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
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