Playback Design MPS5 upgrade to CH precision, any thoughts.

NorthStar said:
Ah, the ultimate question! In %?

* Congrats Nick!
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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...
 
nickif said:
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...
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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!
 
madfloyd said:
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!
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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
 
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.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
madfloyd said:
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.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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+1. Thanks for the feedback, Michael.
 
MDP said:
Michael, I am curious about your other gear,especially speakers.
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Hi Mark,

I'm currently on sole headphone system, as I mentioned in precious post. CH-C1/MPS-5--Audio Research Ref 5se--headphone amp -- Stax SR009 electrostatics headphones. Cables are Kharma ES pc, PAD Canorous pc*2, Stealth Metacarbon XLR IC, Wireworld platinum Eclipse 7 XLR IC, Shunyata Venon PS-8 Power strip + Defender.

I know it's "just" headphones, but the Stax SR009s are probably the most transparent transducers in the world, regardless of price, even regardless of type (speaker/headphone), it's so sensitive to the change of upstream components that I think every ultimate hi-end enthusiast should own one pair besides their hiend speakers. It can really let you know what's happening in the system.

Plan to move onto speaker by the end of this year when my another apartment is ready, will probably open another post here seeking for advice soon.


Michael
 
Another DAC to audition at this level is the VITUS Masterpiece DAC , very natural tone with great fluidity and detail .
 
nickif said:
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
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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....:rolleyes:


Michael, are you considering the A1 amp one day?
 
Allen, I own the A1 and C1/X1 combo from Audioarts and it simply amazes me every time I listen to music. Because CH is so faithful and pure sounding, you may be fooled into thinking that something is missing, but over time you start to realize how uncluttered and focused it is. I've never heard this quality from any digital before. Did you listen with the X1? It makes a tremendous difference as well with much more impact and weight. My preference with the A1 is feedback at 20% and 1.0 gain increase.
 
Indeed. The sound doesn't bowl you over but at the same time it's quite engaging.

Interesting you like it at 20% feedback/1.0 gain. Gideon had those settings and I swear I thought I was listening to a totally different amp, much more in line to the type of sound I like. Reading TAS they mentioned that 40% was a common feedback setting.

I'm still not 100% sure if the CH gear is for me. I would have to hear it in my system first. But it is definitely very interesting technology.

What speakers are the C1/A1 driving for you?
 
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 excited to receive it yesterday and will be shifting things around in order to install it this weekend. I've opted for the ethernet board, usb board and will use nagra cdp as transport. I have heard the CH player and power unit and they are outstanding, but at this point, budget does not allow it.
Special shout out to the superb customer service from Gideon at Audio Arts in NYC. He provided excellent advice, no BS sales pressure, and info on a variety of options that made the choice of the C1 straightforward for me. Will chime in soon about my impressions of the C1 in my system after my ears taste the music :)
 
tunes, big congrats!! Gideon is a great guy. Like you said, no pressure, and he totally understands there's no right or wrong, just matters of taste.

May I ask what other gear you have in your system?

I mentioned to Gideon that I had Alexias. He said that Fidelis AV likes to show their Alexias with CH gear whenever possible. :exciting:
 
socfan12 said:
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....:rolleyes:


Michael, are you considering the A1 amp one day?
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Hi Allen,

thanks for sharing. Yes, I forgot to mention the mighty soundstage, definitely one of the most impressive I've heard. As to the A1, yes will be getting one for sure. Read good comments in several reviews about them pairing up with each other, all saying there's some serious synergy when the C1 and A1 sing together. Elegy feels the same, so guess I'll have to get one of these. Which niggling me now is the D1, it looks great with the C1, but kinda stupid to spend that kind of money on something to be obsolete... And in terms of SQ, the D1 might be just as good as the Ethernet which is 1/10 of the cost.


Michael
 
tunes said:
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 :)
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Big congrats tunes and welcome to CH family! Please do report the difference between the Ethernet and the nagra transport, looking for a transport here too, hopefully not the D1...
 
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