I've had my AA transport and dac for two days. I have been using the excellent ARC CD3 MKII as transport feeding an Audio Logic 24MXL DAC. I always felt that my digital front end was very, very good and decided to change just because of the hobby compulsion - I was not in the least bit unhappy with my setup. Within two minutes, I was floored by the improvement in dynamics, bass, and "presence" that was provided through the AA units. To me, the upgrade was well worth the price ( $13,500 - Stealth Sextet IC --very subjective). I don't know if AA is the very best - nobody can know - but they should be auditoned against the very best. My reference was ARC/AL so I can't say that the AA is better or worse than Esoteric/dCS/Meitner/Reimyo/etc. - but I can tell you that I am very satisfied with the sounds of these units, and it does not hurt that they are beautifully built, and built to last. You'll find the thread Teajay mentions and very interesting discussion on the digital state of the art. Is Vinyl better? I don't know anymore - this stuff satisfies me. |
Dev. I owned the ARC CD3MKII and used it as a transport for an Audio Logic DAC. I bought the AA transport and dac after having spoken with Teajay about his experience with the units. The AAs are clearly superior for the ARC alone, or as transport for the AL (I thought the ARC/AL combo was an improvement for the player alone). So overall the change in equipment was well worth it. The AA may have limited distribution in US (big in Europe) but it sure is a great piece of digital equipment. Unlike Teajay, I did not compare with DCS,Meitner,Esoteric, etc - but frankly, with stuff this good, I'm satisfied (at least for a while). I'm glad I sold my ARC transport before receiving the AA, because I suspect the ARC is indeed an excellent transport in its own right, and does provide cd player capability should something happen to you DAC. I guess what you are hearing in the signficant superiority of the AA DAC chipset and process prowress, whereas the improvement is not quite so great on the transport side. I suspect, hope, that the AA transport does offer improvement over the ARC feeding its sibling, but in then end I would probably keep the AA transport anyway (if I still had the ARC) since the transport and dac look so darn good together. Well anyway, welcome to the small, but growing AA club. |
Tbg, which Halcyonic product are you using. How much does it cost? |
Thanks Optarchie, that lends some context to your comments. I get the feeling that we are talking about several pieces of gear, all of which are first rate. I also suspect the preference for one over the other might be dependent on the rest of the system and its sound signature. If one little cable can make a "big" difference, I would think that the choice of pre/amp, cabling and speakers would have a large influence on wheter one would prefer on CD player over another in a given system context. I going to work hard to stop thinking in terms of best this or best that - I think it is much more realistic to think of a choice of top flight alternatives for a given component that on should consider, and that system matching and room acoustics also play a large role in assesing equipment. The AMR does seem interesting, especially at its price point. Thanks. |
The AA is the best I have heard. Has someone auditoned or own the AA and found something better? If there is something better, and if someone has come to that conclusion after hearing the AA, I liked to know. Sort of ridiculous to call $13,000 worth of equipment as a great deal, but in the SOTA realm, these things seem to be a screaming "deal". But, I'm open to other opionions. What is clear to me is that anyone seeking the best should at least be familar with the AA studd - it is that food IMHO. |
Optarchie, the review is great, and it seems worth considering. But it does not address my orginal purpose for the thread, or Dev's last question. Have you heard the AA and the AMR - and if so what are your particular and specific obeservations regarding the two. I ask you and keep the question open to others - has anyone heard the AA and found something better, and if so what, and if so in what way. Based on the AMR review, it does seem to be a unit to consider. |
Tbg, I agree with both your points. I think that the AA combo needs to be compared with componets at the level of the P3/D3, and I also agree that consensus is unlikely, and ultimately a search for something not possible - defining the "the best" for all people and all ears. I simply feel the AA has to be in that circle of products that needs serious consideration when looking for great digital options. You then deal with issues of price, ergonomics, flexibilty, and look and feel. The Memory Player, and future products based on the MP technology do seem to be very promising, but I can't help but feeling it would be best to get a generation or two to pass in the product cycle and get other designers to think about the approach and optimize the execution and implementation of the technology. |
Just in general, if you ever hear someone say of two high-end pieces that one "destroys" the other, take it with a huge grain of salt. Nothing digital destroys the AA, though some may prefer another piece. |
Teajay, we await your impressions of the mat. I wonder what the folks at AA would have to say. I do wonder about the size of the puck comment, why couldn't AA have figured that out? Would they design a puck that wasn't big enough or adequate for dampening? Could that possibly be true? I'm skeptical. If true, I'm sure they could desingn a bigger, weightier puck if it made a difference. But I remain curious about the affect of the BA Stabilizer. |
Teajay, we await your impressions of the mat. I wonder what the folks at AA would have to say. I do wonder about the size of the puck comment, why couldn't AA have figured that out? Would they design a puck that wasn't big enough or adequate for dampening? Could that possibly be true? I'm skeptical. If true, I'm sure they could desingn a bigger, weightier puck if it made a difference. But I remain curious about the affect of the BA Stabilizer. |
I would be concerned, perhaps unrightly, that added weight to the mechanism my be damaging in some way. I don't know if this is a legitimate concern, but it would be on my mind. I would love to improve beyond the already superb perfomance of the AA transport if it could be done as simply as using a mat or a new and improved AA puck that works on the current model. |
Finally tried the IsoClean fuses, to me the system sounded different, and since I paid $50 better. Could these things possibly lower the noise floor? Well, certainly worth a try as a tweak. |
I would be interested in hearing from others that have auditioned the Oracle, especially those that own/owned the AA. Auditioning is hard, it would be nice to get more opinions. As far as I'm concerned the AA is pretty darn good, even with its "undersized" clamp. If any of you do try the dampening/mat, please roport your findings. |
With all do respect, if you want to start a thread called Dev versus Tbg, or something more creative, do so - not that it isn't fun to see the back and forth, but can we get back on topic? How does the AA stack up against the competition? Is there something better? If so, in what way? Are there ways to optimize the perfomance of the AA? Power Cords? Isolation Devices? CD Mats, Clamps, etc. |
I remain skeptical that the engineers at AA would be capable of designing a world class transport and DAC and not have the wherewithal to design a competent clamping puck for their system - not impossible, but highly unlikely IMHO. Perhaps a mat might improve things, but I'll wait here to hear from others that may have had a positive experience with the AA - I'm slightly skeptical regarding the use of a mat, but open to the possibility. What did greatly improve (ok, audiophile overstatement) the performance of the Digital Duo was the use of an RSA Haley (similar to Teajay's Jaco)power conditioner. For me it was well worth the cost - might be because I live in an apartment building and my electricity may be quite "dirty". I will look into the Critical Mass platform mentioned by Dev, I think good platforms do make a difference - I'm using 2" maple with BDR cones at the moment - no idea if that is ideal, but will experiment. I'm also using the JPS Digital AC power cables and they seem to do a good job with digital equipment. |
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Tbg, those IsoCleans sure look well built, but I struggled before I could get myself to pay $1600 for the RSAs. Now I did see an IsoClean item I might be able to afford, namely those $25 fuses - have you tried them in your AAs? |
