About the EMM Labs DAC

I have never heard any emmlabs equipment, but have been reading the raves in this section of audiogon for many months. (perhaps even years). I must admit to being very naive, when I wonder why no other maker can solve all the problems of digital, when Meitner can. Are his techniques so solidly covered by iron-clad patents that no one else can utilize them, or is his genius so totally unique, that this superiority cannot be copied by anyone else? Or, are most other manufacturers designing for sound that quickly impresses people who have not heard much live music. (i.e. the "hi-fi" sound) For me, a reasonably priced digital one-box player offering these qualities would be one of the audio breakthroughs of all time!

Irishdog - THANK YOU!! That is the most sane statement I have ever heard concerning the status of digital disc technology.

Is it asking too much for a player that is NOT discontinued (SACD-1000), that Meitner does NOT refuse to convert anymore, that we can actually buy NOW for less then the price of a nice USED CAR and that could actually produce great quality sound on all current formats - INCLUDING (God forbid!) DVD-Video?

Has the general acceptance of the pitifully-compressed sound of MP3's convinced all the equipment manufacturers and recording companies that high levels of digital sound quality are no longer needed in the marketplace to sell their junk?

Even on newly-released CD's, with all of the state-of-the-art recording technology available now, sound quality is the least important aspect of the engineering. The latest Jonny Lang and Rush CD's (not the new live Rush release) are the WORST recordings I have ever heard. They are both getting sold to a used CD store as soon as possible.

This is depressing.....
.

Thanks Bhouser, for your thoughtful reply. I agree about the software currently being issued. Much of it is unmusical, harsh, and sometimes unlistenable. This includes SACD, DVD-A etc. Where is the incredible sound Bob Harley promised us after listening to the special Sony demos that supposedly were able to duplicate a "live microphone feed" with DSD technology? Real life SACD's seldom even approach the euphoric perfection Harley claimed he heard. Of course, many current SACDs are converted to DSD from PCM sources, even those from such respected classical labels as Chandos. How can the the Meitner gear cure what is already messed-up in the mastering. If it can, then it is truly a miracle!

Do a Google search on Ed Meitner. He has been "THE MAN" when it comes to digital for quite some time. He was making his DACS for the professional market and record companies were using them to make
SACD's. His DAC is so good, as is his Switchman pre-amp, that high end consumers demanded them. So, Meitner, who was used to creating them on a limited basis for record companies, had to tool up in order to manufacture these units for high end audio consumers. One of the ways he has been able to meet the demand quicker rather than later has been
to modify the Phillips transport so it can work with his DAC. People who
have heard the combination have raved and production runs have sold out quickly. So, for people who have heard the EMM LABS gear and people who have purchased it, the Phillips transport has been a moot issue. These are people who wanted the Meitner player who didn't feel the need to wait until Meitner could design and manifacture his own transport. I would also guess that Meitner's customers, like myself, were
comparing the Meitner to other top of the line digital players like DCS,
Burmeister, Linn. Believe it or not, Meitner's Emm Labs gear is not only
the best out there -- but his gear is also reasonably priced IN COMPARISON WITH OTHERS AT THAT LEVEL. So, if you want that level of
playback and you're shopping at that level, you buy the Emm Labs DAC and Phillips Transport because it is that good -- you want the best playback that is availabe -- AND because it is fairly priced in comparison to other top of the line digital players AND because it sounds so good, you don't want to wait until Meitner can design and manufacture his own transport -- you hear it and you say, "I don't care what it is called -- I want that!" And you can't wait to get this puppy into your system -- you want it YESTERDAY!

To buy EMM Labs gear, contact Jonathan Tinn at Chambers Audio -- (503) 221-0465