I had the chance to demo and see the Chord 64 at CES. I have to say that although it does not decode HCDC (there seems to be more and more CD with HDCD out there) the Chord is definitly one of the nicer, smoother full sounding DACs out there..at also a resonable price.
I have a friend that also demoed one at home and compared it to his wadia 27 and DCS and gave it a big thumbs up !
Matt |
Good thread!
The EAD + Chord DAC 64 sounds very intriguing. Have you had the opportunity to hear the Ead DAC 64 combo?
If I recall correctly the Chord DAC 64 is based on Chord's premis that the problems with digital media playback quality was due to phase error. Additionally they stated that in order to record correct phase information (within +/- 1 millisecond?) required a MUCH higher sampling rate.
I thought great someones finally got the answer.
But when Chord went on to say that theyd managed to eek better performance from the 44.1 standard (with an algorithm) I became more than a little skeptical.
While the product interests me, I was left with the distinct impression that:
a) If crucial timing information was not being recorded during the actual recording session. Then
b) There is no way to recoup/correct this excepting if you
c) Interpolate
IMHO this seems to defy basic laws of conservation etc.
Nonetheless this product and concept has been one of the most interesting bits in digital for a while. The Chord argument would seem to explain why some systems with extremely wide bandwidth (beyond hearing) seem to create a more natural sound.
Even if it is interpolation, I'd certainly try the EAD+Chord & the Wadia. |
Whats with the claim of 64 BIT? this does not seem possible.
can anyone clarify this claim? |
I heard the new Levinson 390s is mind blowing. Very smooth and detailed with very articulate bass. Just a thought. |
Awdeeofyle, I am in the process of setting up a demo of the Chord DAC 64. The Wadia 301 is backordered for a few months, so there's no hope in the world to hear it in Canada anytime soon...
Here is a link for info on the Chord DAC
http://195.40.133.90/website/products/dac64.htm
The one guy I talked to "Barry" has the Chord DAC 64 with the EAD U2000 and says he is actually thinking of getting rid of his LP's!!! And he's a hard-core tubes/vinyl guy :)
That's what really makes me want to hear it...
I think the Pioneer Stable Platter on the EAD and the smoothness of the Chord will pair very nicely. |
Mzn50, how did the Chord compare to the 27i? What were some of the major differences? |
Befor making a finial decision, take a listen to the Audio Note 3.1x single box player. At its price point of $ 2,500 it compares with many combinations costing two or three times the money.
Good Listening, |
try the EAD9000 DAC so you won't lose HDCD capability. Or the Levinson if you want to get more spendy. |
Hey Bob, I've been looking online at the HDCD titles and to tell you the truth, there's not too much of a selection in my music tastes! From what I have heard, with the new upsampling DACs, normal cd's actually sound better than HDCD encoded discs. |
Buck, on recent CD releases, I have noticed that my Levinson DAC shows HDCD decoding, and nowhere is it found on the cd sleve that its an HDCD - CD ! ..I am seeing more and more like this...not sure why.
In regards to the Chord and Wadia, I think its more the simularities between the 2.. my friend emailed me the following "The Chord exhibits the most detail so far, very very natural an fluid, presents forward of the speakers with a fuller sound, and has that Wadia-like depth and layering of music"
He compared it to Wadia, MSB Platinum Plus & DCS Purcell on a ML380S.
I have to admit, when I heard the Chord 64, it was indeed warm and full, without the bright top end..lots of body. |
Matt & his friend describe it well. For me, this is the end of the Digital Ice Age. Eric has quoted me almost correctly: I'm definitely going to sell my lps. It took 40 years to amass my collection & it will be painful to part with these discs. But the Chord will make it worthwhile. I dont have a clue how it manages to redeem even mediocre discs but redeem them it does. In fact I cant think of a single cd that hasnt had me on Cloud Nine. If music matters, move Heaven & Hell to audition this one! |
Barry, can you describe the components in your system? |
I own DAC 64 and love it. It is fast, detailed and uncolored, without the harsh "digitized" sound of some upsampling DACs out there. In my experience, the DAC 64 sounds good with almost anything used as a transport. The Levinson sounds artificially warm and sluggish in comparison the the DAC 64. |
Mzn I'm thinking that almost half of my HDCD's are not ID'd as such. Obviously the 'record' companies have no perception of the value that "those such as us" place upon that little HDCD logo; for me it can make or break a sale if I'm deciding between several titles because economics dictates that I can't buy them all right now. I really wish they'd do a better job promoting the format because I think it's the best thing that ever happened to consumer digital. Sure there's SACD but I'm not forking over the extra $ when you can get "almost there" with these 20 bit discs at regular prices. Pacific Microsonics rules! |
Hey Buck... there is a Wadia 301 over at Canuckaudiomart.com
going for $5300 Cdn ($3400 US) located in Toronto if you are still interested in this unit. Very unfamilar with Wadia products and their prices so I can't comment on whether its a good deal or not. I have no ties to the guy who is selling - don't know him from a hole in the wall... |
Buckingham - the EAD transport you want is the T-7000. That transport plus nearly any decent DAC will smoke many of the one box players people mostly dream of. If you're looking for sheer "analog" magic from digital and have a little money to spend, the T-7000 transport plus an Audio Logic 2400 DAC would be hard to beat, save you tons of money and make the Wadia 301 sound like garbage - provided you have a decent digital cable.
Oh....by the way the Theta DATA II transport is the same mechanisim as the EAD T7000 but Theta still supports that machine. The EAD is a flakey unit and the Laser Disk drawer will close prematurely so you will need to hold it open to put in a CD. This problem isn't found on the Theta DATA II.
Plus for what its worth, EAD was recently purchased by another company. |
Hey Barry, I read your comments on another thread about the EAD and Theta LD players. I totally believe you, but the EAD Ultradisk 2000 with the Jeff Rowland faceplate just looks so good! I'd really hate to see it go. As it is, the Pioneer stable platter transport that it uses is superior to many other transports that I've heard and I haven't had any reliability problems and it plays all CDR's!! The reason I'm attracted to the Wadia 301 is because it has digital volume control to go directly to power amps that don't kill the bits when the volume is reduced... I appreciate all your recommendation for DACs that would go well with the EAD U2000. |
