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Digital Drive Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it. |
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Digital Drive Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it. |
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In Reply to: Finest digital solution between $3-4K posted by ranyc on November 18, 2005 at 08:11:47:
I was able to audition the Hagerman Chime through a manufacturer loan, sending it on to the next guy on the list when I was done.My digital setup definately needs improvement, a Phillips 963 and a Parasound CDP-1000, but the extent of change in sound from the Chime was a surprise. The timing of the performances changed in everything that I played through it, with the rhythms hitting right on the beat, whereas with the other players (including SACD vs. redbook on the Chime) the beats were a bit behind and the performances lacked a rhythmic direction that was revealed through the Chime. It imparted a rhythmic clarity and inspired involvement in the pieces that I hadn't realized I had been missing for so long. Instrumental timbre and the quality of voices were improved as well, lending a more lifelike, live presentation to the sound and removing a haze and distortion that was around instruments and voices that I hadn't even realized was there before.
I'm going to write a more extensive review, but I was impressed with the Hagerman Chime, even against SACD. SACD offered more air and a bit more expansive space, but the Hagerman was no slouch when it came to spacial cues, and it resolved the timing and clarity of the music in a way that made the comparison more of a preference than one being absolutely superior, which surprised me.
What you get for your money with the Chime is pretty amazing. Not many manufacturers would price this product so low considering what's going into it. A lot of very expensive digital equipment doesn't even have a discreet output stage, much less a tubed output stage (that measures as well as this one does in particular). I would look at this piece in your price range, perhaps in combination with a good SACD player (maybe a Marantz 8260) as transport.
Check it out.
-Aaron
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