EMM Labs DAC6

Golden Ears, i respect your perspective and opinion.....but.....i beg to differ. my experience with the emmlabs gear has clearly resulted in a conclusion that it takes digital performance (both redbook and sacd) to clear new levels.

it is one thing to listen to different gear in different rooms at shows and try to perceive differences. it is quite another thing to have the candidates in a familiar room and spend time comparing.

the emmlabs gear has passed the gautlet in my room against my previous digital references (the Linn CD-12 and Marantz SA-1) and other recent challengers (Teac DV-50 and others). in every case the emmlabs gear was easily better. i have also spent time in David Robinson's room with the emmlabs and other challengers (fully modded Sony SCD-1 and the Accuphase $30k combo). at shows i have done the comparative room thing with the other competitors and to the degree possible have compared performance.

but the most significant competitor that i have put the emmlabs up against was one that it couldn't come very close to equaling.....my Rockport Sirius III. even though the Rockport was better in pretty much every way the emmlabs has moved closer to the Rockport than any other digital i have heard in many significant ways. for the first time digital fills the soundstage with musical information in a way similar to good vinyl....for the first time the dynamics and energy of good vinyl exist in digital.....for the first time there are textural complexity like good vinyl. those other digital competitors, as good as they sounded.....were not up to this standard (to my ears). ALL other digital misses the overall presence and solidity of the emmlabs......i would put the emmlabs about 1/3rd of the way to the Rockport from other SOTA digital competitors......that is a quantum leap to me.

i am convinced that the emmlabs gear is worthy of the hype.....it has caused me to choose digital on a regular basis when the Rockport is sitting there idle.....i can't imagine a higher compliment for a digital source.

Joejr, your skepticism is understandable. yes, when emmlabs/Meitner questions are posed......those that own these units answer. as far as patting ourselves on the back......i think it is more a case of sharing our discovery with the curious. if a person doesn't want to read posts about the emmlabs/Meitner.....just don't click on the post.

i, for one, was skeptical myself......until i heard the emmlabs at David Robinson's home in February......even then i had to get it into my room to compare with my references before i could unconditionally say that it was a new digital standard FOR ME, TO MY EARS.

as far as the transport issue.....your comment is right-on. there is a less-than-ideal situation using the Philips SACD 1000 instead of a purpose built transport. unfortunately, it will be another 3+ months AT LEAST before the new emmlabs transport is ready. the challenge of designing and bringing to market a ground-up digital transport is difficult for a small company like Meitner.

on the other hand, my transport has been flawless and the performance is a revelation. when the music starts i could give a rip that it is a modified Philips. i have no plans to get the new transport when it is ready.....so resale is not an issue for me. even if you add the $2k original investment for the modified Philips to the $5k list price of the new emmlabs transport; $7k is still much less than other top digital transports that can't touch the performance of the emmlabs/Meitner.

so any way you slice it......the performance of the emmlabs/Meitner justifies the investment compared to other SOTA choices (none of which can equal it's performance).