HiWire

Nobody expects audio equipment to just die after a couple of years. I feel your pain - my amplifier is dead and I can't listen to my shiny new CD player.

I'd go for the SR-007MK2 and SRM-727A combo if I had boatloads of money. I'm just sayin'

Congrats on the K1000. I felt the same way after I bought my HP-2: "I'll never spend this much money on headphones again." The K1000 certainly has a magical sound that is different than every other headphone's. Do you have to turn the volume way up to get decent sound? Enjoy the music!

Congrats on your Qualia, Elephas. That's a sweet setup.

I'll post impressions of the Arcam FMJ CD36 later this evening. I've heard the CD192 and it's highly recommended - make sure you get it at a discount, though. I paid less for a brand new CD36 than what was listed in the store for a CD192. I posted my impressions of the CD192 a while ago, on the the 2nd page: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/arcam-fmj-cd36-anyone-else-heard-one-yet-196142/ The CD192 is capable of playing beautiful music - only nuts like myself would think of moving up to the CD36. It's good enough to be the last CD player for 99.5% of the population.

I wasn't gonna say it...

And that's why I don't mix computers and dedicated listening. My computer is way too loud, in an acoustic way, anyway.

There must be a way to get decent sound out of a single box for less than 10 large. I'm also in favor of factory engineering over modding, but I try to keep an open mind.

I think I've solved my format dilemma: I'll buy a really good Redbook player and an Oppo player. That way, I've got Redbook, HDCD, upsampling DVD video, DVD-A, and SACD covered. I can then mod the Oppo if I have the funds and the inclination. HDMI DSD output offers the possibility of an external decoder. I think Redbook playback is reaching its limits with the current upsampling players - no amount of boutique parts or quantum math is going to get us any closer to the actual recording on the disc. It's possible to make it sound better (upsampling, filters, crazy parallel processing, etc.) than the source material, but I'm looking at the actual information on the disc. There is a finite limit with analog parts, and most well-engineered players seem to measure just fine on all the standard tests. However, I think that DVD-A and SACD offer more possibilities for further sonic improvement. Redbook has been around quite a while, and the hi-res formats are still in their infancy. Implementations are likely to change, for example, the conversion of DSD to high-res PCM in the Audio Aero players.

Thanks for sharing, Augsburger. At least you've tried them and can warn the rest of us off them. Sorry about the wallet and defaced CDs, though.

After over 12 years of service, my "home" source, a portable Panasonic SL-S160 player, might be finished. Yesterday afternoon, I heard a popping sound (like static) every few minutes about a half hour into listening to some Jane Monheit - suddenly, the volume dropped out entirely. I turned the amp off, disconnected the line-out and re-connected it, and turned the amp back on. The sound came back, but much quieter, very echoey and distant. At first, I panicked and thought either my headphones or amp was dying. Some testing today proved that both seem to be fine. If I fiddle with the line-out (pull the plug slightly out) on the player, I can get the volume back without echoes, but I'm sure the signal is in mono. Pushing the plug back in all the way results in the echoey distant sound mentioned above. So this might be the end for the faithful Panny. I might take it apart to see if I can solder something in the line out, but the odds of recovery aren't good. I guess my search for a source just got a little bit more urgent. Without a player that has a line-out, I can't use my HP-2 or headphone amp. Fortunately, my newer PCDP, the Sony D-EJ2000, has a line-out (note to '2000 owners, the line-out only works if you plug the player into its stand; it won't work if you try to use battery power or the AC plug directly into the player - this is not mentioned in the manual). I noticed that its output is weaker than the Panasonic's through the amp. Since I'm not going to constantly plug and unplug my '2000 to the amp, I'm trying to figure out if I should look for a Sony D-NE20 that I've seen and check for a line-out, or just continue to focus on my home player search. The timing was just perfect, I guess, to get my butt in gear for source shopping season. \

For my book club. Halfway through - it's definitely impactful and innovative for its time. I'm not sure if it's the greatest war novel of all time, as one of the editions proclaims.

Yes, I think I might end up getting a modded Oppo player later regardless of my audio setup. It will always be useful for upconverting my DVDs to an HDTV set, when I finally get one (hoping for good Boxing Day sales - a uniquely Canadian phenomenon) and SACD/HDCD would be a great bonus for the few discs of those that I have. Also, the ability to output DSD through HDMI 1.2a could be useful if I want to go further with SACD.

