Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Joecasey.. I didn't read it like the DS was crushed I read it that Matt liked the ODSE better.. I wish he'd spent a bit more time listening to it, and spent some time reloading the firmware or getting help to resolve the firmware issue but honestly his thoughts on the DS's sound quality don't really matter to me, what matters to me is how the DS sounds in my system. Also I spent way way less $$ for my DS then he's spending for his ODSE.. so I'm good with my decision..

Additionally I found the DS is quite sensitive to power cables and interconnects.. So if he'd chosen to I suspect he could have gotten it to perform at another level, also consider that the ODSE has a built in off ramp thingy that if added to any of the other Dac's might have swayed him in another direction. But in the end it's his ears and his choice, I've just enjoyed his journey..

As for PSA firmware issues no question the Bridge is flawed but so are lots of other software driven products.. I had a bridge for a while and also gave up on it (planning on an Aurulic Aries soon) so I'm not a PSA fanboy by any stretch.

And I thought all along that Ozzy's beef with Nugent should have been private.. But if you are a manufacturer who uses a public forum for among other things promoting ones products ( frequently) then one needs to be prepared to take some flack from time to time. To Empirical's credit there doesn't seem to be too many folks that are un-happy, so he/they must for the most part be doing the right thing by their customers..

And like Ozzy I'll also bow out now.. Matt I've enjoyed your writing and hard work, enjoy your ODSE, it's a really nice piece..Time now to figure out how to get your rooms acoustics improved :-)

I thought the OP started this thread to describe his comparison of products? Complaints about one-man shows etc. belong elsewhere.

yes they do belong elsewhere, however you can't have it both ways. It's a forum on the internet and folks will post their feelings on things. If folks buy based on what they read.....sorry, that's just MY pet peeve I guess. I didn't love reading the debate either, but why can someone get hammered for posting what he did and then someone else can bash PS Audio by saying they got bashed, when in fact, that's not at all what Matt posted. They are all trying to make an honest living. Matt and others need to be free to post their thoughts, good or bad. Dealers who chose, should be able to defend themselves if they feel they want to, but on this thread or not, it's going to be out in the public and we should make our decisions based on what is best for us.

This thread has been and is awesome. I'm not playing in this league, but I've gotten to hear a few of these DAC;s in my travels. I've heard many others in these price ranges also. They all seem to have plusses and minus's to my ear. They all seem very system dependent. As much as any other product. One thing that has been brought up by all is a basic cable. Question for said designers, why don't you just get the best cable for your product and ship with it? I know a few speaker manufacturers who use a specific companies cable internally or in their crossovers (external). For a power cord, I would think that you could just build that into it. One reason I love Ayre products is that they build some sort of circuit to clean the AC. I have heard a few of their components with various cords and they just dont' make a huge difference to me nor have they to the people I've listened with.

Does the power cord make a big difference with the DAC's you like Matt or was it just the PS fans who said theirs needs a better power cord? Thanks.