I am looking to replace my Berkeley DAC with something that will also handle SACD. So far I had a well broken in XDS1 in my system for a little over a week and I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully in the next week or two, I should have PD MPS-5 to try. XDS1 looks much better than the pictures in most magazine. However, I find it to be an unfinished product as it still has some bugs that has not been taken care of yet, although I understand that EMM knows about the problem and still tries to fix it.
I forgot exactly what it was now but I remembered getting some distortion sound coming out of the unit either when sampling rate was changed from 44.1 to 88 or when switched source from digital input (from my music server) to SACD player or something like that. The only way to get rid of the distortion was to turn off and on again. For product this price, I expected everything to be functioning perfectly. Also AES/EBU digital input supporting on 24/96 is a bit lame and EMM is delaying its upgrade to support 24/192 for awhile now. Anyhow, beside that sonically, it was a mixed bag for me. In my system, Berkeley has fuller, richer and warmer midrange. EMM has greater extension at both ends, better speed but for my taste, sounded too lean. I use all Synergistic cables (Tesla Apex) in my system with T3 power cords for Berkeley and EMM. I also tried Nordost Valhalla IC for a littel while with EMM.
I think XDS1 did many things better than Berkeley but in the end, I find Berkeley easier to listen to for extended period, more musical although may be less neutral or accurate than EMM but happen to be the way I prefer to listen to music. Let see if PD MPS-5 will suit me better.
It was strange listening to SACD on EMM though. I found the difference between SACD and CD layer was less than when I heard the same disk with Esoteric D-05 that I used to have. |
The XDS1 has been in contitnuous play since Friday morning but will still require many additional hours of breakin. Given the new rather brute force power supply, you might think that power cords would make little difference. You would be incorrect in that assumption. It is quite sensitive. It seems to simply love the Jorma Prime power cords which incorporate Jack Bybee's filter modules and the Weizhi power distribution system. Properly set up the XDS1 significantly outperforms any of the other digital equipment which I have had in my home including the CDSA. This superiority is particularly evident in the top octaves which are extended and completely devoid of any digital artifacts. I have always appreciated the difference between red book and SACD and other digital formats but not completely understood how wide the gap actually was with DSD. The XDS1 makes it abundantly clear how good the best SACD's can be and their superiority over red book. It also provides the best red book playback that I have heard. More later. |
The XDS1 arrived yesterday while I was at work and will see some heavy playing this weekend. Initial thoughts will follow the weekend. |
Just out of Interest and a bit of New Zealand music promotion Katchafire is touring the US now I have noticed from their Gig Guide.
Gig guide link
http://www.katchafire.co.nz/gig-guide
Great NZ Roots Reggae band with Bob Marley Style lead vocals.
Cheers Jason. |
Hi Fred
Thanks for the link, yes I am sure the EMM Labs XDS1 is another level above the EMM Labs CDSA in playback.
What I wanted to say is that I am still very impressed with CDSA especially at its price point, it gives me a digital playback reference point to use with my Fat Boy horns that is very close to what I hear at open air live concerts.
On Friday night we were playing the band Katchafire`s Live album who I have seen many times live, the Vocal and instruments sounded very real in my listening room and how I remember them standing beside the mixing desk at the concert.
WWW.KATCHAFIRE.CO.NZ
Thanks Jason. |
Jason,
If you read my review of the Playback Designs at www.Dagogo.com you will have noted that I sold my existing Esoteric X01-D2 after many years of enjoyment and am currently borrowing a CDSA from a good friend. This has given me a golden opportunity to understand what each unit does well and how they differ. I find the CDSA to be an exceptional unit with many strengths, particularly used with the Halcyonics isolation base. I will, however, be very surprised if the XDS1 is not in a different class. |
I will say from the start that I am biased towards EMM Labs as I represent them in New Zealand & Australia (but I can also choose any CD player manufacturer to use for my reference playback) & I can cannot wait to get my EMM Labs XDS1 and look forward to comparing with the EMM Labs CDSA player that I am using now for reference playback in my own audio system.
The EMM Labs CDSA player keeps impressing me still to how good it actually is and it is only the digital recordings which let this player down in my experience.
It is a pity that more CD/SACD are not produced to the best quality that is now available, Direct CD/SACD pressings from masters would be wonderful but then that would be the end of sales for that album with people copying to hard drives.
Great review on the EMM Labs XDS1 By Phil Gold in Enjoy The Music, well worth a read.
enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/
Keep up the excellent work ED.
Cheers Jason. |
Hi Fred,
Look forward to your impressions!
