NorthStar
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So how much better sounding is it than your Playback Designs?
Ah, the ultimate question! In %?
* Congrats Nick!
So how much better sounding is it than your Playback Designs?
Congrats on a beautiful piece of gear !!
Ah, the ultimate question! In %?
* Congrats Nick!
Thanks! Having listened to the C1 in streaming mode for couple of days, have compared it with the MPS5, same recording, redbook through MPS5 vs ripped file(using itune), well all I can say is, there is no comparison...
Thanks for the update. If you feel up to it, I would love to hear some more details on how the CH is better. As an owner of the Playback Designs, I would love to know what I could expect if I upgraded.
Thanks!
Michael, I am curious about your other gear,especially speakers.
Thanks, Michael, that was very helpful. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to audition it.
In any case, congrats to you, I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it.
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Michael, I am curious about your other gear,especially speakers.
Hi Madfloyd,
Sure, as a MPS-5 owner, I've always been satisfied with its performance and being cautious when thinking about upgrade. The MPS-5 is a competent player/dac by any means, and the sound is elegant, lush, warm...basically no complaint. BUT, I always felt something is missing although I couldn't figure out what exactly it was, until I heard the CH.
What is missing from the MPS-5 is "liveliness", everything sounds smooth and comfy out of it, it is like a middle-age well mannered gentleman, handles everything correctly and you can always rely on him. However, don't you think he's boring sometimes? well, here comes your white knight ladies.
The CH is superior mainly in below areas:
- Speed, CH is so fast even took me sometime to getting used to, but when you get used to that, you'll find it's such a great attribute which contributes greatly to a life-like sound.
- Density, CH sounds denser while offering a better transparency, this is an awesome combination
- Dynamic, CH is superb in both macro and micro dynamics
All of these attributes make the CH the most natural sounding DAC I've heard, period.
One Caveat though, the CH might be a touch brighter than neutral. Do not interpret that as sterile sounding though, because it isn't, just different presentation. I'm totally fine with that but worth mentioning for those who like a darker, mellow, lush presentation.
Hope it helps.
Michael
Michael,
Based on the feedback on this thread and most of all, your description above, I went to Audio Arts on Tuesday and auditioned the C1/A1/Zellaton combo.
I have to agree with you on many of the points above, in particular speed, transparency, and life like in presentation. I too felt the C1 was on the white side of neutral, but I also attributed that to the Zellaton speakers (they being new to me). I also felt the soundstage of the system was amazing: large, stable and 3 dimensional.
What was really interesting was the A1 amp. Feedback and gain are adjustable by the user, you can easily change the voicing of the amp as the mood or music exists. Want more dynamics in your music: turn up the gain. Want a fuller bodied presentation for sumptuous vocals: increase the feedback. For those who like to roll tubes or ever imagined having different voiced amps for different music, this is the one amp that can do it! Very interesting technology!:exciting:
Back to the C1. I can't say I was bowled over by the Dac/Pre, but at the same time, I kept thinking about how smooth and natural it sounded when I got home. Hmmm....
Michael, are you considering the A1 amp one day?
Been remembering the CH system from Denver last Oct at RMAF and finally got things together on the DAC side to take the plunge for the C1.
Really ex... Will chime in soon about my impressions of the C1 in my system after my ears taste the music![]()