Bargain Priced SACD Giant Killer?

"Clio09: There has only been one person making said claim and his motive is transparent."

as are yours...

I wonder if Cwlondon even monitors this less than constructive discussion of the trl unit. Anytime you entertain a discussion of best buy in a component, one is opening a can of worms. Excellent sound is difficult enough to get agreement on and once you weigh in cost, I suspect agreement is impossible.

I am sure the TRL unit is excellent as are many other units at that price-point. I am equally sure that there are better unit at higher price-points. Certainly, Alex's TEAC is excellent and costly. This is the limits of any certainty that I have. How Alex handles himself in discussions is irrelevant to anything.

I heard the Tube Research Labs modified Sony DVP-NS900V at the VMPS booth at THE Show '06.

I'm familiar with the $10k Wadia 27ix DAC & also a heavily modified SACD player ($5-7k range, owner didn't specify). Though I have not yet A-B'd the TRL against either, there are reasons to believe it's sound quality places it in the top echelon of digital sources, whether Red Book or any so-called hi-rez variety. I eagerly look forward to A-B-ing it against the Wadia & my engineer friend's hard-drive/Squeezebox combo, in a TacT-based system w/ 8' tall horn speakers (estimated $100k/pr).

My favorite test track at THE Show (don't be afraid to use that acronym in place of "CES") was a well-recorded grand piano with a beautiful orchestra that fades in halfway through then fades out, ending with the solo piano again. It's beautiful, yet less than about 4 minutes, so you can hear it all & keep the vendors happy.

We all know nothing can sound better than the weakest link in the equipment chain, & obviously from the almost universally favorable press (exceptions being competitors) the system & room was good, in spite of being a bit cramped.

The most memorable thing, & the thing that drove me to purchase a used Sony & send it to TRL for the mod, is the level of emotional involvement during my audition. I have heard that cut many times & in excellent venues, including the VAC/Von Schweikert room & the TAD/Pass Labs room. None caused the high level of emotional reaction in the TRL/VMPS room. The sweetness of the music was almost painful in its poignancy. My reaction bordered on embarrassing because of the public venue.

It's a nice benefit that TRL principals-brothers Brian & Paul Weitzel are two of the nicest people you will meet in the high end.

I look forward to its arrival ASAP. The performance level of the TRL-Sony & the VMPS Constant Directivity Waveguide RM30's have convinced me to invest in professional room analysis, remodeling, & upgraded acoustic treatments. It just makes no sense to have hardware at this level without getting the room as close to perfect as possible.

DTM: Yes my motive is transparent. It is to defend the good name of the manufacturer/mod shop whose amplifiers/pre-amplifiers/digital mods/cables/SACD's and CD's etc. that I've had the pleasure to own since the early 1990's.

And I stand by my statements above that additional circuits can harm the audio signal. Less is more, wouldn't you agree?

Best,

Jack