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Post by ejr1953 on Sept 21, 2020 8:38:11 GMT -5
We sold our house in MD and moved in with our granddaughter and her parents in Asheville, NC while our new house in Biltmore Lake, NC has been under construction. Since February my audio system hast been boxed up resting in a storage unit, then a moving van, and again in storage. Our settlement date is set for November 12th! And yes, I did opt for the "bonus room above that garage" for my audio system!
I see that PS Audio has a PerfectWave SACD Transport in BETA testing now, to replace the awesome DirectStream Memory Player I've enjoyed. I suspect that PS Audio is working on a trade in for that transition, one that I'll very-likely take advantage of after we move. With the I2S interface (using an HDMI cable), after the transport and DAC has been "paired", Sony allows PS Audio to output the "raw DSD" from the transport, same as the new units.
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Post by sailor on Sept 21, 2020 8:55:40 GMT -5
Welcome aboard. Sounds like you have great things well planned out
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Post by jtsnead on Sept 21, 2020 10:28:32 GMT -5
Welcome, I had the transport and the JR dac sounded very good and competitive to my analog playback, I also just got their M1200 mono amps, good luck with the trade in it probably will be a attractive option
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Post by larrys on Sept 21, 2020 10:46:54 GMT -5
Welcome, I had the transport and the JR dac sounded very good and competitive to my analog playback, I also just got their M1200 mono amps, good luck with the trade in it probably will be a attractive option PS Audio does usually offer a generous trade-in program. And usually a 30 day return policy. They seem got offer very good bang for the buck and are a nice company to work with. Make sure to let us know how you find the M1200's.
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Post by ejr1953 on Sept 22, 2020 13:08:06 GMT -5
Welcome, I had the transport and the JR dac sounded very good and competitive to my analog playback, I also just got their M1200 mono amps, good luck with the trade in it probably will be a attractive option I'd be interested in hearing how you like the M1200's. From what I read about them, sounds like they've done class D in a different way, with the tube front end.
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Post by jtsnead on Sept 22, 2020 13:54:01 GMT -5
They gave me Beta tester pricing because I was a beta tester for the Stellar phono pre, I also traded in Nord One up mono amps with the newer revision input boards so I bought the amps close to half off. The sound difference is a step up from the Nords mainly in sound staging and transparency, the sound staging I feel is due to the 12au7 input boards and the transparency is due to the B&O 1200 boards so I feel it was worth the upgrade.
The M1200's are my 4th adventure into class d, in the past I have owned all kinds of amps due to the fact that I worked at Gramophone late 80's to late 90's, I owned for solid state Adcom, Counterpoint, Levinson, Krell, McCormick, for tube Antique Sound Labs, McIntosh, Conrad Johnson, Rogue, my favorites for ss was McCormick DNA 1 mono amps and for tube CJ Premier 11A which I kept the CJ and or the McCormicks.
The Rogue Stereo 100 was the last amp I had before I heard about a company out of CA ClassD Audio that sold boards and a guy on Audiocircle was selling predrilled cases so I built a dual mono amp with upgraded power supply board and I was sold, my speakers are PSB Imagine T3's and the bass control of the amp on the speakers was what propelled them to better sound. From that amp I bought D Sonic M3's I think that was the name 600 watt mono amps based on the Pascal design class d I did not warm up to those, I kind of felt they were a little harsh and maybe too much power with the PSB's, then I bought Atsah mono amps using the Ncore NC500 boards which were great, then I was hearing about the Nord amps on Audioshark forum that used upgraded input buffer boards and got those this was a really good combo with my speakers and was totally satisfied.
I probably would not of changed except I liked what PS Audio was doing and really liked the digital stuff and with the generous trade in, which would of been what I could of sold the Nords for, I gave it a shot especially with the 30 day trial. They let you keep your equipment during the trial so I could compare directly.
Cavernous depth and imaging that is awesome I should be done for a very long while, lol, I still look at CJ mono amps when I see them
By the way I sold my PS Audio digital stuff when Dan Wright let me try his new modified Modwright Pioneer LX500 multi disc player I feel it is 90% of the DSJR with DMP. I also was a beta tester for Dan's PH9.0 phono preamp I was the first one to get one with balanced outputs, I still have it and feel it is one of the best phono pre's you can get for the money if you want tubes.
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Post by ejr1953 on Sept 25, 2020 8:42:03 GMT -5
I think PS Audio "shot themselves in the foot" with the DirectStream Memory Player (DMP) trade in offer. They are offering DMP owners $2499 in trade on the new unit, which sells for $6499.
My DMP hooked to my DirectStream DAC with the I2S (HDMI) interface does sound really good. But when Oppo stopped making the mechanical disk units for the DMP, PS Audio stopped working on fixing the buggy software.
I'd be surprised if many DMP owners go for the trade in offer, as my friend Tony Harrison says, it's a "slap in the face".
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Post by jtsnead on Sept 25, 2020 9:02:17 GMT -5
Ah Tony I need to contact him and go hear his system, great guy. The trade in should be more if you ask me, the DMP never did all that was promised and it was flaky in use, the new will probably be a step up in quality and use. It should be priced around 4 to 5K also
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Post by ejr1953 on Jan 16, 2021 9:38:33 GMT -5
I've checked the PS Audio forums from time to time and some of the new transport "early adopters" are reporting improved sound quality compared to the DirectStream Memory Player (DMP in PS Audio slang).
