RMAF 2008 - Your impressions,...

Glory

Regarding Vinyl in our room. On Thursday, set up day, Kara Chaffee, of deHavilland fame, and I were really sweating. Trying to get the room to sound terrific. I brought three sets of speakers with the intention that we would play all three. We had two pair of amplifiers, the GM-70's and the new 50A's, and planned to play both. Vinyl would have pushed me over the top.. which wouldn't be that hard to do.

Kara in who's ears I trust, was joking about the look of the Playback Design, and not saying much about the sound. On Sunday however she was telling most listeners what a big part of the sound that player was and hoping to have one to take to the CES Show. She is not easy to win over, nor should anyone else be.

Understand that she did not immediately jump to that conclusion. Her electronics are nothing if not musical and the MPS-5 added to that.

I am running on here but in a nut shell I didn't want to ruin my David Bowie and Bob Dylan records.

'Digital can make any system sound like Sh-t. =8^)'

I disagree. There is at least one system I know that is an exception rather than a rule. Sadly not my own.

'The Playback CDP was the only one that sounded good at RMAF IMHO'.

Are you saying only 1 cd player sounded any good at the show? If so, are you 100% sure that none of the 'loudspeakers' were not to blame at all, maybe.?

I think I heard Apogees at last years show, very nice indeed.

Bless,

What system are you talking about "that is an exception"?

The Playback CDP just sounded different than the other players and that for the better.

If one is bringing in a new line of speakers, such as the EP CS1,then why would one run digital on them? The CS1 is ugly but it was one of the better sounding speakers in the show. It would have been nice to hear them with a TT set up. For the money and being SS, I must admit, it was a great sound for sure.

It was very enjoyable to go into rooms with a TT setup and get to hear the different TT, carts and arms being used. Heavenly sounds that made the show worth going to.

I have heard one of the UK's most respected hi-fi reviewers personal system on more than one occasion and I must say it brought tears to a glass eye. I am now of the opinion after hearing his system that if any cd sounds bad then its not the cd but the ancillary equipment namely the speakers. The system sounded very uncanny and way way out of the norm.

Gawdbless, I have to disagree with you, in general. Most CDPs do sound pretty horrid through even the very best ancillary equipment, IME.

I own a Playback Designs, but unlike Glory I think that there are other contenders, such as Emm, dCS and Esoteric that are excellent in many respects. So far, the PD is my favorite, but I could "live" with some of the others.

Lot's of people do put systems together to cover up the weakness of digital, IMHO. They try to roll off highs and homoginize the mids, but I prefer systems that transparency and accurate highs. Unfortunately, only the best CDP will sound good in such systems, IME.

Dave