Best Digital Amps

Oxia, I think you are missing the point. Virtually every product can be improved. Case in point; your eAr amp. Acoustic Reality has improved their circuit or so they say.

I guess Peter has been fiddling around with his own design and improved it.

If you check the Acoustic Reality website you can see if you have the latest upgrade. If you don't, you can send it back for the "modded" circuit upgrade.

Although from the customer sevice nightmares many have experienced from Peter and Acoustic Reality you might be better off keeping the lesser eAR version.

And give it time, modders somewhere will probably find a way to even improve the eAR. Progress and perfomance never stand still.

Fiddler,

I see your point, but I think you've missed mine. I don't doubt that there will be design improvements in the future for even the most accomplished of components. After all, the "best" never sit on their laurels. And I'm also aware of the eAR upgrade too. What I was trying to say in my earlier post is:

1. For a given price point, factory-direct offerings tend to have higher value for the dollar, because money that's saved by avoiding dealer markups can be put into higher quality parts.

2. Straight-forward parts swapping may yield benefits when the quality of the parts were compromised in order to meet a price point. However, this wouldn't be necessary (and may even have negative results) if the parts quality wasn't compromised to begin with.

As a consequence of these two beliefs, I've tended to seek out factory-direct alternatives to the usual gear found in brick-and-mortar shops. I'm not advocating it for everyone. It's certainly safer to take the road that's more travelled, but it's my choice and it has served me well.

PS: My service experience with Acoustic Reality so far has been exemplary. I had my eAR upgraded from MKI to MKII specs last year (the change allowed me to use conventionally terminated speaker cables rather than SPEAKON plugs), and the amp was turned around without a hitch.

Oxia, you and I are in complete agreement. I have purchased most of my gear factory-direct online for two reasons. The first being that I agree with your assessment that factory-direct companies are better bang-for-the-buck.

Secondly, I live on Maui and there are zero brick & mortar audio shops here. But even if there were, I would still probably prefer factory direct.

I have not heard the Acoustic Reality amps, but I am sure they are very good. I believe digital is certainly the wave of the future. I said that the minute I listened to the HCA-2 stock.

I also believe digital is in it's infancy, including the Acoustic Reality products. I suspect in a few years we may possibly hear things from digital products we didn't think possible. But having said that, I anticipate in early '05 I will be auditioning equipment to overhaul my entire system. At that time I plan on auditioning Tenors, Berning, Goldmund, etc., so I haven't completely written off tubes as evidenced by the Tenors and Berning.

As good as Spectron & Acoustic Reality may be (and I would love to compare both to my modded HCA-2), I suspect that the likes of the amps that I mentioned above are still in a different league. Five years from now, as digital really begins to mature, it may be a different story. But currently I still believe (admittedly, without hearing them) that digital amps may still be bettered with high-end conventional designs. I will find out in a year or so.

Check out this Yamaha digital amp. It looks impressive.
I hope its at the Stereophile show in 2004. I'll be there.

http://www.shows.soundstagelive.com/shows/ces2003/dly_jan10b.shtml

I just saw this mod for PS Audio Amps.

www.asi-audio.com

Audiophile Sound innovations has just introduced a reference style Modification package for the PS Audio HCA-2 Digital amplifier.
This a great sounding amplifier stock, it is a STEREOPHILE CLASS A rated amp, and has alot of hidden potential. We take it to a much further level than one would expect. So much more realism, wider soundstages, blacker backgrounds, emotion, resolution, refined bass, attack, etc etc etc... You'll enjoy the natural presentation.

Why upgrade to a better amp when we can to your HCA-2 to a whole different level?

The mod package-

-Jensen 4-pole Electrolytic Capacitors-
We replace the main power supply caps with the Jensen 4-pole versions. Talk about fast and natural and neutral sounding as well as bass refinements and dynamics to die for. What else can we say, these caps rock! Major improvement in total tonal character and resolution.

-Blackgate capacitors-
We replace specific critical rail voltage and critical signal path capacitors with Top of the Line BlackGate N & FK series caps!! Major improvement! The background becomes blacker, and instruments emerge like they are so real. A definite change in total sonic tonality and character over the stock caps!

-Audio Consulting 99.99% silver wire & Natural Unbleached Cotton Tubing-
We use various lengths of Audio Consulting Silver Wire and Natural Cotton Tubing to act as damping. This is used to connect the Jensen Capacitors together or to the PCB. This wire is the best we have heard to use in circuits. No Teflon or Plastic is found on this wire but rather than a Polymenstride enamel coating so it will not muffle the sound.

-ASi Custom made Exotic Diode Bridge-
We handmake custom diode bridges from exotic diodes to further better the sound and even further reduce any glare, grain or such in the stock design. These test out to sound better than the Harris/Fred types. These take approx. 20-30 minutes to handmake.

-Our Quick Review-
The amplifer sounds really good stock. We definitely admit it! Kudos to Paul McGowan!! After this modification, this amplifier sounded so much more neutral and natural and filled with emotion, much more bass refinement and attack, resolution galore and authority and control of speakers in a different league. We did some comparisons against some other amps on hand costing in the $3-4K+ region and we were surprised the difference the modified HCA-2 made against these amps! The best part about it is that is doesnt get warm and it sounds as good as many much higher costing amps on the market. Best of all, electricity bills will be great since this unit pulls nill a from the wall!!! Get one, mod it and be surpised in the emotion department!

-Costs and Options-
Complete package is available for $600 (return shipping is included)
(Labor & Fed-ex ground return shipping (Lower 48 US states) is included)
Return Fedex Ground Shipping is included for the lower 48 states only. The client is responsible for packaging and initial shipping charges to us. We supply fed-ex tracking numbers upon return. We can have the amplifier back to the client in about 1-2 weeks upon full initial payment.
Please email us if you want faster shipping back and we'll adjust the price.
We take certified cashiers checks/money order/Paypal (add 3%) and take the payment upfront in whole in order to purchase the parts from our suppliers. By the time your amplifier arrives here, we already have the parts and are ready to go!

-Options for Even Better Sound!!-

LeClanche Paper-In-Oil Capacitor-
We add a LeClanche Paper-in-Oil Capacitor to the main power supply to further reduce the unnecessary distortion and harmonics in the AC Signal. Talk about major! Brings more emotion and "liveliness" to the music since it takes out the impurities that cause the masking of the emotion and resolution in your valuable music.

Add $60 (installed) to the order

-Rewire Internal Speaker Output Wiring with Audio Consulting 99.99% silver wire & Natural Unbleached Cotton Tubing-

We Rewire the output speaker cabling with Audio Consulting Silver Wire. Talk about improvement and additonal sound and resolution!!!!!! The stock crappy wiring needs to go (Monster Cable, yuk!) as well as the screws and ring terminals that get oxidized very easily and degrade the sound and provide the worst signal transfer characteristics. We solder using WBT silver solders and we solder this silver wiring directly to the PCB, elmininating alot of the imperfections of the original design! This makes a great improvement and it requires over 17 feet of wire and cotton. This takes some time to do but the results are fabulous!

Add $160 (installed) to the order

Please check out our website and View our Philips DVD-963SA Mod Package. The Philips 963SA/PS Audio HCA-2 is a Super HOT Combo!!!! We were STUNNED with the two modded components.

www.asi-audio.com