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Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp

Showing 3 responses by thaluza

thaluza's avatar
thaluza
288 posts
 
Thanks ctsooner. I wish Sam well. It does seem he has a lot on his plate, and that's kind of what I figured. The sound has been so good in my system that I want to keep the Memory Player, despite the bump in the road.

I just got the Mojo Mystique dac that Matt wrote about awhile ago. I am really liking it, but it's good to know that it is possible for the Memory Player to be upgraded with a reference level built in dac, even if he might not be building many more. Hoping you post more about your dac.
thaluza's avatar
thaluza
288 posts
 
By the way, Tidal sounds really good when played through the Memory Player and Roon. You might want to consider saving the headache of ripping your cd collection and just add the albums into your collection using Tidal and Roon. Just a thought to consider.
thaluza's avatar
thaluza
288 posts
 
mattnshilp and ctsooner -
Regarding ripping to WAV:
Seems you both have Laufer Teknik Memory Players. Do you guys plan on ripping to WAVE64, or just regular WAV?

I have a Memory Player installed with JRiver and I ripped some cd's to WAVE 64, as Sam included some WAVE64 files on my unit and I really liked how they sounded, compared to the same albums I have on cd and WAV.

However, album tracks that were ripped from cd's ended up being alphabetized instead of being put in track order. And then when I transferred my library - over 1000 cd's on a portable hard drive - all those albums ended up being alphabetized too. Sam has not been helpful on this issue - crickets chirping, no response to my requests for help.

I am wondering if you guys have experienced the same problem with ripping to WAVE64 and JRiver?

I switched to Roon and problem solved, but had to spend the bucks for a subscription, as well as dealing with the frustration of trying to get Sam to respond. Anyways, looking for additional insight into the problem.

Love how my Memory Player sounds in my system and I plan on keeping it. It's been a huge upgrade over my modified Mac Mini. It's a great sounding product which unfortunately is in need of better customer service support.

Thank you Matt for this thread!
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