fox_m_a
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2002
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A few weeks ago I asked if anyone had compared the Philips 963SA to the smART DI/O.
Well, I went ahead and ordered a 963 from J&R for the $360 price and am in the process of making that comparison myself. I replaced the power cord with a more substantial shielded model from Volex, which improved things right away. My listening this far has been with the 96K upsampling switched on.
After only 12 hours of burn-in, the Philips is starting to acquit itself quite nicely on CD in my system:
Dan Wright modified Pioneer 343 (transport)
Bolder Cables Digital IC
smART DI/O (bolder modified, including Bolder power supply)
Bolder type 2 IC
Conrad Johnson PV-12 pre
Nordost Blue Heaven IC
Conrad Johnson heavily modified MV75A-1 amp (6550C tubes)
Analysis Plus Oval 9
Sound Dynamic 300Ti speakers
My system is to the mellow side of accurate - always musical, with great imaging. I've gotten very used to the sound of the smART DI/O in my system - always musical, mellow sounding, good imaging, with prestigious bass.
This is by no means intended as a full review, only my first impressions.
Music used:
Linda Thompson - Fashionably Late
Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
Clifford Brown - Pacific Jazz recordings
The smART DI/O has much better bass - fuller, more extended than the 963, which is the major fault of the 963 in my system. The 963 has a cleaner and more extended treble and, in my system, sounds slightly "thinner". The 963 also images a bit better than the DI/O - more clearly defined images, slightly wider soundstage, but also slightly shallower stage depth.
I need to readjust my ears to the sound of the 963 - the slight thinnness I hear may be more accurate than the mellow sound of the DI/O, which might be too much in my already mellow system. As the 963 burns in, I'm hoping that the bass will improve somewhat - again, I find this to be the major flaw of the 963. Which do I like better in my system? I don't know yet - I LOVE the bass from the DI/O, but the treble of the 963 is sweet. I'm going to keep both for a while and see which I prefer in the long run.
I'm looking forward to hearing SACD in my system - I'm hoping that it will narrow the gap between vinyl and digital (Vinyl rig: Teres 135 table, RS Labs RS-A1 tonearm, Denon DL103-D, Denon AU320 step-up). I also think that once the modifiers work up a package for the 963, it will become a better machine. I believe that the power supply is one of the weak points of the unit, and my experience has been that a beefier power supply will improve the bass.
I'll update my impressions as the unit burns in, and after I receive the SACDs that I've ordered.
Well, I went ahead and ordered a 963 from J&R for the $360 price and am in the process of making that comparison myself. I replaced the power cord with a more substantial shielded model from Volex, which improved things right away. My listening this far has been with the 96K upsampling switched on.
After only 12 hours of burn-in, the Philips is starting to acquit itself quite nicely on CD in my system:
Dan Wright modified Pioneer 343 (transport)
Bolder Cables Digital IC
smART DI/O (bolder modified, including Bolder power supply)
Bolder type 2 IC
Conrad Johnson PV-12 pre
Nordost Blue Heaven IC
Conrad Johnson heavily modified MV75A-1 amp (6550C tubes)
Analysis Plus Oval 9
Sound Dynamic 300Ti speakers
My system is to the mellow side of accurate - always musical, with great imaging. I've gotten very used to the sound of the smART DI/O in my system - always musical, mellow sounding, good imaging, with prestigious bass.
This is by no means intended as a full review, only my first impressions.
Music used:
Linda Thompson - Fashionably Late
Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
Clifford Brown - Pacific Jazz recordings
The smART DI/O has much better bass - fuller, more extended than the 963, which is the major fault of the 963 in my system. The 963 has a cleaner and more extended treble and, in my system, sounds slightly "thinner". The 963 also images a bit better than the DI/O - more clearly defined images, slightly wider soundstage, but also slightly shallower stage depth.
I need to readjust my ears to the sound of the 963 - the slight thinnness I hear may be more accurate than the mellow sound of the DI/O, which might be too much in my already mellow system. As the 963 burns in, I'm hoping that the bass will improve somewhat - again, I find this to be the major flaw of the 963. Which do I like better in my system? I don't know yet - I LOVE the bass from the DI/O, but the treble of the 963 is sweet. I'm going to keep both for a while and see which I prefer in the long run.
I'm looking forward to hearing SACD in my system - I'm hoping that it will narrow the gap between vinyl and digital (Vinyl rig: Teres 135 table, RS Labs RS-A1 tonearm, Denon DL103-D, Denon AU320 step-up). I also think that once the modifiers work up a package for the 963, it will become a better machine. I believe that the power supply is one of the weak points of the unit, and my experience has been that a beefier power supply will improve the bass.
I'll update my impressions as the unit burns in, and after I receive the SACDs that I've ordered.
