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Meitner DCC2 vs. Analog - Opinions Please

I have been been contemplating the move to analog for a year or two, and have collected about 70-80 discs in preperation. I also have 600 or so CD's and a smattering of CD/SACDS.

I was thinking along the line of VPI HRX (7k or so used), a Shelter 90X cartridge (2.7k), and a phono-stage such as an ARC REF used (4.5k?) or Aesthetix Callisto (4-5k?) and interconnects ($500 or so). I would also need to reconfigure my rack and maybe get longer interconncets for my amps, but lets leave that out for now. That would add up to about 17k or so if I threw in a VPI 16.5.

Now, it seems I can get (new) the Meitner DCC2 and CDSD for the same 17K, less about 8-9k I could free up by selling my ARC REF2 MK2 pre and ARC CD3, for a total outlay of about 8 - 9k. I could also sell one pair of my Audioquest Diamond X3 (might not do this, I really like them) and I would not have to change my rack.

Can anyone comment on how close the Meitner gear might be to a rig such as I described? It seems like upgrading my CD player and adding SACD would be more cost effective than spending all that money to play less than 100 discs.

Also, can anyone comment about the pre-amp section on the DCC2 vs. the ARC ref2mk2?

Thank you all in advance for your thoughts.

Ron
rlips
rlips OP
105 posts
 
Onhwy61

Yes!! I did. I also gained 10 lbs doing it, as I would listen every night from about 10pm to 1 am, so I didn't sleep enough and was too tired to excersise. I also found myself snacking a lot.

I have lost all the weight, worrying about what to do next;)

So, this is how I am starting to see it:

1) Digital is a moving target, right now the meinter is amongst the top, but it is not a mature technology.

2) At the level I am considering, most people who have heard seem to favor analog at the highest end.

If I do go analog (I am starting to lean in that direction) I think it makes more sense to try to go at as high a level as I can, rather than going through the constant upgrade process that characterized my current system.

I will still try to hear a direct comparision, and am not ruling out the meitner if I can find it here on A-gon.....

Ron
711smilin
513 posts
 
If any of you meitner guys live in the Chicago area I would love to bring my modded Exemplar, and APL units to your place for a comparison. I have not had the meitner in my system, but have heard it at a store. I felt the Meitner was not as musical as these units, thus did not want to pop for the meitner. I think it would be very interesting and open some eyes, your, or mine. I have converted a couple of friends who where vinyl junkies with the SACD performance of an earlier modded APL, and the redbook of the Exemplar. The latest mods on mine are vastly superior. I would think it would be worth your while to at least hear these units.

Steve
kubala_sosna
9 posts
 
If you are going to be at CES this year, you will able to hear the DCC2/CDSD combo in room 2161 in Alexis Park
gladstone
296 posts
 
I have both the HR-X and Meitner DCC2/CDSD, as Tireguy indicated. I can't be as certain as Mike L. is about the superiority of vinyl across the board.
I've also heard the SME 30, Rockport, Verdier, Forsell, Walker, Avid etc.
I think it comes down to the recording engineer--some SACDs and CDs sound better than analogue, probably more like what you would hear in a concert hall. But a lot of vinyl sounds better than CDs and SACDs--smooth and a pinch warmer and mellower.
You can't go wrong either way. Vinyl keeps improving as far as cartridges and tables are concerned. So does digital technology. For the sake of convenience, variety of new recordings, and the punch that digital delivers, I would probably go digital if that was the only choice.
But I wouldn't say that unless I had isolated my transport with the Machina Dynamica Nimbus stand. That brought digital into another realm.
rlips OP
105 posts
 
Thank you all for the great responses. It looks like I have an opportunity to aquire the Meitner gear near new at a discount, so I will start with that route. It should be in my system by middle of next week.

I will listen both with and without my tubed pre (ARC) and report back. I am not ruling out analog in the future, but I think, for now, the nod goes to the digital based on my library. I will continue to try to aquire vinyl in anticipation of adding anolog.
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