This ezine needs to get a grip. Affordable audio is a noble pursuit, but these guys review, for the most part, their own gear, much of it used. If you want to know what used gear sounds good, just read old Sterophiles. Highly specific, long out of production components are almost as unobtainable as new, expensive gear for the average Joe.
An old JVC CD player sounds better than an SB3? Jeez, we know better. It is almost time to ignore reviewers without at least some engineering background. A reviewer needs to have a serious reference point upon which to make comparisons. The most obvious are live music and good audio systems. I haven't heard that many good audio systems, but I attend many live shows in night clubs, with good seats up close. I know the sound of musical instruments blasted into my face. To really review affordable audio, you must directly compare it to true, high-end systems. Otherwise, it is simply a matter of "it sounds better because I think so," or "it sounds better than my old stuff." I upgraded from an SB3 to a Transporter. The SB3 was very good for the price. But the Transporter turned my revealing, high powered system into a concert hall. I had always tried to get by on the cheap with my digital front end, but the SB3 showed me it was time to get a serious digital source. No $50 power supply or $100 cable was going to turn the SB3 into a Transporter. The Transporter is better than a SB3 because of serious upgrades and design differences throughout. Only you can decide if it is worth 7 times the price, but it was for me. This review is not really a positive review for the SB3. It tells people that the SB3 is no better than your old CD player, irrespective of having all of your music collection at your fingertips. And isn't that Elpac power supply also out of production? 300 bucks for the SB3, find an out of production, obscure power brick, solder on the right connector, and you might beat an old CD player? Again, we know better. -- desertrat58 Transporter -> Bryston BP25MC preamp -> M&K (R.I.P.) MPS 2510 active monitors + M&K MPS 5410 subwoofer. Also a Sota Nova tt with Graham 2.2 arm & Benz Ace HO feeding into BP25MC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ desertrat58's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9431 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=38258 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
