is ayre qb-9 dac better than cx7e mp?

But the QA9 is an ADC. Meant to convert vinyl to digital formats for archiving and playback, like with PureVinyl.

Having lived with the QB-9 for a couple of months now, I still think it has pretty similar SQ on redbook material. However, I have a couple of hi-rez downloads now (most notably, Ani DiFranco's Reprieve) that make my system sound better than it ever has including my very best vinyl examples. The texture and warmth of vinyl is combined with the the completely silent backgrounds of CD. Wow! More of this, please!

I have the latest qb-9 and love it. It is better IMO than the CX7emp and the CX5emp that I owned and easier to manage your collection.

I haven't had much luck with hi-rez downloads, at least from HD Tracks. Most were missing major information and after a dozen emails was urged from support to beware of the flaws associated with "popular hd files."

I was able to get a credit to download some 192k files and find they are not really that good either.

@Bjesien
"I haven't had much luck with hi-rez downloads, at least from HD Tracks."

So, these were missing metadata?

I've read some negative comments about HDTracks but have, so far, been quite happy with my purchases and customer support from HDTracks (about 10 albums). The aforementioned Ani DiFranco is from HDTracks. The best sonics I've heard from any album of any format (hi-ez, CD, vinyl, FM) on my system.

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My QB-9 edged out my C=5xeMP. In my system, in my room. Others may have different views.
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