someone wrote: >>> These blanket assertions of superiority of one source over another >>> w/o some rigorous testing are quite invalid and boring. > Robin Bowes wrote: >> I agree. >> >> Mainly because the language used is inevitably some thing like "X blows >> >> Y away", or similar. For example, in this case: >> >> "Audio Quality is stunning, and blows away the TP in all aspects in my >> opinion." >> >> Now, it may well be that the source in question is very good; I don't >> know, I've not heard it. But, we're talking about a digital source >> here. >> There's no way on earth that *any* digital source can "blow away" >> another. Just like the Transporter doesn't "blow away" the SB3; sure >> it's better sounding, if you have a sufficiently high-calibre system >> that can resolve the differences, but it's not "night and day". Hell, >> I've got a v.old CD player (Marantz CD50SE - about 20 years old!) and >> yeah, both the SB3 and Transporter sound better, but the difference is >> >> not massive. >> >> R. > I do not agree with your statement. Digital sources make the most > meaningful difference in quality. You can never hear what's been lost.
I don't disagree with that (even 11 months later). Deficiencies in digital sources are different than, say, speakers with a "bumpy" frequency response. They're often not immediately obvious to the listener, sometimes only becoming apparent after a longer period of listening. > If the source doesn't bring it out, it doesn't matter what the amp and > speakers do. I had a Linn Karik-Numerik a couple of years ago. I had > friends bring over their CD players and I would leave the room during > the comparison. Every time everyone in the room thought that the > Karik-Numerik had a much more musical sound. Most of these guys were > very skeptical and to a man and woman they were perplexed and amazed at > how good a digital source could sound. That was easy money. But that's not just a "digital source" - it's a transport and D/A. > I have a Duet and I really enjoy the ease of use and versatility. It > doesn't sound as good as my CD player, but it's a lot easier to find > the music I want to hear in my collection. I plan to buy a Linn DS > player. They sound fantatic and leave you buried deep inside the > music. The user interface from Linn is a different story, but I have > seen some promising things from some of the third party developers. I > have heard the Transporter, it has some very good qualities. It just > doesn't get me involved in the music. > > Logitech has cool products, and they have done a lot to make good music > available and easy to use. I still maintain that the difference between Duet/SB/Transporter/Karik digital sources when used with the same DAC (the Numerik, in your case) will be, at best, subtle. Sure, there may (will?) be differences but, as I said in my original statement, they will not be "night and day". R. _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
