840C and MHDT Havana

I recently tried the 840C as I was attracted to the idea of a combined CD/DAC. My current CD player is a Classe CDP 10. The 840C did seem to me to have high end issues. It just seemed dis-jointed in the high end and I did find it tiring. I used both Apple lossless and my CDP 10 digital output as sources to the 840c digital inputs. Given your description of sensitivity to high end brightness/glare I think you are correct to be cautious about the 840c. I did not think that a tube amp would bring the high end together, although I did not try that. I did try different cables, but the high end never did gel for me, even with pretty laid back cables. Incidently, I stayed away from the Benchmark DAC 1 for the same reasons. I ended up with a Musical Fidelity A3.24 - a few years old but a much smoother high end for me. Running iTunes through a HP Laptop to the DAC the result is very close to the CDP 10 and may be slightly more dynamic. Although I have not tried the Havana, my guess would be that the A3.24 is probably somewhere between it and the 840c in the high frequencies. As always this depends so much on personal preference. FYI - Downstream I have a Classe CP-65, Levinson 432 and Sonus Faber Cremona all with Transparent Ultra Cables.

Xenithon - I agree that the 840c is an enigma - it has a lot of great attributes, but it is just slightly off in a few areas. Your detailed observations are just the type of things lead me to my "disjointed" comment. Its hard to single out a single problem but the sum of several minor issues adds up. Some people will be more senstive to these issues than others. My speculation is that the upsampling algorithms may just be trying to do too much, but that is just a guess. My preference is vinyl, so I am used to a more analog sound. Your comments on the Havana will be interesting. Everyone always recommends what they own, so let me recommend that you try one of the used MF dacs if you can. Works for me. Good luck.

Brownsfan - looks like you responded while I composed. We had similar thoughts. From your previous post, the 840c does have a lot of "air". It was one of the things I liked most about the player, since I was used to it from my Classe. I think CA is on the right track with this player and I hope they continue to update this technology. With the huge interest in PC based audio, I think a player with an input to the DAC is a great idea.