About the EMM Labs DAC

Thanks Bhouser, for your thoughtful reply. I agree about the software currently being issued. Much of it is unmusical, harsh, and sometimes unlistenable. This includes SACD, DVD-A etc. Where is the incredible sound Bob Harley promised us after listening to the special Sony demos that supposedly were able to duplicate a "live microphone feed" with DSD technology? Real life SACD's seldom even approach the euphoric perfection Harley claimed he heard. Of course, many current SACDs are converted to DSD from PCM sources, even those from such respected classical labels as Chandos. How can the the Meitner gear cure what is already messed-up in the mastering. If it can, then it is truly a miracle!

Do a Google search on Ed Meitner. He has been "THE MAN" when it comes to digital for quite some time. He was making his DACS for the professional market and record companies were using them to make
SACD's. His DAC is so good, as is his Switchman pre-amp, that high end consumers demanded them. So, Meitner, who was used to creating them on a limited basis for record companies, had to tool up in order to manufacture these units for high end audio consumers. One of the ways he has been able to meet the demand quicker rather than later has been
to modify the Phillips transport so it can work with his DAC. People who
have heard the combination have raved and production runs have sold out quickly. So, for people who have heard the EMM LABS gear and people who have purchased it, the Phillips transport has been a moot issue. These are people who wanted the Meitner player who didn't feel the need to wait until Meitner could design and manifacture his own transport. I would also guess that Meitner's customers, like myself, were
comparing the Meitner to other top of the line digital players like DCS,
Burmeister, Linn. Believe it or not, Meitner's Emm Labs gear is not only
the best out there -- but his gear is also reasonably priced IN COMPARISON WITH OTHERS AT THAT LEVEL. So, if you want that level of
playback and you're shopping at that level, you buy the Emm Labs DAC and Phillips Transport because it is that good -- you want the best playback that is availabe -- AND because it is fairly priced in comparison to other top of the line digital players AND because it sounds so good, you don't want to wait until Meitner can design and manufacture his own transport -- you hear it and you say, "I don't care what it is called -- I want that!" And you can't wait to get this puppy into your system -- you want it YESTERDAY!

To buy EMM Labs gear, contact Jonathan Tinn at Chambers Audio -- (503) 221-0465

Let's be fair. The EMM labs is superb, but it can't make a badly mastered CD or SACD sound good. No player can or ever will. What the EMM does is take good to excellent CDS and SACDs and make them sound tremendous.

There is no question that Meitner is at the top of this game. The problem is, the game itself sucks. Even if I could justify the cost of his products and buy them today, I still can't play DVD-Audio or DVD-Video discs without buying some other player. And of course, Ed would say "why would you want to???". Well, I DO.

Simple fact is, until the format wars are resolved or yet another format completely takes over, there will NOT be enough quality MAINSTREAM music available on ONE hi-res format to finally finish-off CD's as the primary (yet inferior) audio media. And why should it when the general public has no clue that we are all being cheated of good sound quality by a recording industry that does not care?