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PC-Audio vs. High-end CD Player-GAME OVER

Hi All,
I just auditioned the Wavelength Audio Cosecant DAC on a very nice system at the local dealer. It was run through a Hovland 200 preamp , a Plinius amp and Avalon Eidolon Diamond speakers. This is all in a very well treated, good-sounding room.
It was, in a word spectacular. Beautiful tone, excellent bass, imaging soundstaging, etc. What was really amazing was a sense of space, or ambience that was imparted. We then compared the same CD's (Diana Krall, Jennifer warnes, some jazz), on a Levinson CDP. I'm not saying that the levinson is the last word in players, but it was what he had on the shelf.While it sounded good, it was much more bright, and "constricted".
Control was through an Imac using I-tunes, and the CD's had been nurned using Apple Lossless.
I ordered my Crimson on the spot.

David
deshapiro

Showing 2 responses by askat1988

askat1988
24 posts
 
Wow, I was considering some Alps gear until I read this thread. ):

Computer and/or network based transports are the future.
askat1988
24 posts
 
Alex,

Have you experimented with the Slim Devices Transporter. This device seems to take out all of the factors of which you complain about PC audio. Linn has even jumped on board with their $20,000 Klimax DS. Both are network servers. So, if you stream wave files over the ethernet cable, no processing. The Transporter with a great DAC should equal or best most stuff on the market. Maybe not your players, who knows, but have you tried a network streaming device. You are right about PC audio. This is probably a dead end, as well as USB DACs, but network streaming seems to combine the best of both worlds. If you added an ethernet port to the NWO, that would be exciting for me.

I have a rubidium clock hooked up to my transporter right now and it sounds pretty good, but the dac is certainly inferior. I would love to hook up my transporter and clock to an Alps DAC. Is it out yet?

Thanks,
andy
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