I have heard about that Naka 550 ( reel to reel, isn't it?), i've been interested in this PMD430, but it's a Mono player if i remember well.

No, the Nak 550 was a full sized cassette deck, made portable.

The PMD430 was stereo, wtih DBX.

I've owned all 3 of these portable cassettes, and good digital is still worlds better. If what you're hearing from your ipod is thin and lifeless, then the problem isn't the ipod, it's somewhere else.

How much? Some pics?

$995 and I'll see if I can dig up some pics.

Also my new avatar is awesome.

your title will match in a second

No, the Nak 550 was a full sized cassette deck, made portable.

The PMD430 was stereo, wtih DBX.

I've owned all 3 of these portable cassettes, and good digital is still worlds better. If what you're hearing from your ipod is thin and lifeless, then the problem isn't the ipod, it's somewhere else.

Just curious, what do you call good digital? you must have a HUGE budget!

IMO, a Naka 1000 zxl smokes almost anything digital, at least in musicality, including the biggest Levinson setups....

$995 and I'll see if I can dig up some pics.

Thanks, but i won't invest that much for my poor portable system, i'll keep my ALO thin-sounding ones!

Good digital: Well recorded music stored in digital format, without glaring errors in recording or analog to digital conversion.

My budget isn't that high, but I was fairly involved in live music recording in the early to mid 90s. Until good portable analog to digital converters were affordable, I used portable cassette recorders. The only one I really liked was the PMD-430.

Thanks, but i won't invest that much for my poor portable system, i'll keep my ALO thin-sounding ones!

That, of course, is up to you. The word un-listenable comes to mind.

Good digital: Well recorded music stored in digital format, without glaring errors in recording or analog to digital conversion.

My budget isn't that high, but I was fairly involved in live music recording in the early to mid 90s. Until good portable analog to digital converters were affordable, I used portable cassette recorders. The only one I really liked was the PMD-430.

i'm talking about digital sources.

If those interconnects Jay is selling are anything like the "Ultimate, Unencumbered, Brutal Truth" cable lifters and window treatments he sold me, you're in for a treat.

We already established what level of digital player I think bests a WM D6. An ipod. Your results with an ipod suggest you're doing something wrong. Either using lousy source files, headphones that are a mismatch with the amp, or something else equally glaringly wrong.

or something else equally glaringly wrong.

Underperforming cables.

I use only lossless files of course and my portable setup is described in my sig.

Given that you're comparing apples to oranges (cassettes to "lossless files"), that you're using "lossless files" doesn't have much meaning. You're finding the sound from the imod->iqube->ultrasones to sound thin and slow. "(more matter, more dynamic, more low and high)" The only way that's possible is if something is doing something wrong. Cassettes are limited at both the low and high end and have noticable other flaws.

Earlier in the thread, I thought maybe his priorities were just of the type that resulted in him being extremely sensitive to digititis. But yeah, "thin"? I'm thinking there's an impedance mismatch somewhere, too.

But if he wants to prefer analog, who are we to judge? Moar iPods for the rest of us!

Good digital: Well recorded music stored in digital format, without glaring errors in recording or analog to digital conversion.

My budget isn't that high, but I was fairly involved in live music recording in the early to mid 90s. Until good portable analog to digital converters were affordable, I used portable cassette recorders. The only one I really liked was the PMD-430.

That's good to know. I have and constantly use a PMD-430. It smokes most Nak decks that I have heard and is built like a tank. Sound quality is awesome as well.

Given that you're comparing apples to oranges (cassettes to "lossless files"), that you're using "lossless files" doesn't have much meaning. You're finding the sound from the imod->iqube->ultrasones to sound thin and slow. "(more matter, more dynamic, more low and high)" The only way that's possible is if something is doing something wrong. Cassettes are limited at both the low and high end and have noticable other flaws.

Yes cassette is the most fragile format but as an analog one, it smokes most digital. Do you prefer CD over vinyl? That would explain a lot of things.

Saying that analogue is better than digital simply because its analogue is like saying that milk is better than juice just because its milk. It does nothign to actually explain a difference in taste or appearence.

The thing is that in this analogy, the cassette tape is dog milk.

Saying that analogue is better than digital simply because its analogue is like saying that milk is better than juice just because its milk. It does nothign to actually explain a difference in taste or appearence.

The thing is that in this analogy, the cassette tape is dog milk.

Well, to come back to the main issue, and in favor of portable Hifi, what's great with it is the ability to listen to music outdoor. Despite all i said up about the mediocrity of Mp3 players, i use a 80Go Imod and it enables to carry about 100 albums in uncompressed quality. Very convenient when you're far from your dear home system. Or simply when you're tired to be stuck indoor with your home system. But of course there's no comparison.

I don't know why but the picture in my head of your home system has a big ole 8 track in it.

oh man. just tried to read that thread. was a fun attempt, but didn't get far.