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Old Digital vs New digital.

I'm younger, mid 20's. I have only really recently started to get interested in enhancing my music, to a truely high end level of sound. I purchased a NAD541i last year, which was connected to a SimAudio Intergrated. I was allowed to audition a Museatex Meilor Bitstream DAC. This DAC is based off a 1992 Meitner Design and was heavily modified by John Wright 6months ago. The core is still an 18 bit DAC. John recently wrote me an email with a bold statement that he'd put the DAC I currently have up against anything on the market for Redbook CD's.

I wondered though, how can a chipset that was orginally used in Meitner gear 10 years ago sound so good today? I realize that the NAD was a very entry level CDP, and I've only listened to single Box CDPS all under $3k in comparision, but this DAC along with a Moray James Cable still pulls ahead. How can this be? Are the majority of the redbook designers going down an ill path? Are they focusing on improving problems that no longer exist? Are they trying to fix something that isn't broken while forgetting to fix the real issues?

Since first coming to this site/forum I look at alot of systems. The ones that make me wanna hear them are all using older CDP's from Wadia, Sonic Frontiers and CAL audio. The people who seem to have come full circle, had the cash to play and learn and found that they can acheive superior digital playback by going back and finding that CDP that isn't the latest and greatest (Aside from the SACD/DVD audio superplayers like the Linn, EMM Labs, etc) To my amazements these systems also use an LP as a core playback source. I have a hard time understanding all of this, but it is interesting. I'm a firm believer in source first, that much I have learned, but I've also found that this quest might be misleading and you might be better going back to the future in your quest to solidify your digital frontend.
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Showing 1 response by hdm

hdm
1,069 posts
 
I only mention this because of the post directly above, but this (and other research on "Cyberhome" in the digital and general asylums at Audioasylum) makes for interesting reading:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/97404.html

The player referred to, which I am currently using and became interested in after reading a recommendation on it from Moray James at Audioasylum, is the Cyberhome DVD 300, which sells for a whopping $38 at Walmart. I've done some minor tweaking to mine (changed the male plug to a Marinco 5266, changed the stock glass fuse to a ceramic, damped the chassis and transport, supported it with Herbie's Tenderfeet and had the entire player cryoed) but have not changed out caps, etc.

I only mention it because Moray James' (who apparently voices his digital cable with Meitner gear) cable is mentioned in the initial post to start the thread and the poster above recommends a combination previously in use by the poster I've outlined above at Audioasylum.
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