first; i must re-form the question to be; "your preferred digital source regardless of price".
the word 'best' infers both that you've heard them all in a very familiar system and taken the time to compare them 'all' directly to one another. neither of which are very realistic for digital players. 'best' also infers some universal standard which does not exist.
all that said; my preferred digital source is the Playback Designs MPS-5. it is a one-box CD/SACD player which also can be used as a stand-alone DAC for a server based system.
i not only prefer the MPS-5 to any other consumer digital source i have heard; but also to a few hirez (up to 386/32) pro audio mastering sources that have recently been in my system. the best thing i can say about the MPS-5 is that it has taken digital a large step toward the performance of my Rockport Sirius III turntable; closer by a good margin than any other digital i have heard. these comments refer to both CD and SACD performance.
the MPS-5 has a vanishingly low noise floor, amazing level of detail, excellent micro and macro dynamics, is tonally rich yet naturally neutral, and is very non-digital sounding. it has no color of it's own and i particularly like that it does not have that occasional upper mids glare that so many other digital players have. it soundstages more like analog than other digital in terms of rendering ambient information and filling a room with energy.....it's not flat sounding.
it sounds like music.
it's also set up to be used as a DAC for a PC server based source.....and it's DAC is programmable.....the MPS-5 does not use any off-the-shelf DAC.....it is unique to the MPS-5. it also uses one of the Esoteric transport drives. i've had mine for almost 2 months now and have yet to find something i don't like about it.
my opinion based on my experience with other digital i have heard is that the MPS-5 might be on another level compared to anything out there. but as i said; i have not had everything in my system to compare.
ranking other digital sources is as problematic as choosing a 'best'. i'll leave a ranking to others.
the word 'best' infers both that you've heard them all in a very familiar system and taken the time to compare them 'all' directly to one another. neither of which are very realistic for digital players. 'best' also infers some universal standard which does not exist.
all that said; my preferred digital source is the Playback Designs MPS-5. it is a one-box CD/SACD player which also can be used as a stand-alone DAC for a server based system.
i not only prefer the MPS-5 to any other consumer digital source i have heard; but also to a few hirez (up to 386/32) pro audio mastering sources that have recently been in my system. the best thing i can say about the MPS-5 is that it has taken digital a large step toward the performance of my Rockport Sirius III turntable; closer by a good margin than any other digital i have heard. these comments refer to both CD and SACD performance.
the MPS-5 has a vanishingly low noise floor, amazing level of detail, excellent micro and macro dynamics, is tonally rich yet naturally neutral, and is very non-digital sounding. it has no color of it's own and i particularly like that it does not have that occasional upper mids glare that so many other digital players have. it soundstages more like analog than other digital in terms of rendering ambient information and filling a room with energy.....it's not flat sounding.
it sounds like music.
it's also set up to be used as a DAC for a PC server based source.....and it's DAC is programmable.....the MPS-5 does not use any off-the-shelf DAC.....it is unique to the MPS-5. it also uses one of the Esoteric transport drives. i've had mine for almost 2 months now and have yet to find something i don't like about it.
my opinion based on my experience with other digital i have heard is that the MPS-5 might be on another level compared to anything out there. but as i said; i have not had everything in my system to compare.
ranking other digital sources is as problematic as choosing a 'best'. i'll leave a ranking to others.