Wadia 381 vs. dcs Puccini vs. EmmLabs CDSA SE

I think we all agree that vinyl sounds better than digital today. But, in the future IF digital sounds as good as analog, then this debate will be resurrected..... Amen.

I used to have the EMM Labs CDSA SE until I upgraded to the Puccini with U-clock. I have not heard the Wadia, so I cannot pass judgment. Comparing the Puccini with U-clock combo(all further comments refer to this combo and not just the Puccini alone, feeding Bryston 28B SST monoblocks directly via its digital pre-amp) vs. the EMM player is like removing a wall, not just a veil, between you and the music.
The first things I notice about the Puccini is the enhanced clarity, truth of timbre, transparency and resolution compared to the EMM. The next amazing thing is the way the Puccini develops air and space around instruments to give a wide, deep and layered soundstage that is not artificially stretched but rather true to the actual positioning of the instruments. For example, the highs and lows of a piano does not stretch all the way from left to right but are imaged solidly where the piano is positioned in the stage, whether the piano is dead centre, left or right of centre, upfront or further back in the stage. The EMM is the anti-thesis of all that has just been described for the Puccini.

It would be a big step up when going from the AA to the EMM. I felt the same way when I went from an MBL player to the EMM. But going from the EMM to the Puccini is truly a very very much bigger step up. Try to get a home demo of the Puccini/U-clock to compare with the EMM. The difference will amaze you and put a smile on your face or a twinkle in your ears. Enjoy!

I agree wholeheartedly. The next 5 years will bring about a sea change in the way music is played at home. High-end music servers that play music from solid state memory, a bit like the Memory Player from Nova Physics but even better. Music would be sold in memory cards like SD, not as physical spinning discs. No more transport problems or disadvantages of hard drives with their moving parts, error correction, reliability, noise and so on. Hmm...that would be just the time to retire the Puccini.

Definitely better! High-rez music either downloaded from the net or sold as memory cards would seem to be the best way to enjoy music in the future. The vinyl guys may continue with their hobby not just for nostalgia or sound quality but as a hobby for hobby's sake - placing an LP on the table, tweaking with the VTA, static-gunning their collection, and so on and so forth....

Mike,

I used to but gave it up because of the hassle. When I come back from work to unwind, I just want to settle down and listen, not fiddle with a lot of stuff before things sound right. I know good analog when I hear it but I just can't take the occasional pops and clicks in the middle of an emotional piece of music. It just breaks things up for me. I guess to each his own.

Mike,
Please lighten up. Audio is a hobby and as all hobbies go, to each his own. I wasn't criticising vinyl per se. Maybe pubul said it better - if analog and digital were comparable, would anyone choose analog? And I was talking about the future, not today. So, one day in the future, IF digital sounds as good as analog, most vinyl guys would switch unless they are into the rituals of playing LPs as a hobby in itself. And talking about PCM, that's today. Who knows what the future might bring in terms of mastering media? So, let us please make peace and go about our own hobby as we so desire. Thanks in advance.

Sure thing, Mike. Cheers!

Keisserg,
Good point. The Puccini can remain as the DAC for a new solid state memory "transport". But as DAC's go, by that time dCS would have improved its upsampling algorithm to maybe 5x DSD or 44.1kHz x umpteenth power. This hobby is going to be a whole lot more exciting! Can't wait but until then the Puccini stays. Cheers!