Turntable or go into SACD, Simon Yorke vs EMM Lab

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Ceol - Thanks again for another mature, patient and informative perspective.
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At this point, my Analogue side yields far better musicality, sound staging and sonics than my Red Book side (fully upgraded Electrocompaniet with a Spider Clamp) which I felt until I set up my TT rig was spectacular. Thanks also for sharing your experience and perspective with regard to the Meitner products. Please continue to share your insights in spite of any rebuffs that you might encounter. Your posts have really opened up some real positive possibilities for improving my system and my enjoyment of music.
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I feel like the EMC is a significant step or steps up from anything else I have tried (at more $$), but I keep hearing wonderful things about Ed Meitner’s products. Ironically, last weekend, after your first post, I was at a good friend’s house and was amazed at what his Meitner DAC and Transport did for some Red Book CD’s. I don’t think I would have been as attentive or open-minded were it not for reading your post prior to the visit. The detail, sound staging, warmth and ability to re-produce an experience in close proximity to live performances in a living room was quite overwhelming and surprising.
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I have quite an extensive Red Book library in addition to a more extensive LP collection and my new sense is that I should look long and hard at the EMM products. What would you think of pairing a Meitner DAC and the EMC as a transport ? Would the Meitner transport be a significant upgrade over the EMC ?
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Rbm321 - I would say that up until last weekend, I would not have thought that a CD could provide the closeness to the emotion of the music that I get from Vinyl plus the detail, sense of venue, warmth and sound staging. I feel that my TT rig really approaches as close to as good as it can get - (Teres 340-2 TT, Graham 2.2 & Basis Vector tonearms, Koetsu Rosewood Platinum & Shelter 901 cartridges and a Supratek Cortese Pre_ - Yes, my TT rig can always get better and there is plenty more to learn, but after listening to the Meitner set up last weekend, I am going to seriously explore the possibility of adding a Meitner DAC to my system. At this point I and anticipating that I might end up having two great options comprised of all the beauty of Analogue / Vinyl and an amazing improvement in my Red Book Collection.
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I did not think it possible prior to hearing the Meitner set up to get so much of what LP’s can offer. I would suggest that you, if you haven’t, get your ears around a Meitner set up somewhere and enjoy one of life’s pleasant surprises. I also suggest that you will miss quite a bit in life if you choose to continue to not to be a bit more objective and open minded to new ideas/experiences (not only in audio) as you bump into them. On the other hand, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to express your experience and opinions (Thanks). If it weren’t for the passion that people like you have expressed towards Analogue, I would not have built a TT rig and missed out on a lot of great music/recordings and been limited by what is available on CD.
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Ceol –
Thanks for taking the time in sharing your experiences. Please keep writing and sharing. Please feel free to contact me directly.
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Dear friends: Yes, the Meitner rig is an exellent product that " totally revitalized de CD option ", period.
But there is no way that these exellent product can beat a good analog system: the problem with the CD reproduction is their limited frecuency response, specially at high frecuencies: no CD player including the Meitner can beat the analog specifically in this frecuency range. If you have a top analog system you can find that it beats easily to the Meitner: this one can't have the openess that have the LP reproduction and the development of the harmonics in the high frecuency range that has the analog system tha's aproach the real music. It is true, through the Meitner the " digital sound " ( that many people like us can identify and that does not like because we know is digital and sound like a false music ) almost dissapear and this is a big step in the right direction.
The problem with " Meitner rig smoked the vinyl rig " that Fbhifi share with us is that his analog rig it is not at the same level than the Meitner: 1. the Manley Steelhead it is not a top phono stage ( it is only a good one ) it function through a internal step-up transformer ( to bad for the analog reproduction. If any of you needs more info please read my answers in this forum ). 2- the Graham tonearm it is not, too, a top contender. This is why the Meitner Smoke........etc.
Now, the SACD and DVD-A really solve the limitations on the CD reproduction, and both formats are a very hard competition with the analog rig, unfortunatelly any of these formats really exist in the market. I agree, that the target on the companies of digital gear is not the sound quality but only convenience and I agree, too, that unfortunatelly we audiophiles/music lovers does not count in the decisions of the comercial bussines.
But something is true: today we have more better options in analog rig: phono cartridges, tonearms, TT, etc... and is in these market where we count. So, we have to let know to the analog product companies that we need that they improve the sound quality reproduction of their products. Some of them are already doing this but not all of them. We can have what we deserve: if we accept that Mr. Manley give to the analog people step-up transformer in their products and Mr. Graham do a bad copy of a Japanese tonearm and don't say nothing about then we are not only against the music reproduction but against the live of the analog time and against our self.
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.

Hi Fbhifi: Your Graham tonearm does not do a good mate with the Dynavector cartridge ( this is a top performer item ) and the " marriage " of this combo ( tonearm/cartridge ) is a critical issue in the music reproduction, the Dynavector likes a high effective mass tonearm. The other critical ( there are many more ) issue is the load impedance for the cartridge.
One of the problems with the analog combo: TT,Phono stage, Tonearm and cartridge, is to know how to do the best set-up, there are many critical issues here: VTA, SRA, VTF, antiskating, azymuth, headshell wires, load impedance, a good mate between tonearm/cartridge, no stepup transformers, etc,..., but if you have and do everything in the right way then there are no single CD player ( including the Meitner ) that can beat the LP reproduction, at least for now. SACD and DVD-A are very competitive with the LP but till now those formats don't ( really ) exist.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

I'm sorry,i just do not believe that Meitner "SMOKED" your $30k vinyl rig !!

I heard Meitner 3 times (at shows only though) in 3 different rooms and systems, it's just not even close to good Analog set-up sound.

Well put Raul,

If Meitner products are as good as mentioned then why are we having a format war, and why are people still purchasing TTs. If the Meitner can make CD sound better (or extremely close) to any other format available, then all the problems are solved. SACD is a moot point. No more format war. Analog has finally been surpased, and is a dead product finally after over 100 years. Thanks to Meitner products.

I don't buy it, but if they came up with a way to soften the digital edge then that's great. And I am looking forward to more improvements to redbook since that is the last hope before mp3s become standard.

If you don't think Mp3 s and other digital none disk formats are the future than you are in a fantasy world. Just look at the trends. CD sales as opposed to I Pod sales CD going down -- I pod and other players are selling like mad. What non audiophile is going to say "gee, I guess I'll trade this little thing that holds 1000+ songs that I can swap on the internet for free or get for a buck a song for a bulky CD player at $15 each to hear 2 songs on a CD I like?

Rob