Tuberoller
Divorced an Orpheus to keep his wife.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2001
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I am running far behind with promised reviews and I know I'll never get them all done so I decided to offer some impressions of digital gear I've been auditioning recently. Some of this stuff deserves its own reviews but that ain't gonna happen right now. I made arrangements to audition some interesting new gear at last month's CES and I got that opportunity but a few of the items can't be mentioned yet. I auditioned a new hard-drive music server and decided to borrow another for comparison. I have been auditioning a few CD/SACD players and changers that I like a lot and have been tying to enjoy the company of a popular new DAC.
Marantz DH9300 Digital Music Server - I borrowed this to compare to the new mystery DMS that I arranged to audition last month. It features an 80G harddrive, on board CD player/burner and a nice PC interface. A PC hook-up or external monitor is required but it also has an on-board modem and the one I had was equipped with a wireless card and connected itself to my home network without any software as soon as I turned it on. I'll say right off the bat that I had some problems,none of them very serious,with the Marantz. The software is a little outdated and the internal burn rates are kinda slow. This server has the abilty to burn CDs directly to it's own hard drive or rip from your PC or an external digital source. All Digital conversion is handled on-board and there are analog inputs as well. The Marantz uses one of the internet CD info sites for auto CD labeling which is a really cool feature. You just insert the CD and all the info is automatically entered for you. The Marantz is recognized on my newtork as another CPU and swapping tunes from your main PC to the Marantz is a drag-and-drop affair. The remote is very nice and it controls most functions with the exception of the actual external recording. All my recording was done ucompressed but the Marantz does allow standard compression rates. My wife found that the current software does not allow many of the popular compression/recording formats but I don't use them anyway. I was able to easily record 450 discs to the Marantz and the drives says it has space for 700 more in uncompressed formats. The build quality is typical Marantz and is excellent. I found sound quality to be good for all but critical listening. There is a roll-off on both ends of the frequency but it's not bad and is certainly suitable for general purpose listening. Bass is tight but does'nt go very low. The mids seem full but lack the expansive soundstage that one might become accustomed to with a great CD or SACD player. Treble was accurate as well but the tonality seemed a bit off. Piano notes were acceptable but I often found myself wanting to listen to the real disc or record right after hearing it on the Marantz. The DH9300 ain't cheap at $3200 but it might fit the needs of a serious junkie and it sounds superior to any PC/USB DAC combo I've heard so far.
Mystery 200G Music Server - I was told by the rep from this company that they don't know if a market exists for a 200G music server and I would have to agree with that somewhat. The amount of music you could put on one of these is staggering but who has the time or energy? This server is about half the size of the Marantz and does not feature a CD player/burner. It requires hookup to a PC and all functions must be accessed through a monitor even with the remote. The software and interface are first rate and I was listening to music 15 minutes after I plugged it in. It is standard consumer-grade fare as far as build quality goes and it may as well not even have a remote since you have to use a monitor all the time anyway. The sound quality was not as good as the Marantz and I was told by the rep that if this sees production it will feature the latest "audiophile" DACS and power supplies. I'll reserve judgement until then. In the meantime,I found this server to be easy to use but disappointing from a sound quality standpoint. I wish these guys could get it together cause this would be an amazing product at the projected price point of $900.
Musichall Maverick SACD/Upsampling CD Player - This has got to be one of the prettiest players I've had around in a while. Like many pretty faces it has been the source of some frustrations as well. The first two units I had for audition stopped reading discs and refused to eject those discs. I was told that this was a "software problem" and that it could be fixed. This last unit has performed flawlessly and features the very latest software. I originally auditioned and photographed this unit last year when it was called the MMF-50 and liked it then. It sounds even better now. Players like the Maverick have really crowded the field at the high-end of digital and brought the point of diminishing returns to an all time low. The Maverick sounds amazing in every way and I am unable to justify spending more than the $1495 that this player sells for. It sounds so good that I had a most difficult time finding real fault with the way it played back music in my system. In comparison I would say that this player comes within %5 of the great Teac Esoteric DV-50 in terms of realism,depth of soundstage,dynamics and tonality. Where the Maverick might fall short(completely subjectively of course) is in Treble detail. Treble extension is superb and vocals are simply amazing in every way. I would have a very hard time convincing you that the DV-50 is worth $4000 more if you heard both these players side-by-side. I would'nt even try that hard.
