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Review: Playback Designs MPS-5 CD Player

Category: Digital

1st impressions of the Playback Designs MPS-5.

briefly; The MPS-5 plays redbook and SACD's; it can also be used as a DAC for a music server as well as as a transport. i do plan on getting into server based music and so i like that part. the MPS-5 is also set up so it's software is easily upgradable.

Playback Designs is a new company. this is their first product.

at 1:40pm PDT today the fedex driver pulled up and dropped off the box.

finally; after 5 weeks without.....I HAVE DIGITAL AGAIN.

mine is one of the first 2 units shipped, and the first to arrive. i had heard a prototype a few months back and made a decision to replace my EMM Labs SE Combo with this new product. i had not compared the my EMM Labs Signature directly to that prototype; but i did like some things i heard and made the change.

first; the packaging was perfect and easy to unpack; i was playing music in about 2 minutes after openning the box. the player itself is very handsome; fit and finish are impeccable, a beautiful aluminum case, brushed silver metal on top and black anodized on the bottom. the remote is similarly elegant, and feels very nice in your hand. large, easy to use buttons and it's back lit.

the EMM Labs never had this level of industrial design; but prior to that i owned the Linn CD-12 and before that the Levinson dac and transport. performance is my only criteria; but i also enjoy audio jewelry assuming it can deliver the sonic goods.

how does it sound?

my very first impression in the first 30 seconds was big and bold. the Playback Designs uses a transformer based power supply instead of the switching power supply of the EMM Labs SE Combo. i wonder if that is a factor here.

i must point out that my EMM Labs SE Combo was packed up and shipped to it's new owner in late April. so my aural memory of that is 5 weeks old. OTOH i owned EMM Labs for 5 years, and the SE for the last 2 years. so my sense of that is pretty good.

i'm hearing a sound that fills the soundstage to a greater degree, and the bass seems to have more authority.

beyond that initial impression; like any brand new digital player; the sound started off somewhat congested, sluggish and closed in. after about 45 minutes things started to open up a bit and i could hear farther into the soundstage. it's now been about 90 minutes of play and things are getting more interesting.

it's still somewhat closed in on top but i'm getting more lively micro-dynamics and a bit more transparency in the mids. the bass is getting cleaner and tighter, a few more hours and.......

i like where this is going.

anyway; i'll be breaking this baby in over the next week or so and will continue to offer impressions.

Associated gear
Click to view my Virtual System

Similar products
EMM Labs CDSD SE Transport, EMM Labs DAC6 SE
mikelavigne
mikelavigne OP
2,199 posts
 
Radiohead,

regarding comparing the standard EMM with the SE version; two years ago i had the first SE version DAC6 and CDSD (the CDSD was the same as any with the USB input). when i first got the SE combo i still had the standard version for a couple of months. so i had lots of time to hear the differences. my friend Ted came over then also and we did the comparison.

there were differences; but they were subtle. the SE had a slightly lower noise floor, a bit blacker black. the SE version was somewhat more natural and had more ease. and the SE version separated instruments a bit better (likely related to the noise floor issue). some listeners did not easily hear the differences. i heard them and liked them. it was an upgrade. the DCC2 SE has the same exact circut boards as the DAC6 SE, it just only has two of them instead of 6.

anyway; if you are asking how much closer would the SE version have been to the Playback Designs than the standard version Ted brought over yesterday; i would say, almost no closer. the order of magnatude of difference between the standard/SE and the standard/Playback Designs is is huge. and it is huge in many, almost every, possible perameter.

the EMM Labs SE gear is still an excellent digital player that is competitive with all other digital out there except the Playback Designs. i expected to like the Playback Designs but until i heard this on Saturday i really had no idea that it would be this good.

when i write of extreme differences most times i pause and consider whether i really am confident of what i am writing before i hit 'submit'. this is not one of those times.
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Thanks for the great review Mike. It may be time for me to take the plunge.

What happens when you insert a DVD-A? Does it try to do anything, or just sit there glaring at you? Have you tried any other file formats?

Do you know anything about the technology and sampling rates? I too would consider using its DAC as the basis of a music server system, so the sampling rates will be important.

Dave
mikelavigne OP
2,199 posts
 
Dave, thanks.

i don't personally know the digital design of the Playback Design MPS-5. the manual does specify which kind of discs it plays and i know DVD-A is not included. i have played redbook, both commercial and CDR's, without problems....also SACD's are fine.

i know that the DAC was custom designed and is unique to the Playback Design. how it handles DSD, whether it converts to PCM, whether it does DxD, or anything along those lines i have no idea. whatever the design; it works better than any other i have heard.

sorry i can't be of more help on this.
skull
36 posts
 
Just got to hear the unit in a friend's system, and ML's on the money. It's very, very good. Smoother than the Meitner, more like analog without losing resolution.
mikelavigne OP
2,199 posts
 
Skull, thanks for adding your thoughts. if you recall other impressions, please share them.
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