No, none of my friends are audiophiles. The boxes are for my headphone use alone, since I don't have a speaker system at all. Unfortunately, I don't even have a working headphone system anymore. Something quit on me yesterday - either the amp or the source. So I'll have to get that resolved before I purchase any new sources. What a pain.

Thanks, I'll add Modwright players to the list. Unfortunately, it's impossible to audition these since they're not as popular in Canada. I've never had the chance to hear a Sony ES player at a meet so far, and definitely none of the big-name modders are in evidence here (SACDMods, Modwright, RAM).

No, only the Scarlatti uses an Esoteric transport. I think the Paganini might use a Sony or Phillips transport. The Paganini was exceptionally resolving, but also forgiving on Guns N' Roses (a CD mastered in the very early '90s, most likely).

I didn't hear the Utopia, it was behind the Sonus Fabers. The Elipsa was definitely impressive, though. Bold, lush, and very true to the recording, as far as I could tell. The 1037 Be was ok, but I didn't spend a lot of time with them. I was invited into someone else's listening session, so I just heard one Mark Knopfler track on the speakers. It sounded a bit bright and "hot," but that might have been the tube amp or the recording. The Neepers are nice, but they wouldn't be able to do enough bass by themselves.

I'd probably keep the Alessandro MS-1 and Headsave Classic and get an Oppo DV-980H.

So I take it this pair has been fully burned in, right Rhydon? That's a beautiful headphone, congrats on your lucky find.

It's crazy-ass shit all right. I really don't get this kind of behavior - if it takes that much effort to get better sound, I don't want it. Don't even get me started on the people who grind the CD edges to make them rounder...

True, they didn't quite have the sound that I love, whatever that is. The salesman owns a pair of Utopias. The Sonus Fabers were much closer... which is why I'm interested in their thinner towers. I wasn't impressed by the PSB Synchrony Two speakers which I heard in the second store, but that's only logical considering where I came from.

Yes, I assume the system cost must be near $100,000. I'd also love to hear the Sonus Faber Amati anniversario and the Cremona M. I don't know much about the Audio Research amps, either, but they seem to be doing a decent job. I'll probably spend more time listening to the Focal JMlab's 1037 Be speakers next time. I also listened to them with tracks from the Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits CD through the older dCS player. The Audio Aero Prestige converts DSD to PCM, which I don't like. dCS uses a different implementation in their current Ring DAC players that preserves DSD; even the $169 Oppo players can output DSD through HDMI 1.2a. But I'll definitely give the players a listen - I prefer listening over theory.

Any word on CD treatments? I've been considering Optrix or Walker Audio's Ultra Vivid - but then I think, "Snake oil." Actually, what I want is something that will lessen the effect of small scratches on my CDs without actual polishing. What I don't want is something that will mess up my CD permanently... e.g. http://www.tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/CD_tweaks.html That's just messed up. There's no way I'm going to start using a marker or demagnetizer on my discs, especially the really important or rare ones. The salesman at the stereo store recommended fluid for cleaning eyeglasses - I guess that's kind of logical, and a lot less expensive.

Thanks, I'll definitely check out the Audio Aero and EAR players downtown. Too bad it's almost impossible to find Esoteric and EMM Labs gear to audition, but it's not like I can afford them, anyway. With practice, I'm getting better at both choosing audition music and paying attention to the right details (and not forgetting to enjoy the music). If I could, I'd get a sideline job as an audio reviewer, if possible. Frankly, I'm so tired of DAC-DAC-DAC, iPod-iPod-iPod, porta-amp-porta-amp-porta-amp over at Head-Fi. I have nothing against DACs, iPods, or portable amps, but I love music more and I also like writing about it - I have a lot of doubt about the hyped gadgets that are being pushed on newbs out there. I've heard some great players and extremely musical systems in my quest so far. I guess I've been careful enough, since I've never bought a piece of home audio gear at a stereo shop in my life. The closest I ever came was buying a cassette walkman and a portable CD player in a store, both in my teens. I'm still using that CD player as a source for my headphone system. My "speaker system" is a set of Logitech surrounds hooked up to my PC. Eventually, I'll be able to afford a decent amp and speaker set to share my music with friends and family.

