Are You Happy?

Don't get me wrong folks, i definitely DO think that digital red book CAN sound pretty darn good. Whether or not MOST digital based systems sound that way is another matter. I wouldn't have known the difference if i hadn't experienced the difference.

I do agree that tubes and / or upsampling can make a WORLD of difference compared to the standard "sterile" sounding digital reproduction that we have all experienced.

Personally, i gained a LOT of insight as to what a "musical" digital system could do when i went to a tube based DAC. I then learned that a system could be both musical AND detailed when i switched over to an upsampling SS DAC. It gave me what i consider to be the best of both worlds. G & W will be releasing an upsampling tube based DAC shortly, so that may be something that is REALLY worth checking out. Sean
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Sean is right, I think. Though I also find about 80% of my CD collection "unlistenable", "dry", "lifeless" or "dead", especially big orchestral music, upsampling has helped considerably and has brought some of that elusive quality called musicality back into my tinned music. Cheers,

Maybe it's musical genres that make the difference too - I went to see Tool in concert a couple months ago and it was awesome. I play Tool on my home system (their CDs are exceptionally well recorded) and it raises (almost) the same level of goosebump (nothing's like the wall of sound when you're actually there). I'm sure many wouldn't consider Tool "musical" at all, but call it what you like, played over my system from a CD source, I love it.

I listen to plenty of other styles as well, though little to no classical. I find Tori Amos, Patricia Barber, Mighty Sam McClain, Luther Allison all to be very compelling played from CD. Possibly I'm just not as particular as some, which I'm saying neither as a compliment or a put-down to either point of view.

I know my daughter (16) listens to everything from hard rock to classical on her $100 boom box system and is an avid (and budding) cellist. She has more music appreciation in her than I will ever have, so there must be something in the music itself that represents "soul" regardless of format or source. -Kirk

I think onhwy61 question has been answered-some people have descended or ascended onto searching out a level of perfection that may make the likes of me wonder if they haven't totally lost perspective or maybe even more importantly any kind of enjoyment out of their hobby.
Some of the replies above and the equally bewildering thread on Did CD Kill Audio shows a rather eltist element amongst "Audiophiles"-Garfish summed up my feelings totally on the other thread on what frankly is a banal and pointless excercise which could be compared to a lot of people in the same room talking at the same time about different things.
Personally yes I'm happy with my system but sure I'd like to win the lottery so I could get nearer the "ultimate" and buy a good analogue rig to go with my digital system,in the meantime I'll go on pursuing this hobby and enjoying myself without wondering what all those trees are doing in the forest.
As for some others,they might be happy but they sure don't sound it.

About 90% of my CD's sound pretty good on the system i've put togeather and the bad ones stay because the music outweighs the flaws in production. That said there is always a special magic when i put on vinyl and i have a really crappy analog set-up at the moment relative to my CD player. I guess that means i'm happy but wishing i had the cash to upgrade the analog side....then i'd have to find room for more records and the wife would be the unhappy one.... which has a trickle down effect.....yes i'm happy