Sony ES DVP-NC555ES 5-Disc SACD/CD/DVD-V changer - there seems to be a movement at Sony to produce real high-end gear. The latest SACD changers are solid proof of this and it's a good thing for all of us. The Build quality is great and the 5-year warranty is fantastic as well. This is the easily the "best" sounding stock SACD changer I've heard, and only the modded previous model 555 has sounded as good to my ears. I am simply amazed at how Sony sells this player for $599 and how it sounds as good as it does. CD playback is the only real shortcoming of this player and it does'nt do anything really wrong on redbook but bass is a bit shallow and gets a bit loose when you drive it hard. Treble detail is good and extension is better than I expected . The myth that all Sonys are bright and have weak bass is forever dispelled with this and the CX777 400-disc changer. I decided to purchase this player and I am looking into a mod package to "improve" the sound a bit. I have to again express amazment that a player of this quality can be sold for this price. If you are looking for a solid 5 disc changer with SACD playback abilities, do yourself a favor and check into the Sony. BTW,DVD-V playback is very good as well but lags a bit behind the Philips DVD-963 in terms of color accuracy and image stability.
Sony ES DVP CX777ES - Sony again offers up the cream of the "jukebox" style changers with the 777ES. This player is another stunner in terms of build and sound quality and raises the bar for this type of player. I have my own 400 player to compare side by side and this player is superior in every single way. The user interface has improve greatly and disc programming is now a two-step process instead of the four-step ordeal it once was. A keyboard is still a must but a nice PC interface makes this a breeze as well. I used this as a stand-alone player as well as a tranport for an Outboard DAC and it performed far better than it has a right to in both respects. As a transport it is fast and nearly silent and the remote is great. There is no digital volume control(at least that I could find) and you cannot disable the analog outputs. As a player the redbook playback is good but still has the shortcoming of light bass the 555 is guilty of. Midrange is much nicer than I would ever have imagined and I can honestly say you might be able to use this player for some critical listening sessions if you are'nt too demanding. I would love to keep this player as a transport and can easily see it performing this duty in the sytem of a music-loving audio buff. I don't have the space for it and I'll offer the warning that this thing cannot be moved after it is loaded with discs.
Musical Fidelity Trivista DAC - I once said that MF "does digital better than anyone else". You can beat me over the head with that one now if you like and I'll take it like a man. MF does right by digital but some of the later stuff has missed the target a bit. If you never thought you would hear me say I think something is "too warm sounding" you are in for a shock. I think the Trivista DAC is a bit too laid back and mushy sounding. It is built to last the life of a sea turtle and I'm sure there are redwoods that will have died off before this thing but the sound just does'nt do it for me. This DAC may bring about euphoria in owners who have been accustomed to harsh digital playback but anyone who knows what great inner detail sounds like and loves the treble extension that the best digital is capable of, will likely be disappointed with the Trivista. I only had it for a week but it stayed on the entire time I had it and it never really grew on me. I listened with lots of music and tried my best to find a place where it shone bright but it stayed dull to my ears. My own A324 DAC seems to have better detail,a more accurate midrange and much more crisp treble. The Trivista seems geared to the folks who like the "special sauce". Not for me.
I'll do a similar impressions thread for some of the analog products I've been auditioning including some phono-stages and two or three tables.
Marantz DH9300 Digital Music Server - I borrowed this to compare to the new mystery DMS that I arranged to audition last month. It features an 80G harddrive, on board CD player/burner and a nice PC interface. A PC hook-up or external monitor is required but it also has an on-board modem and the one I had was equipped with a wireless card and connected itself to my home network without any software as soon as I turned it on. I'll say right off the bat that I had some problems,none of them very serious,with the Marantz. The software is a little outdated and the internal burn rates are kinda slow. This server has the abilty to burn CDs directly to it's own hard drive or rip from your PC or an external digital source. All Digital conversion is handled on-board and there are analog inputs as well. The Marantz uses one of the internet CD info sites for auto CD labeling which is a really cool feature. You just insert the CD and all the info is automatically entered for you. The Marantz is recognized on my newtork as another CPU and swapping tunes from your main PC to the Marantz is a drag-and-drop affair. The remote is very nice and it controls most functions with the exception of the actual external recording. All my recording was done ucompressed but the Marantz does allow standard compression rates. My wife found that the current software does not allow many of the popular compression/recording formats but I don't use them anyway. I was able to easily record 450 discs to the Marantz and the drives says it has space for 700 more in uncompressed formats. The build quality is typical Marantz and is excellent. I found sound quality to be good for all but critical listening. There is a roll-off on both ends of the frequency but it's not bad and is certainly suitable for general purpose listening. Bass is tight but does'nt go very low. The mids seem full but lack the expansive soundstage that one might become accustomed to with a great CD or SACD player. Treble was accurate as well but the tonality seemed a bit off. Piano notes were acceptable but I often found myself wanting to listen to the real disc or record right after hearing it on the Marantz. The DH9300 ain't cheap at $3200 but it might fit the needs of a serious junkie and it sounds superior to any PC/USB DAC combo I've heard so far.
