibly beautiful tone, provided an uncanny, magical realism -- as if the flautist was right there in my room (and playing the most wonderful music on top of it). But the black silence that lets you perceive the smallest clues in the recordings that help to give the illusion you are there (to quote Matrix) and the beautiful tone would not be possible in my system -- to repeat myself -- without the all-essential acoustic room treatment and my recent upgrade to external power supplies for my amps that remove so much electronic noise. Synergy all around that elevates the perceived performance of my Berkeley DAC to a whole other level. The black silence is also significantly enhanced by my latest upgrade to Shunyata Dark Field Cable Elevators for my speaker cables. Cost: $ 175. Talk about achieving magic the frugal way.

 

[Al M.]

I was just listening again to two pieces from that CD, one for alto flute and one for flute, and all I can say is: wow, this is insanely good.

Some time ago such realistic sound performance would have been unthinkable from CD.

 

[Matrix]

AI M,

I understand your enthusiasm about the Eera Tentation.
I have been through the same experience with the Trinity.

When listening to a CD of flute works by Stockhausen yesterday I heard exactly the same thing --- from a DAC that costs 1/10th of the price./QUOTE]

But, will all due respect, quotes like the above are a little out of place and unnecessary here IMHO.
Saying something like "you heard exactly the same thing --- from a DAC that costs 1/10th of the price" is, I think, uncalled for and doesn't bring any meaningful contribution to the forum.
AFAIK you never heard the Trinity.
Please understand that I'm not disputing your impressions and maybe the Tentation has an even lower noise floor. I don't know because I never heard it.
I don't know the price of the Tentation and frankly I don't care because I already made my choice like you have.

Posts like "my DAC is better than yours" or "my DAC is as good as yours for 1/10th of the price" (I don't know, I didn't do the math) are unnecessary and don't bring anything positive to the forum. AFAIK we are not in a race here.
The only thing that matters is that each one is happy with the equipment he owns.
Like me with the Trinity and you with the Tentation.

Sorry, I'm new here. Maybe Im a little too sensitive to some type of remarks.

 

[Al M.]

Matrix,

as I stated, I own the Berkeley DAC, not the Eera Tentation.

I am sorry that you felt offended by my post. That my post should be deemed offensive is rather ironic to me since I intended it as a positive and enthusiastic post about system synergy, and I had decided to post more positively than in some few instances in the past -- that is also why I had bitten my tongue and not posted on a current thread in the "General Audio Discussion" section that apparently has turned negative in the eyes of some.

Again, this was not intended as a negative post against the Trinity DAC, but as a positive post about system synergy. It also specifically addressed just one aspect of perceived DAC performance that you had mentioned in your post, without pretending that the Berkeley DAC must sound just as good in every aspect as the Trinity DAC that indeed I haven't heard and which, according to your report and that of others, must be a game-changing DAC. Clearly I should have added that qualifier.

To reiterate, my point was about system synergy and what that can achieve, not about the indeed silly game "my DAC is as good than yours", or something like that. It also played into the observation by Spiritofmusic above that by changing a component in his system (in his case the power chord to his preamp) the perceived performance of his old CD player was raised significantly.

Perhaps you could extract as a positive message from my post that by tweaking system synergy you could enhance the performance of your Trinity DAC even more -- but in general terms, this is an obvious concept that applies universally to any system component. I was just talking about specific implementations in my case.

 

[microstrip]

AI M,

I understand your enthusiasm about the Eera Tentation.
I have been through the same experience with the Trinity.

When listening to a CD of flute works by Stockhausen yesterday I heard exactly the same thing --- from a DAC that costs 1/10th of the price./QUOTE]

But, will all due respect, quotes like the above are a little out of place and unnecessary here IMHO.
Saying something like "you heard exactly the same thing --- from a DAC that costs 1/10th of the price" is, I think, uncalled for and doesn't bring any meaningful contribution to the forum.
AFAIK you never heard the Trinity.
Please understand that I'm not disputing your impressions and maybe the Tentation has an even lower noise floor. I don't know because I never heard it.
I don't know the price of the Tentation and frankly I don't care because I already made my choice like you have.

Posts like "my DAC is better than yours" or "my DAC is as good as yours for 1/10th of the price" (I don't know, I didn't do the math) are unnecessary and don't bring anything positive to the forum. AFAIK we are not in a race here.
The only thing that matters is that each one is happy with the equipment he owns.
Like me with the Trinity and you with the Tentation.

Sorry, I'm new here. Maybe Im a little too sensitive to some type of remarks.

Matrix,

You are welcome, but you are really new here. Al M. just exposed a line of argumentation that is often debated at WBF and he has been presenting since his arrival to this forum - that this indefinable thing called "black background" is due to component quality but also to the "small things" in the system and synergy between components.

"Is better" in WBF usually means "I prefer it in my system". It is why it would be nice to know about the poster system and we expect details when we read such statements.
BTW, you should be prepared to read "my XXX is as good as yours at 1/100th of the price" in WBF. Then you have to explain and argue why you do not think so if you disagree in an endless but cordial debate ...

 

[spiritofmusic]

Just my 2 cents. This is not an argument about one piece of equipment versus another. More how system adjustments can boost the whole performance, and of components within. For instance I'm finding dealing w/power and electrical issues is allowing my system to perform to untold heights. Entreq grounding and Westwick 8kVA balanced power has had a phenomenal effect. Then one new power cord to preamp allows analog to outperform, then another rebalances things, so much so that it takes my prev flatter sounding Emm Labs cdp v new Eera to nearly the same level.