2. digital
  3. 1264544877

Playback Designs MPS-5 - Measerments v. Sound

For all who are curios to read Michael Fremer`s comment
on one of the most controversial reviews in Stereophile (Feb 2010) concerning PD MPS-5 cd player, in which the ultimate question rises again - Can we actually measure perceived sound ?

"Thanks for writing. I would appreciate it if you'd post my response on Audiogon.

It's interesting that you say "it's time to rethink measurement methods" because John Atkinson just took the player back with him to perform some new ones on that player.

It's important to understand that the designer of that player has been at the forefront of DSD technology almost from its inception. Read the bio notes on the Playback website and/or in my review (which was written of course before I had any idea how the player would measure).

Andreas Koch knows what he is doing! That player's measurements are not the result of a botched effort or because he is unable to design a player that will measure as "perfectly" as is expected in conventional terms. Just as it's fairly easy these days to design a speaker that measures "flat" on-axis. But that is hardly the end all and be all of good speaker design!

Atkinson recently met up with Mr. Koch at an event and they had a long discussion about the measurements and that is why JA is revisiting them. The players measures as it does purposely according to Mr. Koch.

Believe me about one thing: you will not hear "noise" as such from that player!

You also understand that there are anti-SACD advocates out there who claim that SACD is not a high fidelity medium! Those include Dr. Stanley Lipschitz, in who I distrust all the time, but he's got the measurements to "prove" his case.

I can "prove" to you that LP playback measures way worse than CD playback but the listening is what counts to me. We don't measure everything. Our brains are far more sensitive than any measurement yet devised. Yes, we also can be fooled but we are also excellent receptors.

JA admitted to me that he's not quite sure what Mr. Koch was getting at in their discussion but that he's open to learning and understanding. JA understands that Mr. Koch is well aware of what he's doing in that design and perhaps one day we'll all understand what he's doing and why what he's done makes that player sound so good.

I suggest you listen to it. Or measure it. If you measure it you may reject it, but if you listen, you might find it's the player you want to own....

-Michael "
papaya
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Kiwi, at the time I had a modded Pioneer in my system. I'd listened to Emm, dCS and others at shows, but never in my system. I had a PS Audio Lamda and one of their DACs from the early 1990s, but mechanical failure had done them in.

Ric Shultz and I were discussing whether there was anything else that could be done to raise the standard of the Pioneer's RBCD performance, which I was still unhappy with after getting very good SACD and DVD-A performance with his mods. He suggested that I look into the PD. I then read Mike Lavigne's review and spoke with him and ordered the PD somewhat on the basis of his recommendation. Thanks again Mike!

Subsequently I've done direct comparisons in the same system with Emm, Marantz and Esoteric's single-box and mulit-box solutions. I've heard the PD in the same system with Boulder's new box, but not at the same time. I've also heard dCS top single and multi-box systems, but I've not had the PD in the same systems.

So, I made the purchase on the basis of others' reviews, but I've been fortunate enough to validate the performance for myself directly against many fine systems and indirectly against others. I'd recommend it to any friend that's seriously into high rez digital and really high performance RBCD playback.

Dave
yxlei
31 posts
 
How does it compared with Linn Klimax DS player?
hasanlatif
6 posts
 
DCStep:
Where can I read Mike Lavigne's review? I know it is now a bit dated, and there are others obviously including Mike Fremer's but also the two others (David Robinson and David Clark). Nonetheless it would be helpful. Thanks
Hasan
changster
40 posts
 
I just had the pleasure to audition the MPS-5 along with other fine digital sources. It was the EMM Labs XDS1, Linn Akurate DS, and my current Krell Standard MK3. An Ayre C5XE-MP will be coming soon, and hopefuly a dCS Puccini as well. To be honest I don't have that much motivation to test other digital players after hearing the MPS-5.

I don't think I can add much value to the other reviews, but I can say I agree with everything they said. I preferred the presentation of the MPS-5 over all the others. The XDS1 was also very good, but it's so much more expensive, and yet I still preferred the sound of the MPS-5. Fit and finish on the XDS1 might be just a tad nicer, the buttons pressed a bit firmer, the transport seems like it "slid in" with a firmer grip (I heard the XDS1 uses Esoteric's most expensive transport, but I can't confirm that, and I had also heard that it's the same as the PD MPS-5), and it had a repeat button which I find very handy.

But all this is so minor compared with the sound. The MPS-5 was bigger and bolder, the bottom end fuller, the soundtage wider and higher, and the decay of pianos longer and more natural. Those were the most obvious differences. As far as resolution, I didn't have enough time to go through enough music, but any difference are probably minor.

The Linn Akurate had a leaner soundstage versus the MPS-5 and the XDS1, and sometimes at the end of a note could have just the slightest of glare I thought. However, I find the Linn the easiest way to play high rez 176/24bit music. There is just no beating hooking up directly to an ethernet cable and being able to play files off your NAS located somewhere else in the house (my server room where the router/switches are), and controlling it with an iPod touch WITHOUT any computers having to be turned on. A computer (music server, whatever you want to call it) turned on and hooked up to a DAC via AES is not my idea of the future.

An MPS-5 with an ethernet input would be so perfect.

Lastly, my Krell is quite far below any of the above in terms of everything.

Some pictures if there's any interest:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28134735@N07/sets/72157623458136038/
wflm
28 posts
 
Boulder is updating their 1021 CD player to enable ethernet connectivity...apparently in the last stages of Beta testing
More to discover