Vbr,
Sam |
For what it is worth, I am out of the country but EMM Labs has shipped an XDS1 for review. I will certainly comment after I have had the chance to break the unit in. |
Just a correction, I am the Dagogo reviewer who reviewed the Playback Designs. I did not purchase the unit. I returned it to the manufacturer with all shipping charges paid by me. The manufacturer in question was a perfect gentleman and put absolutely no pressure on me to buy the unit or to write a favorable review. The PD is an excellent unit, particularly at its price point, but it will not suit every taste or even every system. I should also say that my editor did not pressure me to write a favorable review, only one that was balanced and honest. |
Enzo618 and Essentialaudio: I agree that reviews are but one tool in the tool-box. I typically will find reviews by a reviewer of a product which I have heard and know to be poor sounding (to my ears) in order to get a baseline of their tastes. Also I agree that nothing proves a product better than listining to the product in your sys with other products :) |
I agree that you have to let your ears heart brain wallet decide not a review by another
I still think what a reviewer buys is relevant because if flipping a product is the ulterior motive not playing it, this works for any of the units in question.
Besides, I assume these reviewers are credible unless proven otherwise. Why advertise you bought a particular unit if you plan to flip it in the near future. More likely you would quietly buy and sell.
To me writing in your review you bought the ite
means overall you were very impressed!
These are all impressive products so synergy and personal taste will probably be the biggest difference. |
I purchased the Playback MPS-5 after comparing it with the EMM XDS1, EMM CDSA, dCS Puccini, Linn Akurate, Ayre C5XE-MP.
Sound quality was the most important factor but not the only consideration. It was more about bang for the buck, future upgradability, potential aftermarket resale value , etc.
My logic was as follows, which includes the value proposition and not pure no-compromise sound quality:
EMM XDS1 - Very similar sound to the MPS-5. My guess is Mr Koch designed it, so future algos/upgrades might be questionable. Top notch build quality (much better than the CDSA). Love the screen, transport, and the repeat button built on! Dislike input for music server can only handle 96/24. Very expensive @ $25k (I have to pay full retail here). Scatch off the list because of future upgradability concerns & price.
dCS Puccini without U-Clock: Had more "sparkle" in the sound I thought. Very balanced throughout the frequency range. Loved the fit & finish. Very holographic - best of the bunch I thought. Liked it more on classical music (is it the sparkle/holography? not sure) while I liked the PBD/EMM more on vocals & SACD playback. However, I'm uncomfortable buying a dCS product since they seem to upgrade frequently. Imagine the older(but not that old) multi-box units which you paid $50k+ and now worth maybe <$10k at most? Scratch off the list due to that reason alone. Plus I wanted a true 1 box solution and don't want to be urged in buying the U-Clock.
Linn Akurate: Most convenient for playing high-rez files. A bit more edgy in the highs & slightly less defined soundstage. Again, most convenient for playing high-rez files (its strongest point). Cheap compared to others.
Ayre C5XE-MP: Different sound especially contrasted vs EMM/PD. EMM/PD is fuller, Ayre is thinner. Not a fan of computer transports. Great value for the money though. I think it would be better mated with a different system than mine. I liked it more when I heard it on a Wilson/ARC setup. Scratch off the list because I'm going a different direction, not really because it's worse per say.
PBD MPS-5: True single box solution without having to worry about clocks. Loved the soundstage (wider/deeper), while the midrange was a bit fuller. Thought it sounded most at ease of the bunch. Future upgradeability also less of a concern since Mr Koch is now with PBD. I'm not sure about aftermarket value in 3-5 years, but it seems like with PBD's emphasis on upgradeability, they probably will not switch models every 2 years which just kills digital resale value. Best balance in terms of sound quality vs features. Wish it had a repeat button on the box!
My disclaimer is I'm an amateur and I've only been "churning gear" for 2 years, and that my system the way it is now is not as good/revealing as similar systems at the dealer/distributor which I've heard. I don't believe I was hearing the full strengths/weaknesses of each player when I auditioned them.
Cheers. |
Dear Radio Head, you missed the point, the fact that the reviewer bought the unit, doesn't mean necessarily that he is buying it just because the sound is good, bad or indifferent.
The problem with reviewers is they don't play by the same rules which dealers or consumers play in.
Lets say the reviewer was offered the piece at $5K he could use the piece and then sell it discreetly and make $5k.
Or he may have purchased it as it has USB while the Esoteric does not and he may be interested in really evaluating computer audio.
My point is you can never know a reviewers agenda or complete reasons for doing things unless you can crawl up into their head.
I too am an AMR dealer like Essential Audio is. The AMR is an amazing player which sounds like an analog source. I believe in the validity of this product and the design integrity which it represents.
The only way for this gentleman to make an accurate assessment is to hear the two players next to each other and then judge for himself.
