I started with CD playback back around 1992 or so with the Pioneer PD-65 player. I had to spend the nearly $500 to get any kind of musical enjoyment after being with LPs up to that time. The PD-65 continued to impress me until I finally started to work to achieve more and more enjoyment as with LPs. When this time came, the logical thing to do was try a number of DACs.
Over the course of 4-5 years I tried/owned the ARC DAC3, Counterpoint DA10, Muse 296, Electrocompaniet ECD1, VTL Ref DAC and finally Manley Ref DAC which I have been using in my music system for over 3 years now. Each of these DACs had various levels of improvements over the PD-65 as a CDP, but in pure value terms, the Counterpoint DA10 was phenomenol. I doubt much in the under $1k range could compete with the PD65/DA10 and a digital cable in the $200 range.
I did compare the PD65 transport vs the Muse 8 and Theta Basic and quite frankly could hear no differences. And when I tried the Audio Aero Capitol last year as a transport, I thought there might be a slight improvement in detail but I was not sure. When I have to strain so much to hear such a difference, and then when I go back I am not sure there was one, I stay with what I have.
When I changed from the cheapo digital cable to the MIT digital cable, things improved significantly in clarity and silence between notes. And then last year when I changed to the Marigo 5.7 cable, this was even more dramatic in the same direction. My experiences here have shown that the cable is a much bigger factor than the transport .... or is the PD65 is truly a outstanding performer as a transport? I have wanted to try the Goldmund 36, Spectral 3000, CEC TL2, MBL 1531, etc., but does it make sense to spend another $3k here for a transport? I suspect not.
I also use the Genesis Time Lens and this continues on with the benefits brought on by the cable changes. It is a pain to have the PD65, Genesis and Manley Dac and the two cables compared to the simplicity of a one-box unit. But this path has allowed for upgradeability that would have been very costly had I upgraded to another standalone player each and every time such improvements here were achieved. And the Genesis and Manley benefit significantly from power cable changes as well.
All of this shows me that a midfi product like the PD65 can easily fit well into a system that would typically have a transport that costs 5-10x as much.
John
Over the course of 4-5 years I tried/owned the ARC DAC3, Counterpoint DA10, Muse 296, Electrocompaniet ECD1, VTL Ref DAC and finally Manley Ref DAC which I have been using in my music system for over 3 years now. Each of these DACs had various levels of improvements over the PD-65 as a CDP, but in pure value terms, the Counterpoint DA10 was phenomenol. I doubt much in the under $1k range could compete with the PD65/DA10 and a digital cable in the $200 range.
I did compare the PD65 transport vs the Muse 8 and Theta Basic and quite frankly could hear no differences. And when I tried the Audio Aero Capitol last year as a transport, I thought there might be a slight improvement in detail but I was not sure. When I have to strain so much to hear such a difference, and then when I go back I am not sure there was one, I stay with what I have.
When I changed from the cheapo digital cable to the MIT digital cable, things improved significantly in clarity and silence between notes. And then last year when I changed to the Marigo 5.7 cable, this was even more dramatic in the same direction. My experiences here have shown that the cable is a much bigger factor than the transport .... or is the PD65 is truly a outstanding performer as a transport? I have wanted to try the Goldmund 36, Spectral 3000, CEC TL2, MBL 1531, etc., but does it make sense to spend another $3k here for a transport? I suspect not.
I also use the Genesis Time Lens and this continues on with the benefits brought on by the cable changes. It is a pain to have the PD65, Genesis and Manley Dac and the two cables compared to the simplicity of a one-box unit. But this path has allowed for upgradeability that would have been very costly had I upgraded to another standalone player each and every time such improvements here were achieved. And the Genesis and Manley benefit significantly from power cable changes as well.
All of this shows me that a midfi product like the PD65 can easily fit well into a system that would typically have a transport that costs 5-10x as much.
John