Unfortunately, many of those who have posted on the forums are reporting problems like the mechanism getting "stuck" open or closed, the unit outputting loud noises, the screen going blank or losing the track number, problems with the use of the remote, etc. Some of these problems will (hopefully) be fixed with future firmware releases. Unfortunately, PS Audio stopped fixing the problems with the DMP that could be addressed with firmware updates long ago.
My only motivation for trading in my DMP is that, if it exhibits any problems with the disk transport, PS Audio will not be able to repair the unit. But to send them that $6000 transport, plus another $4000 doesn't seem reasonable to me, especially since I stream using my Roon Nucleus Plus server most of the time.
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Post by jtsnead on Jan 16, 2021 10:02:03 GMT -5
Yeah I think they are shooting themselves in the foot the trade in should of been at least 3K. Just like whether DMP was released they are having issues with the new player not promising, when I had the DMP it did not play DVD audio reliably at all. If I wanted one I would wait a year and try to get one used for half off but then you lose the 2K they offer now. However there are hmdi converters out that can work with i2s not sure if the work with PS Audio dacs
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Post by sailor on Jan 16, 2021 10:25:28 GMT -5
Over the years I built up a decent library of both lp’s and cd’s, but soon found myself play the same small group over and over. When Dave Radeon started his “Backup Club I jumped in giving him four large cases of cd to rip (many others joined in and we now have over 10tb of music). It is a great collection. Dave is a master at ripping using best practices. I sold off or gave away most of my cd’s and lp’s. I am not sorry at for that. Many of the things I got rid had not been played for many years. I was an analogue snob only listening to digital as background music. Serious listening was relegated to lp’s and a single malt. That all changed when I got the BP DAC and found Qobuz. Perfectly happy, and most satisfied sitting down with my single malt and iPad and pursuing Qobuz.
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Post by ejr1953 on Jan 18, 2021 9:07:08 GMT -5
Over the years I built up a decent library of both lp’s and cd’s, but soon found myself play the same small group over and over. When Dave Radeon started his “Backup Club I jumped in giving him four large cases of cd to rip (many others joined in and we now have over 10tb of music). It is a great collection. Dave is a master at ripping using best practices. I sold off or gave away most of my cd’s and lp’s. I am not sorry at for that. Many of the things I got rid had not been played for many years. I was an analogue snob only listening to digital as background music. Serious listening was relegated to lp’s and a single malt. That all changed when I got the BP DAC and found Qobuz. Perfectly happy, and most satisfied sitting down with my single malt and iPad and pursuing Qobuz. Sailor, I'm with you, sitting down with my iPad and Roon streaming Qobuz, except that I'm enjoying a vodka tonic! The USB port on my Roon Nucleus Plus server is "dead quiet" and integrates very well with my PS Audio DirectStream DAC One thing I've found with Qobuz is that much of what I listen to has been remaster, the newer version available on Qobuz, so in many cases the streamed version sounds a little better than my CD, even though the I2S interface should be technically superior to USB.
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Post by ejr1953 on Jan 18, 2021 9:16:34 GMT -5
Yeah I think they are shooting themselves in the foot the trade in should of been at least 3K. Just like whether DMP was released they are having issues with the new player not promising, when I had the DMP it did not play DVD audio reliably at all. If I wanted one I would wait a year and try to get one used for half off but then you lose the 2K they offer now. However there are hmdi converters out that can work with i2s not sure if the work with PS Audio dacs JT, I would go further and say that the trade in price DMP to PST is an insult to us DMP owners who spent serious coin on the DMP, which has never worked like you would expect for a unit which sells for $6k. Judging from the PS Audio forum, the PST has some serious issues with both the software and the disk handling unit. I noticed when you go to the "PerfectWave SACD Transport" page, the "add to cart" button is not functional.
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Post by jtsnead on Jan 18, 2021 9:33:32 GMT -5
Yeah I think they are shooting themselves in the foot the trade in should of been at least 3K. Just like whether DMP was released they are having issues with the new player not promising, when I had the DMP it did not play DVD audio reliably at all. If I wanted one I would wait a year and try to get one used for half off but then you lose the 2K they offer now. However there are hmdi converters out that can work with i2s not sure if the work with PS Audio dacs JT, I would go further and say that the trade in price DMP to PST is an insult to us DMP owners who spent serious coin on the DMP, which has never worked like you would expect for a unit which sells for $6k. Judging from the PS Audio forum, the PST has some serious issues with both the software and the disk handling unit. I noticed when you go to the "PerfectWave SACD Transport" page, the "add to cart" button is not functional. Yes it is sad they cant get thinks right I do like the equipment they make, I will say that the main reason they went direct I feel was because all the dealers were heavily discounting there inventory, the first piece I bought was the BHK preamp, I called around and a dealer in FL offered me one new in a box close to half off this was also the same with the DMP and JR dac so the value is there if your getting it to close to half off. Part of the reason I sold off the DMP and JR was the falling value on the used market I am bit of a gear hound and like keeping value when sold used. I also was offered a good price on Modwrights new LX500 with tube outputs and it is very close to the PSA stuff for a lot less and it plays every type of dis with no issues. I should of went the way Paul did and had Dave burn all my digital stuff to a hard drive but I will admit I am not that could with computer controlled audio, just never got into it
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Post by sailor on Jan 18, 2021 11:04:53 GMT -5
I used a Win10 machine with JRiver, then a Raspberry Pi server, both were very good. Both JRiver and the Pi I could use an iPad to control things. Not too many problems. Eventually I went main stream with an Innuous Zenith server and the BP DAC. You can read my reviews at MyAudioPhrenia
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