Gotta love vinyl fans...

[RGA]

I was leaning in this direction already RGA, but lately I've been reading Arthur Salvatore's site. For all the controversy he stirs up, I think he does a good job explaining why single ended amp based systems sound so good. Basically, everything you put in the path of the signal degrades it to some degree. And it makes sense...push the signal through a bunch of capacitors, or subject it to negative feedback which causes phase errors, etc. It simply won't be the same as it was at first. Certain things may measure better but that does not mean that the music has been kept intact. To keep it intact you have to mess with it as little as possible.

The less is more mantra is strong and I agree with it "mostly"

SET has that advantage but why stop there - cumulative effect. Listen to a SET with an Audio Note CD player - Peter says the same thing Arthur says in this Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEUW3...eature=related

[atomicAdam]

The less is more mantra is strong and I agree with it "mostly"

SET has that advantage but why stop there - cumulative effect. Listen to a SET with an Audio Note CD player - Peter says the same thing Arthur says in this Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEUW3...eature=related

RGA - I heard the new $150k DAC and $90K amp at CES and CD - Not sure which one - yikes - it was really oach. Not nearly the same experience I had at the first CAS where I was blown away by the sound.

[RGA]

RGA - I heard the new $150k DAC and $90K amp at CES and CD - Not sure which one - yikes - it was really oach. Not nearly the same experience I had at the first CAS where I was blown away by the sound.

I wasn't there but I have yet to hear them sound truly problematic. And there are reports that people liked the room better than anything else at the show CES 2011. At CES 2010 the expensive room had some problems the first couple of days but got it right the last couple. And the inexpensive (relative) was actually the better sounding room of the two the first couple of days. But they did fix it up.

[atomicAdam]

I wasn't there but I have yet to hear them sound truly problematic. And there are reports that people liked the room better than anything else at the show CES 2011. At CES 2010 the expensive room had some problems the first couple of days but got it right the last couple. And the inexpensive (relative) was actually the better sounding room of the two the first couple of days. But they did fix it up.

I only heard the set up on the 1st day I believe. The sound from the DAC and CD was so in your face it was like being yelled at by an angry wife. At least that was my experience which kind of ties in to my opinion of the DAC 1 Sig I have on hand. It really pushes the music forward. In fact when I've run the DAC 1 Sig between the Electrocompaniet PI-1 amplifier and CP1 CDP - the sound from the DAC 1 Sig is louder than the XLR cable between the same amp and CDP. It can be very brutal at times. Actually with the WyWire ICs it does tame the top end a bit but with Granite Audio or others the sound is so abrasive. Not high pitched or harsh - just kind of edgy and certainly in your face. That is the experience I had listening to the $150k DAC. Doesn't make it 'wrong' but it isn't really what I'm into. Now TT2 at the show was f'ing awesome on the Jinro and speakers. WOW.

[RGA]

I only heard the set up on the 1st day I believe. The sound from the DAC and CD was so in your face it was like being yelled at by an angry wife. At least that was my experience which kind of ties in to my opinion of the DAC 1 Sig I have on hand. It really pushes the music forward. In fact when I've run the DAC 1 Sig between the Electrocompaniet PI-1 amplifier and CP1 CDP - the sound from the DAC 1 Sig is louder than the XLR cable between the same amp and CDP. It can be very brutal at times. Actually with the WyWire ICs it does tame the top end a bit but with Granite Audio or others the sound is so abrasive. Not high pitched or harsh - just kind of edgy and certainly in your face. That is the experience I had listening to the $150k DAC. Doesn't make it 'wrong' but it isn't really what I'm into. Now TT2 at the show was f'ing awesome on the Jinro and speakers. WOW.

My reaction to the 1.1 one box is that it leans thin and lean sounding but at Soundhounds it's still better than anything else in the store and much much better than the Bryston CD player which uses the same transport and a comparatively awful sounding DAC. The 2.1 One box is fuller sounding with better deeper bass response. I've never heard anyone describe a DAC from them as being bright or in your face. And it seems AudioFederation had many positives from people. Though I have heard of many who didn't like the sound of their room early at a show. One reviewer said they disliked the room on the first day went back the last day and ended up choosing it as the best room they heard (this was not CES 2011 mind you but there are several show reports that indicate this). Fred Crowder mentioned a similar thing at CES 2010 in his coverage. But that to me was a set-up issue - the distributor does things that Peter wouldn't do.

AN digital is consistently and widely viewed as the most analog sounding CD player maker on the market and that is my perception hearing them - and I own the TT2/Arm3/IQ3 and that was my perception of the 2.1. But if the Turntable sounded good on the set-up then the set-up was not the problem. AudioFederation carries IMO the other best CD player maker in EMM Labs and in their view the AN kills it. So I have to think something was wrong there someplace.

I wanted to go to CAS this year but I don't have the money to fly down for it. I hope to work in Hong Kong and cover the show there.

[atomicAdam]

Well - All I can go on is my experiences. And so far AN has run the gamut from loved to hated. So we'll see where this one lands.