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PC-Audio vs. High-end CD Player-GAME OVER

Hi All,
I just auditioned the Wavelength Audio Cosecant DAC on a very nice system at the local dealer. It was run through a Hovland 200 preamp , a Plinius amp and Avalon Eidolon Diamond speakers. This is all in a very well treated, good-sounding room.
It was, in a word spectacular. Beautiful tone, excellent bass, imaging soundstaging, etc. What was really amazing was a sense of space, or ambience that was imparted. We then compared the same CD's (Diana Krall, Jennifer warnes, some jazz), on a Levinson CDP. I'm not saying that the levinson is the last word in players, but it was what he had on the shelf.While it sounded good, it was much more bright, and "constricted".
Control was through an Imac using I-tunes, and the CD's had been nurned using Apple Lossless.
I ordered my Crimson on the spot.

David
deshapiro
arbuckle
89 posts
 
Hi there, can you clarify some things as I am confused about your post. 1) What is a Crimson? 2) Am I reading this right to say you compared an Ipod into a Wavelenght DAC vs. an Ipod burned on a CD listening through a Levinson CDP? Would it make more sense to compare a stock (not burned, and not burned from an Ipod) redbook CD on a Levinson CDP to the full Ipod/DAC setup? Thanks
bearotti
164 posts
 
I have slowly been tring to get a computer based system up and running...the process has been adding one piece at a time. I have been ripping my CD's in lossless for some time now, and I recently added an external network hard drive...250GB...and now I am looking either at a good usb device that will change into a digital signal, or a good USB dac. I have also added a computer to my system, but the fan noise from that PC is just a little too loud for critical listening...although it has optical digital out...well I guess sometime I will get it right.
leica_man
153 posts
 
David,
How did you connect the Wavelength Audio Cosecant DAC to the iMac? Do the new iMac's have digital out? If so how is this done- Toslink, BNC or RCA (doubt it). Anyway a very interesting thread.

LM
deshapiro OP
177 posts
 
Hi All,
Just to clarify. Wavelength Audio makes several different USB DACs, designed to take the feed from a hard drive via a USB cable. The Cosecant is the middle range DAC and the Crimson is higher up the food chain. We weren't using an Ipod. We were using an Imac computer running I-tunes as the archival/control software. Regular Redbook CD's were burned to the HD of the I mac computer via Apple Lossless, a rippping scheme designed to preserve all the information on the CD. The computer was acting as the transport for the DAC. The output of the DAC was then run into the preamp, exactly as you would a regular CD player.
As to the sound, if you think that it was euphonic, take it up with Gordan Rankin, the designer. I only know that I really liked it. I've had the SCD-1, the Accuphase DP-85, the EMM Labs DAC6/CDSD (not sig) and the Esoteric X-01 Limited, so i have a fair idea of what I like and dislike.

David
shadorne's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
shadorne
7,467 posts
 
As to the sound, if you think that it was euphonic, take it up with Gordan Rankin, the designer.

Huh? I was just offering an explanation for the very different sound that you heard - that's all. I suggest is unlikely to be caused by using a PC and most likely an effect from the DAC.

No criticism was intended at all. I have no axe to grind with Gordan Rankin, whoever he may be...

Since you heard a big difference it seems there might be an explanation no?

Sorry but I thought your statement "Game-Over" rather implied the end of CD players as a decent source. Naturally I think this is a slight exaggeration....and believe you found a sound that you personally like rather than a new paradigm in audio...
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