Scott,
I'm glad to hear of your experiences with the Memory Player. You gave the MP the "real user" experience, not a reviewers view which many folks find hard to believe because we often are accused of being involved in politics, favors and innuendos. Of course, this is not the case here.
Quirks aside (though I've no problems with my dedicated AC cord), you hit the proverbial nail on the head describing the MP despite our industries technical audio wizards statements to the contrary.
My respect for the MPs has grown with each passing day and comparison. On the days when I tend to forget and even take for granted how actually good it is, I'll spend time listening to other players, each excellent in their own way, only to return back to the MP with a new sense of respect and admiration for its sonic superiority. More often, it's more of a feeling than a observation. Sometimes it's not something in the music that I can hear as much as how much I am moved by the grace, ease and flow of an entire performance.
Kana, FYI, the MP has been compared to many other PC based drives modified by a very brilliant designer here in NYC. In each case, none compared to the MPs sonic capabilities. None! What type of PCs these were are still unclear but I'll say most were hand made by a guy who "promised" to match the MPs internal part for part...down to the operating system. These players had high hopes of entering the market until they were compared to the MP.
The MPs software is its ace in the hole and the one thing this person could not duplicate. Hence, their performance falling way short. So much in fact, I still would have to say my Wadia 270SE or Reimyo would be preferred over these MP wannabes.
The MP, I believe, will be superceded by a superior PC based device one day. That's just the way of the world. But in the here and now, I've not seen any to take its crown.
As a matter of fact, I recently compared a very promising new conventional CD player against a very good but now discontinued Reimyo player and the Reimyo soncially aquitted itself from this newcomer to such a degree it made it very hard to even justify WHY this new device exists when products like the Reimyo wind up as classic museum pieces way before their time.
Thinking back, I was one of the first early adopters to SACD and believed it was the cats meow to digital audio. Theoretically, it still may be... but within one calender year I heard standard 16/44 players outperform my beloved SCD1 namely the Electrocompaniet and Accuphase CD players at roughly the same price. In this case, old reliable 16/44 beat out new SACDs theoretical claims and fancy advertising. That experience changed my perspective of what was still possible from "lousy" 16/44 standard discs. What I learned was 16/44 still had lots left to offer with the arrival of newer dac chips while SACD was still in its infancy and wrought with issues.
The MP is another product with an entirely different approach that has not only taken the standard 16/44 playback to levels never believed possible, it literally brings the very inner workings and mechanics of CDs into question.
Rare indeed.
Clement Perry
