Source Upgrade -- I'm ready (up to $2500) - Page 3

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wadia 830.

and keep the change.

or bel canto DAC2 plus good transport.

Post in the meeting forum or the off topic member forum. Some guys may offer you some help. There are some very nice Head-fier down at Socal.

Go Meridian 588.24

Nuff said

Try Benchmark DAC1

How about Benchmark DAC1?

My CD playback used to be a Sony DVD-NS900V SACD/DVD player. Its MSRP was $1000 when it first appeared. Many audio press said it is quite decent for CD and SACD playback. I just got Benchmark DAC1 for two weeks. It is obviously better than my Sony's DAC for CDs. I have never owned a $1000+ CD player, but I assume SACD being played on my Sony can match CD being played on $3-5k players. Using hybrid SACD discs, I can confidently say CD through DAC1 is as good as SACD through Sony. DAC1 gives better imaging, resolution and maybe bass. But SACD sounds smoother with violins and other high frequency stuff. The enjoyability is about the same, becuae CDs no longer sound cold or over-analytical through DAC1 .

Benchmark's website lists user feedbacks from mastering engineers. It is amazing to see so many famous engineers (Doug Sax, Bob Katz, etc.) speaking so highly of this DAC. According to independent lab measurements, DAC1 is completely immune to interface jitter so there is no need to invest on expensive transports and digital cables. A $200 DVD palyer should be good enough. DAC1 is just below $1000, and it will continue to operate after the transport dies. Its headphone amp section is also quite good. I never had a dedicated headphone amp before so I can't make direct comparisons. Using AKG K501, a superb violin CD recording actually sounds like a real (but not great) violin. I think this is an indication that the amp section is of high quality .

I hate to be rude, but why are you posting? Assumption is what causes hype...

There ya go again... making assumptions

No, this is an indication that the DAC section is of good quality....

Sorry to chop down your first post... don't take it personally. Just stick to what you hear and not what others hear or claim to hear...

I third the Arcam CD33T. I run HD650s from a CD33T via the full monty PPA and the detail is just amazing. I'd love to compare this player with the Meridians and hope to at a meet some time.

If I was starting over fresh for 2K or less I believe I would get a Modwright 999ES Audio Truth Mod.......have not heard one in person, but reviews like this make it tempting:

Modwright 999ES

It is a hassle to buy stock unit and send away then wait for modded unit to return, but results appear to be stellar and cost effective.

You can always keep your money and save up for a nice car

That is a toughie but it's so subjective that you are the only person who can make the decision. I would suggest doing whatever it takes to get to hear the Meridian and Cary players so you'll feel good about your decision.

This is only my opinion. I have a Meridian 508.24, and a Cary 306/200. I use the Cary in the upsampled 24/192 mode all the time. it is a much nicer player than the 508.24. Better detail, more bass, and a more even balanced and smoother presentation. Through speaker systems they are closer than than through headphones. next to the Cary it just is not in the same league IMO.

OK, I am a newbie on this forum and I do not own a lot of audio equipment in my own home to do side-by-side comparison. But I try to be honest about what I say. I don't know why I am getting this kind of feedback after just my first post.

Time and time again I have seen audio reviewers and home users say playing SACD on a cheaper player gives obvious sonic improvements that can only be matched if the CD layer of the hybrid disc is played on a several-times more expensive CD player. This is why so many audiophiles think favorably of these hi-rez formats, isn't it? My Sony DVP-NS900V is already a mid-level SACD player, and has won some praise for its sonic performance. I have not had a chance to get a $3k CD player to do an A/B test yet. But I don't think it is ridiculous to "assume" that my Sony can sound like a $3K CDP when playing SACD. As a person going through scientific training, I know there are assumptions and experimentally verified facts. It is so hard to do a 100% rigorous A/B blind test on audio equipment to experimentally verify the things we think we hear. Therefore most of the opinions we express are actually assumptions. As long as the assumptions are stated in a honest way, which I am trying to do, I don't think they should be classified as "hype." Audio hype is created, in my opinion, when assumptions are being forcefully presented as facts. I have heard some expensive CD players before, and based on this experience I am inclined to say SACD played on my Sony sounds like a reference-quality CD player. That Benchmark DAC1's CD playback matches my Sony's SACD playback is no small feat.

I used to play the violin for a number of years as a child. I go to a lot of classical music concerts. I echo the opinion of many audiophiles that it is very hard to make a violin sound like a violin on a hi-end audio system. When I was at a hi-end show, not even the most expensive systems playing CDs made me feel I am hearing a real violin. That is when I realized why CDs are considered technically insufficient for hardcore audiophiles. Using AKG K501 and the headphone jack on Benchmark DAC1, there is one CD in my entire collection that makes a violin sound like a violin to my ears. This is of course an indication that the DAC section is very good. But, the headphone amp section is also good enough to keep the violin sound like a violin, and I don't feel awkward calling the amp section high quality. I have heard good DIY tube headphone amps and lower-level Stax systems, so I have experienced how a high-quality headphone amp can make headphones sing. The Benchmark DAC1 headphone amp is very transparent driving AKG K501, in reference to live music I hear so often. Oh, I can't drag the concert to my room and do an A/B test with my K501. I guess I have say this comparison is an "assumption" as well. Compared to the Stax system I recently heard, a little more detail would be nice. But I am not sure whether K501 can ever offer the details of an electrostatic system, regardless of how good the amp is.

I am not surprised since the 508.24 came out around 1997-1998 and the Cary is a newer design. Also don't forget that the Cary 306 retails for $1,000 more than the Meridian X08.