Nice thread Agear. For several years, teased by both the convenience and promise of high resolution, I planned to put together a computer based system. I didn't ever get around to it because of the rather high rate of bail out, apparently due to people not realizing the expected level of performance. For me, the Sony HAPZ1 came along at the right time. While there is still a learning curve associated with the HAPZ1, it is not all that daunting, and one is assured of a pretty good sounding piece of gear from the word go.
For me, the superiority of this piece both sonically and also from the standpoint of handling my extensive music collection has almost rendered my CD player irrelevant.
With a ModWright modification of the HAPZ1, one has about 4.5K invested. It may well be possible to achieve a similar level of performance for less with a traditional computer based system, but it would seem that for the average person, there is going to be some time invested in the trial and error associated with getting the most out of such a system.
I suspect that for most people, an approach like the HAPZ1 may be a better approach.
For me, the superiority of this piece both sonically and also from the standpoint of handling my extensive music collection has almost rendered my CD player irrelevant.
With a ModWright modification of the HAPZ1, one has about 4.5K invested. It may well be possible to achieve a similar level of performance for less with a traditional computer based system, but it would seem that for the average person, there is going to be some time invested in the trial and error associated with getting the most out of such a system.
I suspect that for most people, an approach like the HAPZ1 may be a better approach.