I actually had the opportunity to listen to the Musical Fidelity Nu Vista cd w/the intergrated MF,(sorry can't recall the model #,along with the AR CD3 W/LS16 ARC PRE&100.2 ARC AMP.Both systems were running w/ the Vandersteen 3a Sig's and Volcano AQ speaker cable.First off my initial impresssion was that the MF system was really warm and a bit too bloomy in the bass.In fact it was so bloomy I felt as if I were in a fog .Details in the mid's and highs were really masked ,needless to say I didn't care for the sound.When the dealer switched over to the ARC setup the detail became more pronounced and the bass had much more dynamics and overall punch.To my ears it sounded much better and less fatiguing .Now given the right equipment I'm sure you could get a better result w/the MF setup,I think w/ARC, Vandersteen and AQ wiring the syngery is really strong,hence the better presentationIMHO.
Upsampling the way to go? ?
As if we didn't have enough to decide with the format wars, the latest issue of Stereophile implies upsampling is the magic to make cds as good as sacd. ARC however, disagrees. Has anyone actually listened to the ARC CD3 vs the MF NU Vista 3D,Cary, EMC 1,or other comparably priced players with upsampling?