Meitner DCC2 vs. Analog - Opinions Please

i've owned 4 different levels of analog in the last 8 years, from an early VPI TNT Mk II with Graham 1.5tc arm, to the Basis 2500/Graham 2.2, to the Rockport Sirius II, and now the Sirius III.

for digital there has been the Levinson #36s/37, the Linn CD-12--Marantz SA-1, the Meitner DAC6/SACD 1000, and now the DAC6 with the new CDSD transport.

my opinion is that from the Basis 2500/Graham 2.2 (i used an original Aesthetix Io phono stage) level on up the analog simply gets you closer to the event than any digital. not to say that i don't love digital or that the Meitner is not the best digital i have heard.....but......with better vinyl there is simply sooo much information in those grooves.

at the HRX or SME 20/2 level.....the game is pretty much over.

as your LP collection grows (this is about MUSIC) and you upgrade your vinyl front end.....there will continue to be a bigger and bigger payoff (you can trust me on this----there is a long way to go before you hear everything an lp can tell you). another benefit is that in most cities you could go out and buy 100 lps for $100 and enjoy most of them. the new music possibilities are endless.

i'm no format snob.....i love'm all....music is valid on any level. but Lp's pull you the deepest into the event.

digital on the DAC6/CDSD is wonderful on an informational basis; but the engagement and 'reality' is not in the same realm.

Hello,
I had a modified Sony XA777es and an excellent analoge setup (Nottingham Dais table with Anna arm, Allaert MC1 MKII cart., Audio Note M-8 phono.) I liked the digital system, but the vinyl was much better, that the extra work to play LPs was worth the effort. Last spring I bought the DCC2/CDSD combo. Now I rarely play analog although the vinyl is maybe slightly better ( more air, etc.) However, the digital ( I play mostly CDs) is so outstanding that I do not want to do the work to play vinyl, though I still enjoy and will still keep the analog system. I doubt that I will upgrade the vinyl any further.
With regards to the preamp, I have had a Audio Note M-8 tube preamp and I earlier reported that I prefered the this preamp in my comparison to the DCC2. It was legitimately suggested that I did not give DCC2 enough time to break in. I subsequently ordered a M-10 preamp using the M-8 as a trade-in. While I am waiting for the new preamp ( it has been over 3 months), I am currently using the DCC2 as a preamp. This now broken-in preamp is so enjoyable that I would not be disappointed if I did not receive the new preamp for whatever reason. I have not had the occasion or desire to compare the DCC2 preamp to other preamps, such as the ARC (which I am sure is excellent.)

Good luck

Rlips, did you ever finish listening to your entire music collection?

Onhwy61

Yes!! I did. I also gained 10 lbs doing it, as I would listen every night from about 10pm to 1 am, so I didn't sleep enough and was too tired to excersise. I also found myself snacking a lot.

I have lost all the weight, worrying about what to do next;)

So, this is how I am starting to see it:

1) Digital is a moving target, right now the meinter is amongst the top, but it is not a mature technology.

2) At the level I am considering, most people who have heard seem to favor analog at the highest end.

If I do go analog (I am starting to lean in that direction) I think it makes more sense to try to go at as high a level as I can, rather than going through the constant upgrade process that characterized my current system.

I will still try to hear a direct comparision, and am not ruling out the meitner if I can find it here on A-gon.....

Ron

If any of you meitner guys live in the Chicago area I would love to bring my modded Exemplar, and APL units to your place for a comparison. I have not had the meitner in my system, but have heard it at a store. I felt the Meitner was not as musical as these units, thus did not want to pop for the meitner. I think it would be very interesting and open some eyes, your, or mine. I have converted a couple of friends who where vinyl junkies with the SACD performance of an earlier modded APL, and the redbook of the Exemplar. The latest mods on mine are vastly superior. I would think it would be worth your while to at least hear these units.

Steve