Art Dudley compares CD Players


In the current issue of Stereophile, Art Dudley compares the Metronome Kalistra DreamPlay One CDP, a 2 part unit that weighs 85 pound and, costs $43,000, to his standard , which is a  Sony SCD-777 SACD/CD player that is 17 years old.  His not so surprising conclusion is that  the newer and Uber expensive player sounds better playing redbook CD.
  Apparently Dudley is unaware that 17 years is an eternity in Digital Audio, that a good share of people who own CDPs are likely to be using them as transports into moderately priced but high performing DACs, and finally thatmost digital replay now consists of file based content from either PCs or purpose built renders.  Perhaps comparing a $43,000 CDP to a modern CDP, transport-DAC combination, or Music Server might of have been of more use to the majority of readers.
  Don’t these magazines have Editors?  Or if John Atkinson to busy tying himself up in knots trying to explain why MQA is necessary for us all, when his own magazine reports a trial from McGill (see Jim Austin ‘s column on p.13) that MQA failed to be perceived as an improvement in blind listening tests.
mahler123

Showing 2 responses by mahler123

@tomcy6 
My point exactly.  He’s a hypocritical idiot.  And if they want to meaningfully review digital product, don’t assign it to Dudley or Fremer
He uses a 17 year old CDP because he doesn’t give a crap about digital. He decided years ago that it all sounds bad.
He is therefore surprised that digital can sound good.  He doesn’t seem to realize that between a 17 year old player that now goes for $100 second hand and the $ 43K 81 pound behemoth that there are a huge range of products and alternatives in every price range