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
Convinced that we are still not measuring the parameters that are meaningful to determining good sound.

Ever see a 1KHz square wave recorded on analog tape!!! (It's a cockeyed sawtooth at best, but nearly everyone loves analog tape's sonics).

If it sounds good, it is good! Measurements are for us repair guys, they do tell you whether something is functioning, just not whether it sounds great!
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
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