Is this the END of DAYS for the high end CD player

The end is near. That is why I stopped modding CD transports in 2009. That is why I removed my CD/DVD transport from my rack. Computer audio is finally approaching the best vinyl SQ, and not just hi-res either.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Chadeffect:

Wayneker2176 answered your question much better than I could. I am gradually dipping my toes into computer audio, but am in no hurry. I figure time is on my side here, as there appear to be new digital software and connection breakthroughs fairly often. As the technology matures and standardizes, I may become more interested. For now, guess I'll just have to "make do".

FWIW - my re-worked Esoteric now has 20 2nd generation 32bit AKM DACs/side, fully differential, transformer coupled tube Class A output stage featuring the vintage E182CC tubes and Lundahl audio transformers. It also accepts up to 192KHz/24bit from external digital sources. The interface is Coaxial. I'm pretty happy, "making do". :-)

Hi Wayneker2176,Fplanner2010,

I find it hard to believe you are finding better texture, spacial info and especially dynamics from a CD in real time than by a well set up computer server. But I am sure you hear what you hear.

I have had 2 generations of DCS stacks. Elgar plus up to the Scarlatti stack. Even though with my Scarlatti rig I used the older transport. The addition of the computer was awesome. I dont miss CDs/transport at all.

What is always difficult in these audiophile conversations is to know what people perceive as better. Also maybe any happy coincidence of euphonic attributes in the system can alter an opinion of what is better.

From my perspective after many years of highend CD playback, I found direct from memory via firewire with Amarra from a mac into my DAC to perform beyond anything I have had before. All the qualities you mention are there. Amazing clarity, dynamics,purity, and all the texture that is in the recording is there.(Some recordings I have are direct from the studio. I was in the session. All exported in the digital domain from the DAW. Bounced to stereo Aiffs or WAVS files at the native sample rate)

This talk of CD drives in computers is nonsense. If they could not transfer the data properly none of our computers would work. Obviously all data imported to my HD via CD is in Read until write mode with various software non compressed. Nothing added or taken away. All cables and power supplies are as good as they can reasonably be.

Fplanner2010 you mention the use of coaxial (I assume the jittery s/pdif) which is a consumer digital in/out. Isnt that 75ohm system only capable of 24/96k in stereo if that? I am a bit confused as you mention 24/192. Sorry it has been a while and I have only really used AES/EBU 110 ohm digital ins/outs in the past.

Wayneker, the bits coming off the CD are the same. Some ripping software, like XLD, allows you to compare a checksum of your rip to a database. Thousands of ripped CDs are checked this way, and the resulting files are bit-for-bit identical (or the program grumbles).

You don't say how you linked your 069 to the computer. There are a lot of ways for the signal to go wrong between the computer's hard drive and the DAC. The biggest culprit is probably jitter, followed by the playback software. How did you go from computer to DAC?

I have linked the computer to DAC by using toslink and coaxial. I have even used my computer as the cd transport to play CDs rather than files linking to a DAC. none of these method sounds as good as burmester 069.

I think most people forgot how important a clean power source is for music. Burmester 069 has 2 boxes and one of the boxes houses 069's power supply. It has all the trickeries to clean, stabilize, de-noise the electricity coming from the wall. (look up burmester 948 and 038) You should be able to find pictures of 069's internal.... It's no wonder that it's one of the best hi end cd player, it's no wonder it sounds better than a computer.