EMM Labs DAC6 vs. latest version dCS

tbg now mumbles a lot and, having lost thousands on his audio purchases and subsequent sales, now roams the streets asking strangers for just enough money to buy a Walkman.

Yet another helpful post from Hc@holcorcorp.com(and the various alias' he uses) thanks for your contribution, this forum is a better place because of you- that's sarcasm in case any of you missed it(I don't want there to be any confusion).

Audio is not as expensive as racing catamarans or racing cars. I would, however, hate to see how much I have lost in audio. Oh, well you only go around once.

Yada, I am using the Exemplar/Denon 2900, but my LPs are outstanding.

The problem with the EMM labs comparison to the DCS business is that people are running the DCS through a pre-amp just like the EMM labs has to be. That''s missing the whole point, or at least half the point with DCS...
read their website. They go through the trouble of using a digital volume control (much better imaging etc. and use a 6 volt current based output all so you can skip the pre-amp. Take that signal and run it through another gain circuit and volume control and you have a veiled sound. Listen to the EMM labs through a pre-amp and you have one volume control. Listen to the DCS through a pre-amp and you are hearing two output stages and two volume controls.That is a mess. Compare apples and apples and you will be surprised. The DCS was originally built for the professional market. Check it out. No pre-amp...that's 3 or 4 or 5 grand in your pocket that you could spend on a good transport instead of the Phillips mass market one EMM labs sells. Which by the way isn't modified in any way except the connection. Good luck

SM2727 has a pt but then what we shld be comparing is the new EMM Labs transport + DACC2 which also has its own pre-map functionality built in vs the dCS gear direct to a power amp, I guess: comparing pricing, dCS under this scenario is far more expensive and both dispense with the need to purchase a separate pre-amp.

The dcs stuff on the new market is nuts I agree. I'm talking used here. I'm selling my dcs set up for 5500 now pre-amp. Figure out what the EMM or Zanden stuff costs right now. A self serving comment because I am selling some, but, I usually think in terms of used equipment as regards value...

I used the dCS Elgar by itself driving my amps as compared with the H-Cat line stage. The Elgar digital volume control sounds awful, especially unless as wide open as possible. As I have used other digital volume controls with similar results, I have concluded that I do not like them.

I use a Meitnerized Philips SACD 1000 with the DCC2.

My contribution to this very informative thread is the importance of the power chords as mentioned by saxman2 5/5/04.

I use a Shunyata Hydra supplied by an Anaconda alpha and then supply the DCC2 with a Python VX...I compared the free Kimber chord supplied with the DCC2 to both a stock cord and the Python Vx and found the Kimber significantly better than the stock chord but the Python Vx elevated the DCC2 to a whole other level.

At $1k retail for the Python VX you get pretty much 90% of the performance of the twice more costly Anaconda Vx.

Regarding the main purpose of the thread ie DCS vs EMMLABS, I consider the EMMLABS a clear winner on performance & price.

EMMLABS DCC2 is fabulous package & concept and I am sure will send many other overpriced suppliers back to the drawing boards.

i agree with tbg's comment that the dcs gear sounds better with a preamp rather than going direct into the amp. i think i lose some detail and transparency with a preamp in the chain, but the dcs already offers so much that to my ears it's worth the trade off for the benefits of a preamp. i haven't heard the meinter gear.

Regarding volume control in Digital Vs the Analog domain, I recently heard the $25k Krell CD/PRE which both digitizes all auxiliary inputs and performs volume control in the digital domain...It sounded very poor on both CD and as a Pre-amp.

A well implemented analog domain volume control will easily out perform digital domain...in fact I have not heard a good one yet...they may need to go to higher resolution 32 bits plus even to rival Analog.

We compared two well implemented analog domain volume controlled units to the Krell....The inexpensive OPUS 21 at $3.5k and the Meitner DCC2 at $10k. Both easily surpassed the $25k krell on CD replay. Considering the cost of the Krell and the high regard it is held in, it came as quite a surprise.

Given that most line level pre-amps dont actually amplify anymore..ie they are attenuaters and typically operate in the -20 db range, the dacs / attenuator chips I beleive need to be 32 bits wide or more !!