Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

"I submit at this level it's about preference and component synergy"

Old worn out thought. Could it be a sickness of trying to find the top and then reaching it only to find you are at the bottom when the one you haven't tried turns up in a new box??

Glory,
I agree with you as another way to look at it if 100% of individuals that compared component A to B and all picked component A. I haven't seen a case that exists like that. I recently compared my Bryston BDP2 to the Antipodes DS GT and immediately sold the BDP2. I preferred the DS GT by a wide margin. I doubt if 100% of individuals that compared the two would come to the same conclusion. 

Hi all. I’m sorry it took so long to post. I put a LOT of thought into my posts and it’s hard for me to do anything "Sale" wise without it getting back to the thread.

Its not yet the 19th. But I feel I have gotten a good taste for what the DX can do. I am reading right now on how to implement HQ Player with the Antipodes.

As far as I am aware, the best results with the Antipodes DX are attained when the unit is run with Roon directly or with Roon running through HQ Player. I have run with Roon and using the "Squeeze" software and I will figure out how to implement HQ before it leaves my room.

I have been listening frequently and with many visitors and trained ears. I am left scratching my head as I have done many times with other very well reviewed DAC’s I have had in. To me the N10 provides a more natural flow of music and emotion that the DX Gen 2 couldn’t reach. But I am second guessing myself over and over because of the myriad of threads, comments and emails who have told me they know people who think the DX is better then the N10.

I am going home today (at work now) and plan on going through my Room settings in detail to make sure I haven’t missed something. And then going to try to implement HQ Player, which seams a bit more complicated and it not quite native.

I put it up for sale because at this price level, I think it will take a while to sell and I have some wiggle time. I can always pull the ad.

Give me a few more days to compile my thoughts and listen once more. I wasn’t going to post anything yet but my ad has clearly incited panic, riots and pillaging, lol.

I can’t begin to tell you guys how important it is to me to report the most thorough and honest opinion I can. As a result, sometimes my posts are not frequent. Sorry. Hang in there. I will post when I have final decisions and opinions to provide.

Glory - this thread has proven over and over again that more expensive rarely implies better. I have dismissed many $14,18,24,33,42 thousand dollar DAC’s in comparison to my prize fighting lightweight sensation that is the Empirical Audio ODSX! I listen with dollar blinders on. It’s not about latest greatest, it’s about the best to my ears, in my room. But I have a group of friends (including dealers and engineer/manufacturers) who listen with me so that I make a final decision and report not just on my own opinion but a cumulative experience. Take everything I say with that in mind. But I guarantee every single reader that I am not influenced by anything other then honesty and a pathological quest for the best. Period.

Follow up. Sitting in my listening room enjoying my system (which is what it’s all about, right?). Reading ALL about HQ player and it’s integration with Antipodes. Apparently HQ Player must exist on a PC or MAC and then controls the server app on the Antipodes. Although I’m sure this offers advantages and may give the Antipodes the best sound, it’s just not what I’m looking for. I want a standalone music server. I’m sure there are some who will criticize me for this attitude, but my computer is upstairs and is sometimes shut down by my family members and would add an extra layer of complexity I just don’t want to deal with. Which leaves me comparing the Antipodes with its Native Roon app controlled by the Roon App from my phone.

For those with Antipodes DX/DS products PLEASE tell me the software solution you are getting your best results from.

I'm listening to Natalie Merchant’s Peppery Man right now on the Antipodes. It sounds awesome. If I wasn’t comparing it to another server then it’s amazing. Gonna spend some more time today comparing the two.... I guess I’m dependent on using Roon direct on the Antipodes.

stay tuned.

Matt,
I feel your pain! All you can do is report what you hear. Like I’ve said several times, I’ve recently compared my Antipodes DS GT to the DX via an Wireworld Platinum USB cable. My wife and I preferred the DS GT. I questioned my hearing because everyone, including the designer suggest the DX is clearly "better" than the DS GT. As a matter of fact, I emailed Antipodes to make sure I had a current DX. Their response was interesting...they told me to trust my own ears and then suggested my system wasn’t resolving enough to differentiate between the DS GT and DX! I’m going to try one more time and leave the DX on for a couple of days prior to listening.
I use Roon and my IPad to manage my files.
Maybe you just prefer the Aurender N10 and there isn’t anything wrong with that.