In this industry to many of us fall into the technology trap that because you use whatever chip or magic circuit you will create great sound, a particular product may require you to change certain variables cables, footers etc before you make magic.
In my shop I have the AMR, Esoteric, Audio Aero, and I am getting a demo of the Chord QRB 76 DAC, all of these products employ completely different technology and offer different strengths and features.
I have my favorites in terms of sonics but a particular customer may still purchase a different front end depending on his or her particular ears and requirements.
If I was this gentleman I wouldn't make up my mind until I experienced both products in his own system, then and only then will he be able to really make a valid decision.
|
I'll say it again. Listen for yourself to the candidates, preferably in your own system, being sure to match levels (measure voltage at the speaker terminals). You might be surprised. :) |
The Reviewer DAGOGO referred to by RTN1 purchased the playback designs after reviewing it.
The act of purchasing the playback designs unit after reviewing it hardly seems like faint praise.
I would say buying it is a rather strong endorsement from a reviewer.
The fact that he found something better for $40,000 more does not discount the quality of the playback designs.
So the fact that you probably have to pay 2.5 times the cost of the playback designs to find a better product is rather strong praise. |
Sorry... I don't like apples. |
Rtn1: I fully agree. Fred Crowder is a friend whose judgment I value, although we sometimes see things a bit differently. That's why personal auditions are so important. |
Crna39, Bruce, you are obviously oblivious to the implications! It means that the AMR / EMM / PLAYBACK Designs comparison is not an apples-to-apples comparison but rather an "organic apple" to a "genetically altered apple" comparison. Would you like me to explain further? |
Dagogo just reviewed the Playback. Yikes! Talk about faint praise.
Not that reviews matter. People need to listen with their own ears. |
We don't care about "harmonic distortion artifacts". We just listen to music. I could give a R's A about how it measures! |
Thank you Mike, Anyway the Emm XDS1 is too expensive for a CD player Digital, and I will opt for the Playback Design MDS-5 well after having listen AMR CD-77.
I am also a very big fan of analog vinyl, but nothing can replace listening to analog. Thank you again to all. |
Mike,
Can you address the Playback Design's harmonic distortion artifacts that John Atkinson found in his measurements for the Stereophile review? |
Rilou,
as i mentioned above i own the Playback Designs MPS-5. i have heard the AMR CD-77, but never in my own system and not compared directly to either EMM or the Playbacks. i did own EMM Labs gear for 6 years, the last one was the SE transport and DAC. and i owned both the EMM Labs and the Playbacks at the same time. i may have heard the EMM Labs XDS1 at either RMAF or CES but i'm not 100% sure it was that exact model.
with all those limitations my perspective on comparitive performance is of limited value. but for what it's worth i prefer the Playback Designs to those other 2 players based on my limited exposure to the other 2.
but maybe of more importance, i will comment on the 'musicality' of the Playback Designs MPS-5. i'm a big analog guy, and own 3 good tt's and 3 RTR tape decks. the Playback Designs can hold it's own with great analog. no; it does not go as far as better vinyl or tape; but it does not sound flat, it has depth and width.....the high frequecies are not hard or etched, they are silky and extended, yet lively.....the mids are rich and tonefull, emotionally involving. the bass is world class.
i've not heard any digital as satisfying as what i hear from the Playback Designs MPS-5.
another issue is the fact that the Playback Designs is also an SACD player, and can be used as a hirez server DAC. i have a music server with quite a few high rez files and they sound great. it also has a programmable DAC so it can be upgraded. upgrades are easy to do; i've done two of them in the 3 years i've own the MPS-5.
i do agree with Brian that it is best to hear things for yourself if possible. there are distributors world wide for the Playback Designs; are you sure there is no one near where you live that might not be able to demo it for you? |
Essentiaudio but thank you all 3 CD player are not sold around the world,
I can only listen to AMR. but I would like you to tell me how wet is your opinion on the 3 only in terms Musicality thank you again. |
Rilou, I suggest that you contact the respective manufacturers regarding distribution in your country. AMREMMThe PBD link was posted. I urge you to then experience each and evaluate for yourself the build and sound quality before purchasing, rather than basing any decision on posts in forums. |
As far as judging industrial design, fit and finish, component as art, and overall aesthetics; much of that is totally subjective....and therefore a matter of individual tastes. i own the Playback Designs and do appreciate it's look and quality of build. but the others you mention are good too. as far as i'm concerned; the only digital player that qualifies as art is the legendary Linn CD-12. i owned 2 of them. as good to look at and to touch as it was to listen to. here is a link to the Playback Design website. all the information you asked for, e-mail address, etc. is there. at the bottom of the home page it does say; 'Proudly made in the U.S.A.'....in California. Playback Designs manufacturers their player themselves. it's not rebadged or oem'd from anyone. |
