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Esoteric DV-50: Any cdp's Significantly better?

Is there are anyone out there who has compared the Esoteric DV-50 to a number of dedicated red book only players (or other universal's) and found one that is SIGNIFICANTLY better?

I stress significantly because in my humble opinion the redbook playback (if comparison unit is just a cd cd player only )must be significantly better to justify losing DVD-A, SACD and DVD-Video capability.

I keep hearing there are better one box solutions and being a die hard 2 channel fan I would sell my DV-50 if I found a player in the same price range that sounds significantly better. But every time I do an AB comparision to other well respected units the DV-50 has slayed each and every one.

So far, it has eaten the lunch of the Classe CDP-10, Ayre CX-7, Linn Ikemi, Cairn Fog Vers. 2, Cary 306/300, Arcam DV 27A and CD 33T, Myryad CD 600, etc. It even betters a Sony SCD 777ES/MF Tri-Vista 21 transport/dac combo that I previously owned. I'm only comparing the DV-50 to single box cd or universal players, but I just wanted to mention the Sony/MF combo. I'm sure there are some dac/transport combo's that will handily beat the DV 50.

Some may say that the DV 50 should beat all the above because the of price point ($5,500 vs. average price of $3,000 for the above players). But I disagree since conventional wisdom says that stand alone players (especially with the pedigree of those mentioned above) should produce better redbook than a universal player trying to be a jack of all trades. Only the DV 27A does video plus audio. By the way, I was very impressed with the 27A as just a cd player. Of all the above I would say the Ayre was the best.

Next on my list is the Electrocompaniet EMC 1UP and the Resolution Audio Opus 21. However, I must tell you I am really impressed with the DV 50 and all the great reviews are absolutely true. I've noticed that many people who are using it or comparing to other players are using the RCA analog outs instead of the balanced outs. There is a significant improvement in sound if you use the balanced outs and I'm only interested in hearing comments from people who have compared it against other players using the balanced outs on the DV-50.

My system components are as follows:

B&W N803's speakers & HTM-1 center
Cary Cinema 5 (5 x 200) amp
Anthem D1 Statement pre/pro
Esoteric DV 50
Acoustic Zen Satori Shotgun speaker wire
Nirvana SX balanced interconnects from DV-50 to Anthem
Acoustic Zen Matrix reference II interconnects from D1 to Cary
No after market power cords or isolation equipment

My system sounds great! Those who comment please make sure to specify what specific improvements you heard over the DV 50 and what cdp were you comparing it against.

AVGURU
avguru
mikannen
4 posts
 
Hi Oldpet & Alex

Did a quick comparison off the internet. These are the costs of the full mods for 2900/3910 (incl new clock but not the machine and optional bybee filters).

Underwood Level 2 Mods (SS) $1730
RAM (SS with silver coupling Transformer) $1750
Modwright Universal Truth (tube) $1950
APL (tube with master clock but not new DAC board ) $2605

Actually other than APL, the price differences are not that substantial but more reflect different approaches. Despite the touted advantages of tube (of which I subscribe to), both RAM and Underwood continue to use SS analog stages. One must however recognize that this is something some users may prefer because of listening preference or out of concern over heat generated and hence long term reliability.

Alex is the only one with his own custom DAC board but I have worked out the cost less the Board.

This brings me back to my original question. How do the RAM and Underwood machines stack up against the Modwright and APL and the DV50?

While it is difficult to quantify, how much of an improvement comes from Alex’s own DAC board.

It seems to me that this shootout will be incomplete without bringing RAM and Underwood into the picture. I don’t know if they can be persuaded to provide samples for audition.

Thanks and Best Wishes for 2005 to all
jfz
570 posts
 
Thanks Alex
tbg
5,263 posts
 
I think shootouts are useless. Where it possible to capture the comparison in a truly revealing system in a great room and make this available to all for their personal evaluation, we could move ahead on this. But in any shootout there will be no consensus, there is no use of a perfect evaluations of the contributions of each component being evaluated, and no weighing of the benefit per dollar of each.

Better than a year ago at the VSAC sessions in Silverdale, John Tucker's, Dan Wright's, Alex Pachec's, and Allen Wright's mods were compared with the same music in the same space. The room was terrible but there were perhaps a hundred people listening. No poll was taken, but from my conversations afterwards I heard praise for all of the units and all characterized as the best. I personally declined to make such a decision.

About a year ago, I decided to evaluate all of what I thought were the best ac line filters. This cost me a good deal of money and drove me to dispair given the multiple combinations of which units in my system sounded best with which filter. Today I have none of these units in my system despite being very impressed with many of them. All of them had many positive reviews and much endorsement on Audiogon and AA.
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
TBG, if the Chicago gang and its remote members find them enjoyable, rewarding, uplifting, revealing, exciting, an a welcome escape from dayly drudgery etc. . . the shootouts are useful, at least to them/us. In life very few things are actually formally 'useful'. I do understand how such communal North Eastern activities may go against your ascetic South Western grain, yet. . .
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Guidocorona, please don't assume that I am a Texan. Yes, I have lived here for 25 years, but I have also lived in Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, California, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. Shootouts are not a communal activity but rather a sincere desire to get the best you can get or the best for the money. I understand this, but from personal experience I also know there will be little consensus and that one frequently likes some strengths of various units.

Yes, they can be fun and escape from more mundane aspects of daily life, but it is like going to a car show. It fills your hours and resolves little. In one car show I found that the only BMW, I could sit up in was the Z3.
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