Meitner DCC2 vs. Analog - Opinions Please

What great responses, thank you all. I heard a SME30 - clearaudio insider - boulder set up just blow away the DCS stack about 18 months ago, so I know how good analog could be. However, from what i hear, the meitner gear surpasses the DCS stack and, in my price range, the sme30 et al are not a consideration.

It seems as this may very well be a case of different, not better. I also will probably get a chance to A-B to DCC2 pre section to my ARC ref2Mk2, which should be interesting.

In my system I am using a Verdier Platine TT, Graham/Myabi arm cartridge combination, and Cello Audio Suite (with so -called "Premium" Phono section). It's rather good, and since I have thousands of LPs (mostly classical, but a handful of jazz) it provides endless enjoyment. Being somewhat of a lunatic, I decided to get the Meitner digital gear (DAC 6/Philips 1000) to play my small collection of CDs (~500) and SACDs (~100). The Meitner equipment is far and away the best digital I have heard, and on well-recorded SACDs there is little to choose between the Meitner and my analog set up. So, I suspect that it is almost purely a matter of personal taste at this point. If I were starting with no LPs, then given the cost of building a library, I think I would stay exclusively in the digital domain, even if it is not ideal. (This was, of course TWL's point.) It is impossible to justify such enormous expense on any rational grounds, but then audiophiles are not famous for sanity.

Rlips,

It seems to me that you are contemplating committing totally to analog without having ever tried it.
(Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, btw.)

I love analog, and certainly recommend it, highly in fact.
However, you seem to have decided that analog is something that everyone likes. It is not. Some people can not stand the hassle of cleaning records and having to be ever so careful with their vinyl, lest it be ruined by scratches, dust, pet hair, etc... Some people after awhile dislike the little pops, clicks and background noise that is a fact of life with analog. (And no, these things don't bug me, but it does some people.)

Might I suggest that you try out analog on a smaller scale, rather than going all out? (Even buying used, you stand to lose quite a bit of money if you don't like it, if you purchase the kind of equipment you mentioned. And you really stand to lose a bunch of money on records, as new vinyl is very costly, and used vinyl is always a source of frustration. (Some used record sellers grading systems need to be adjusted, a lot!) Don't give up on CD's either, as not all music is released on vinyl. (Such as Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" - It still has not been released on vinyl after it has been out for many months on CD. Bastards!!!)

I would suggest that you get something like a low end Teres model or a used Basis or even a mid-level VPI (i.e. like a scoutmaster), a Shelter 501 or 901 cartridge, and used Aesthetix Rhea. (The phono preamp is not where you want to go cheap though, IMHO). The total cost would be about one-third of what you were thinking of spending, and yet it would give you 90-95% of the analog sound of the more expensive setup you were considering. Try it out for a few months. If it works for you, then upgrade. (If you buy used pieces carefully, you will be out only a small percentage when you sell them to upgrade. (Which given your apparent budget would be almost negligible. Plus, you can upgrade at your convenience, piece by piece, which makes it more enjoyable as a hobby, at least in my opinion!

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter, which are worth every penny you paid me for them!

Good Luck in your search.

i've owned 4 different levels of analog in the last 8 years, from an early VPI TNT Mk II with Graham 1.5tc arm, to the Basis 2500/Graham 2.2, to the Rockport Sirius II, and now the Sirius III.

for digital there has been the Levinson #36s/37, the Linn CD-12--Marantz SA-1, the Meitner DAC6/SACD 1000, and now the DAC6 with the new CDSD transport.

my opinion is that from the Basis 2500/Graham 2.2 (i used an original Aesthetix Io phono stage) level on up the analog simply gets you closer to the event than any digital. not to say that i don't love digital or that the Meitner is not the best digital i have heard.....but......with better vinyl there is simply sooo much information in those grooves.

at the HRX or SME 20/2 level.....the game is pretty much over.

as your LP collection grows (this is about MUSIC) and you upgrade your vinyl front end.....there will continue to be a bigger and bigger payoff (you can trust me on this----there is a long way to go before you hear everything an lp can tell you). another benefit is that in most cities you could go out and buy 100 lps for $100 and enjoy most of them. the new music possibilities are endless.

i'm no format snob.....i love'm all....music is valid on any level. but Lp's pull you the deepest into the event.

digital on the DAC6/CDSD is wonderful on an informational basis; but the engagement and 'reality' is not in the same realm.

Hello,
I had a modified Sony XA777es and an excellent analoge setup (Nottingham Dais table with Anna arm, Allaert MC1 MKII cart., Audio Note M-8 phono.) I liked the digital system, but the vinyl was much better, that the extra work to play LPs was worth the effort. Last spring I bought the DCC2/CDSD combo. Now I rarely play analog although the vinyl is maybe slightly better ( more air, etc.) However, the digital ( I play mostly CDs) is so outstanding that I do not want to do the work to play vinyl, though I still enjoy and will still keep the analog system. I doubt that I will upgrade the vinyl any further.
With regards to the preamp, I have had a Audio Note M-8 tube preamp and I earlier reported that I prefered the this preamp in my comparison to the DCC2. It was legitimately suggested that I did not give DCC2 enough time to break in. I subsequently ordered a M-10 preamp using the M-8 as a trade-in. While I am waiting for the new preamp ( it has been over 3 months), I am currently using the DCC2 as a preamp. This now broken-in preamp is so enjoyable that I would not be disappointed if I did not receive the new preamp for whatever reason. I have not had the occasion or desire to compare the DCC2 preamp to other preamps, such as the ARC (which I am sure is excellent.)

Good luck