Listening Session - Dacs/CDPs

[DaveF]

So the Sony arrived earlier this afternoon. I've only had it playing a short while but well impressed so far. It's certainly that bit more livelier at the top end which is something my system could do with a bit more of. I knew the unit was big but in flesh it really is a monster. Condition is like it was just manufactured yesterday. It will take a bit more time to get a proper feel for it. Fatigue or sensitive ears is the most annoying aspect of any system for me so any sign of that and the player will be going back. Having said that, things are promising so far. The rack is getting more split up as I add bigger components hence why I have it up for sale.

[Diapason]

Really serious-looking kit!!

[Adrian]

Wow.........................!!!!!


Sure does take your breath away!!

[Ivor]

Wow.........................!!!!!


Sure does take your breath away!!

and that's just lifting it. I hope it's a keeper Dave, looks good on those stands!

[DaveF]

Well the Sony has far exceeded my expectations so far and it will be very difficult to send it back now. In terms of resolution and detail it's a clear step up from the Arcam yet still retaining enough musicality and non-fatiguing qualities which are critical to me above anything else.
In my system the Sony just seems to work a lot better than the Lampi and Meitner did. It wasnt what I expected and I have been pleasantly surprised by it. System snergy is a phrase that tends to get bandied about here but the Sony/Jadis just seems to be a lovely match.
For the first time I also getting a listen to the SACD layer on many of discs. Couldnt really say for certain if the SACD-CD difference is all really that great but I'm more than content to simply just sit back and listen to the music than doing countless AB comparisons.

I really wanted to upgrade my worn out cartridge to something better but now I'm going to have chuck my money at the Sony instead and also a new rack to house the system properly. The cart upgrade will have to be postponed.

I have to say that the loading and unloading of discs is a joy. Blush. Almost like cueing up a vinyl record.

[Ciaran]

I have to say that the loading and unloading of discs is a joy. Blush. Almost like cueing up a vinyl record.

It is lovely: it has a methodical ritual quality to it. But you wouldn't want to be in a hurry to hear what's on the disc. The display is nice: informative, but not too assertive. It's performance as a transport was so good that I'm not surprised by how highly you rate it as a player. Stereophile rated it state-of-the-art when it came out. I would have been very interested in it if the Verdi repair hadn't worked out recently!

[cybot]

Absolutely fabulous looking machine there Dave. I'd buy one myself and that's really saying something :) Enjoy.....

[jkeny]

To be honest I think the real reason that the Arcam held off the more expensive DACs is that the Jadis has a very large influence on the sound I get. Its not so transparent to the source to a certain degree. So DACs that are kinda similar arent going to show much differences in my system. The dCS did show quite a difference when I had it in, vastly more detailed than any of the others I tried but in the end it wasn't the sound for me..

Dave, just catching up with this thread & your interesting audio journey.
Can I ask you how you determined that the Jadis was not do transparent to the sound?

[DaveF]

To be honest I think the real reason that the Arcam held off the more expensive DACs is that the Jadis has a very large influence on the sound I get. Its not so transparent to the source to a certain degree. So DACs that are kinda similar arent going to show much differences in my system. The dCS did show quite a difference when I had it in, vastly more detailed than any of the others I tried but in the end it wasn't the sound for me..

Dave, just catching up with this thread & your interesting audio journey.
Can I ask you how you determined that the Jadis was not do transparent to the sound?

A lot of valve amplifiers I believe are not as transparent as say their SS counterparts. Varies a lot of course. The Jadis DA88S is not an ultra detailed amp and this is mentioned in all of the reviews. I noticed quite a difference between the Jadis and Devialet with the Devialet having more detail and resolution.
From speaking to others here I believe that the Meitner and Lampi showed more differences in Tony's system than mine. Even though we both have Jadis amps they are very different circuits I believe. When I level matched with more care I struggled to tell differences between the Meitner, Lampi and the Arcam. The dCS stood out from the pack but it was too detailed.
The Sony is nice middle ground with the right balance of detail and warmth.

However there are 2 major changes to my system since then that I think have had a huge benefit.

1. Orientation of the speakers changed to be firing down the length of the room. I'm now certain that having them the other way I was sitting just too close to them. Soundstage width and depth improved immensely.

2. I've had a switch fitted to the heating system so that I can turn it off completely. Before there was always a background low level hum in the apartment even when the boiler wasnt active. With the switch in, the noise floor in the apartment is silent. New fridge also which is very efficient and is very quiet when the compressor kicks in.

Both of these have had huge benefits.

A pity I didnt have it this way before the Meitner and Lampi arrived as the result might have been different but I'm very happy at the moment with the Sony. Still under evaluation but it's sounding lovely here.

[jkeny]

OK, thanks for the explanation