I went to my local audio shop and had an audition of the dCS Paganini player (transport, DAC, and clock), which is about $50,000. It was hooked up to Audio Research HD220 amps and Sonus faber Elipsa speakers. I had a nice, extended listening session by myself in a properly set up room in a comfy chair. It was a beautiful, natural sound. I really thought this combo broke through the technological limits of previous disc players. The $50,000 question is: can this be done in a less expensive way in a single box? I played the following pieces on it: Anna Netrebko - Sempre Libera, SACD layer Verdi - La Traviata (E strano! E Strano! - Sempre libera), I haven't ever heard high notes this natural and smooth on any player. The Paganini does a good job with space and the orchestral background, but really lets Anna Netrebko's soprano sing beautifully. There is an definite sense of magic in the air. It makes me wonder how my headphone system would sound hooked up to this amazing system - which would become the limiting factor? Jascha Heifetz - Brahms/Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos, SACD layer Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 I could hear the micro details of Heifetz's bowing technique, something that I haven't heard as clearly on my home and other players. Also, a sweetness to the sound of Heifetz's playing here belies the usual dryness that I've heard in his performances. The orchestra moves very adroitly along with the soloist, whereas it seems slightly more sluggish on lesser systems. Jane Monheit - The Very Best of Jane Monheit Hit the Road to Dreamland Ordinarily, Jane Monheit has a very clear, sweet voice that is laid back, but the player revealed a slight harshness in the recording that was probably an artifact of close miking. Bass performance was excellent - also, the soundstage appears to be much smaller than in the orchestral recordings. No surprise there. Jane Monheit - The Very Best of Jane Monheit Love Me or Leave Me Similar performance to the track above. The harshness wasn't in this song, probably because the compilation includes this track from Monheit's Sony Classical album versus selections from her previous independent label recordings. There is a lightness and sweetness that remains here; often, lower-level players are overwhelmed by the accompanying instruments as they reach their crescendoes. The Paganini handles the ensemble properly. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction Sweet Child O' Mine This was an interesting experiment. I expected that this old recording would have sounded pretty shabby on such a high end system, but the opposite was true. There was no harshness or presence of any kind of poor recording - the guitars were placed appropriately far apart and Axl Rose's voice was perfectly pitched and musically screechy as expected. I'm most familiar with this track out of all of the test suite, and the Paganini didn't fail to disappoint. So the sound of the guitars, drums, and Axl was dead on as could be, with absolutely no unpleasant sound. We then played it again on the older dCS Elgar-based system, using a tube amp and Neeper Perfection One speakers. The guitars were more ringing, as appropriate for Marshall amps, but Axl's voice lost a bit of body and the sound didn't have as much slam as in the solid-state system. You can hear Slash's fingers on the guitar strings in the opening part, which I've never heard before and couldn't hear again on the Arcam CD36. More on that later. ... and a few tracks from the dealer's disc, Private Investigations: The Very Best of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler. There is a really nice live track with a harp that sounds very ethereal - also, the acoustic guitar is excellent, if overly intimate in recording. I'll definitely be looking for a copy of this or other Knopfler/Dire Straits recordings in the near future. Where to go from here? I went to another store and auditioned the Arcam CD36 again, for old time's sake. I was told the previous speakers that I disliked were Veritas - I'll make sure to avoid those in the future. It was set up on a Bryston amp and PSB Synchrony Two speakers. I played selections from The Very Best of The Platters, The Very Best of Jane Monheit, and Appetite for Destruction. Overall, the presentation was excellent, but I noticed that there was a bit more hardness in Monheit's recording. The Platters were excellent as usual (probably a less-demanding recording), with a focus on Tony Williams' voice and a very clear bell tone at the end of Harbor Lights. Sweet Child O' Mine had excellent rhythm and speed, but the instruments were definitely jumbled together and there was less air overall in the playback. Most of the faults can be attributed to the speakers, in my opinion, since I've heard excellent sound from the Arcam CD192 on PSB Platinum bookshelf speakers in the past. Also, the Arcam setup didn't have a dedicated room, so acoustics were definitely an issue for this session. I'll make sure to fix that next time. Next steps: I'm planning to listen to the Arcam CD36 again with more music, since I've been offered a good price on the player. I've been told that there is no replacement model planned in the near future, as Arcam's new product emphasis is on home entertainment rather than 2-channel audio. Also, I'll probably be listening to the following players next weekend - Rega Saturn, Accuphase DP-75, NAD M5, Bryston CD-1 and possibly the Moon SuperNova or a lower series player.