Best Digital Source That Money Can Buy?

That's exciting Bar81! How many hours of break in will the Spectral require before it stabilizes?

I can't wait to see if you're right; I have the Spectral coming in next week :)

Spectral SDR 4000 Reference. Hands down.

Mike and Cappuccio, reviewer for the 069 is reviewed by Anthony Cordesman. I read the review and although it started AC saying it as the 'outstanding peformance in every respect' later he started pouring caveat after caveats(some valid). Judging from sound quality description, it sounds like it performs more towards musical flavour.(a good thing)

For me though, the best is still the Zanden digital combo.

Cappuccio, congrats on the Burmester 069, i read Valin's review in Absolute Sound.....very nice.

i will look forward to getting a chance to hear the 069 for myself.....hopefully at RMAF or CES.

you can purchase a pretty good tt for $65k.

sorry....i could not resist. ;)

Guido, sorry for the lateness of my response, i had earlier missed your question.

yes; my MPS-5 has completed break-in.....about 2 to 3 weeks ago. i got it in early June, played it continually for 100 hours and it was very good. then over a 4 week time-frame i played it continually when i was at home so another 200-300 hours. since mid July i have not noticed any further change/improvement.

so 400-500 hours total......after about 150 hours you are 95% there.

i will be watching for the results of the mid-September digital comparison in Austin.

I have a Burmester 069. I also have an Accuphase DP-700, but this is used for SACD only because the Burmester player is so much better for redbook. It is of course very expensive ($50k), but then without doubt the best redbook playback I have ever heard. It is very musical, resolved and has a three dimensionality and completely black background that I haven't experienced from any other player. I rank this player far above those rigs that are listed in this thread so far.

I'd add Accuphase DP700 or the 800/801 combo from accuphase in that list

Hi Mike, has your MPS-5 completed break-in? How many hours of playing time did it take to stabilize 100%? Thanks, Guido

I second what Mike said above, especially about the upper mid glare that is missing from the MPS5. It works nicely with a Wolff Bohica 2 power cable and Stealth Indra ICs.

Mike,

I just got mine and the new version also makes a mean slice of toast....

Just kidding!!!

Folks its really amazing....if you are in los angeles and you wanna audition email me

Michael

Why don't you instead list the other digital sources you've had in your system.

first; i must re-form the question to be; "your preferred digital source regardless of price".

the word 'best' infers both that you've heard them all in a very familiar system and taken the time to compare them 'all' directly to one another. neither of which are very realistic for digital players. 'best' also infers some universal standard which does not exist.

all that said; my preferred digital source is the Playback Designs MPS-5. it is a one-box CD/SACD player which also can be used as a stand-alone DAC for a server based system.

i not only prefer the MPS-5 to any other consumer digital source i have heard; but also to a few hirez (up to 386/32) pro audio mastering sources that have recently been in my system. the best thing i can say about the MPS-5 is that it has taken digital a large step toward the performance of my Rockport Sirius III turntable; closer by a good margin than any other digital i have heard. these comments refer to both CD and SACD performance.

the MPS-5 has a vanishingly low noise floor, amazing level of detail, excellent micro and macro dynamics, is tonally rich yet naturally neutral, and is very non-digital sounding. it has no color of it's own and i particularly like that it does not have that occasional upper mids glare that so many other digital players have. it soundstages more like analog than other digital in terms of rendering ambient information and filling a room with energy.....it's not flat sounding.

it sounds like music.

it's also set up to be used as a DAC for a PC server based source.....and it's DAC is programmable.....the MPS-5 does not use any off-the-shelf DAC.....it is unique to the MPS-5. it also uses one of the Esoteric transport drives. i've had mine for almost 2 months now and have yet to find something i don't like about it.

my opinion based on my experience with other digital i have heard is that the MPS-5 might be on another level compared to anything out there. but as i said; i have not had everything in my system to compare.

ranking other digital sources is as problematic as choosing a 'best'. i'll leave a ranking to others.