Mystery 200G Music Server - I was told by the rep from this company that they don't know if a market exists for a 200G music server and I would have to agree with that somewhat. The amount of music you could put on one of these is staggering but who has the time or energy? This server is about half the size of the Marantz and does not feature a CD player/burner. It requires hookup to a PC and all functions must be accessed through a monitor even with the remote. The software and interface are first rate and I was listening to music 15 minutes after I plugged it in. It is standard consumer-grade fare as far as build quality goes and it may as well not even have a remote since you have to use a monitor all the time anyway. The sound quality was not as good as the Marantz and I was told by the rep that if this sees production it will feature the latest "audiophile" DACS and power supplies. I'll reserve judgement until then. In the meantime,I found this server to be easy to use but disappointing from a sound quality standpoint. I wish these guys could get it together cause this would be an amazing product at the projected price point of $900.
Musichall Maverick SACD/Upsampling CD Player - This has got to be one of the prettiest players I've had around in a while. Like many pretty faces it has been the source of some frustrations as well. The first two units I had for audition stopped reading discs and refused to eject those discs. I was told that this was a "software problem" and that it could be fixed. This last unit has performed flawlessly and features the very latest software. I originally auditioned and photographed this unit last year when it was called the MMF-50 and liked it then. It sounds even better now. Players like the Maverick have really crowded the field at the high-end of digital and brought the point of diminishing returns to an all time low. The Maverick sounds amazing in every way and I am unable to justify spending more than the $1495 that this player sells for. It sounds so good that I had a most difficult time finding real fault with the way it played back music in my system. In comparison I would say that this player comes within %5 of the great Teac Esoteric DV-50 in terms of realism,depth of soundstage,dynamics and tonality. Where the Maverick might fall short(completely subjectively of course) is in Treble detail. Treble extension is superb and vocals are simply amazing in every way. I would have a very hard time convincing you that the DV-50 is worth $4000 more if you heard both these players side-by-side. I would'nt even try that hard.
Sony ES DVP-NC555ES 5-Disc SACD/CD/DVD-V changer - there seems to be a movement at Sony to produce real high-end gear. The latest SACD changers are solid proof of this and it's a good thing for all of us. The Build quality is great and the 5-year warranty is fantastic as well. This is the easily the "best" sounding stock SACD changer I've heard, and only the modded previous model 555 has sounded as good to my ears. I am simply amazed at how Sony sells this player for $599 and how it sounds as good as it does. CD playback is the only real shortcoming of this player and it does'nt do anything really wrong on redbook but bass is a bit shallow and gets a bit loose when you drive it hard. Treble detail is good and extension is better than I expected . The myth that all Sonys are bright and have weak bass is forever dispelled with this and the CX777 400-disc changer. I decided to purchase this player and I am looking into a mod package to "improve" the sound a bit. I have to again express amazment that a player of this quality can be sold for this price. If you are looking for a solid 5 disc changer with SACD playback abilities, do yourself a favor and check into the Sony. BTW,DVD-V playback is very good as well but lags a bit behind the Philips DVD-963 in terms of color accuracy and image stability.
Sony ES DVP CX777ES - Sony again offers up the cream of the "jukebox" style changers with the 777ES. This player is another stunner in terms of build and sound quality and raises the bar for this type of player. I have my own 400 player to compare side by side and this player is superior in every single way. The user interface has improve greatly and disc programming is now a two-step process instead of the four-step ordeal it once was. A keyboard is still a must but a nice PC interface makes this a breeze as well. I used this as a stand-alone player as well as a tranport for an Outboard DAC and it performed far better than it has a right to in both respects. As a transport it is fast and nearly silent and the remote is great. There is no digital volume control(at least that I could find) and you cannot disable the analog outputs. As a player the redbook playback is good but still has the shortcoming of light bass the 555 is guilty of. Midrange is much nicer than I would ever have imagined and I can honestly say you might be able to use this player for some critical listening sessions if you are'nt too demanding. I would love to keep this player as a transport and can easily see it performing this duty in the sytem of a music-loving audio buff. I don't have the space for it and I'll offer the warning that this thing cannot be moved after it is loaded with discs.
Musical Fidelity Trivista DAC - I once said that MF "does digital better than anyone else". You can beat me over the head with that one now if you like and I'll take it like a man. MF does right by digital but some of the later stuff has missed the target a bit. If you never thought you would hear me say I think something is "too warm sounding" you are in for a shock. I think the Trivista DAC is a bit too laid back and mushy sounding. It is built to last the life of a sea turtle and I'm sure there are redwoods that will have died off before this thing but the sound just does'nt do it for me. This DAC may bring about euphoria in owners who have been accustomed to harsh digital playback but anyone who knows what great inner detail sounds like and loves the treble extension that the best digital is capable of, will likely be disappointed with the Trivista. I only had it for a week but it stayed on the entire time I had it and it never really grew on me. I listened with lots of music and tried my best to find a place where it shone bright but it stayed dull to my ears. My own A324 DAC seems to have better detail,a more accurate midrange and much more crisp treble. The Trivista seems geared to the folks who like the "special sauce". Not for me.
I'll do a similar impressions thread for some of the analog products I've been auditioning including some phono-stages and two or three tables.
