Digital Drive

Posted by Ozzie (A) on March 22, 2012 at 21:16:45

In Reply to: RE: Didn't work for me AJ posted by AnalogJ on March 22, 2012 at 20:09:52

Hmmm...I know that it most helped the midrange, helping instruments and vocals stand distinct from other instruments, plus there is a more air and expansion. I'm sure it partly depends on the system and how sensitive it is to changes. And it also depends on what you are listening for. I have classical music trained ears, I listen for things and hear things not all hear. My wife sometimes has a difficult time hearing the things I hear, but I have been playing music seriously and sometimes not so much for about 45 years. I listen, for example, for if a vocalist sounds a bit emotionally strained, or whether a system is allowing an instrumentalist to convey a particular musical nuance that I know is there on the record. And hey, if you can't hear it, it's obviously not worth it.

- I went the active loudspeaker route myself. I find differences easily heard and wholeheartedly agree, if you can't hear it, is it really worth the additional expense. Going fully active on my speakers, I heard substantial differences in transparency. With the digital AC cable, not at all. Perhaps the internal power supply of the mods done addressed any potential power issues. It sounds like your speakers provide good resolving power as well. Unfortunately for us all, our women sometimes do not hear the huge differences we claim to hear. They do however, provide some perspective though. Nothing that some nice jewelery and major appliances can't offset.

A HUGE power cord difference I made last year was swapping out the OEM power cord from my Art Audio Vinyl phono stage with a used Shunyata Python Alpha. The sound just opened right up, with greater color and dynamics. Pretty much night and day. I put back in the OEM power cord and the soundstage and dynamics closed right down.

- Yipes, sorry but I guess I expect a 4 K phono stage to have a tweaked power supply that should not need the benefit of outboard tweaking to sound it's best. Does the noise suppression of additional regulators, caps and inductors really cost all that much?

I can still hear that the Saturn lacks a little bit of delicacy and air on the top end than I know there to be on certain recordings, and colors are just a hair less vivid. We are talking small percentages here, and, again, it IS a $2500 retail CD player, not a $5000 setup. That $5000 setup I had is no longer twice as good as the Saturn is (I couldn't say that two weeks ago.). I paid considerably less than retail for the Saturn, so I can say that, at this point, I'm happy. Great bang for the buck, so if you can pick up one of these at clearance prices as they are, you'll be getting a really good deal.

- Regardless of cost, I see no reason why a lesser costing player just might sound as good or even better in anyone's system. Sorry to sound like Julian Hirsch here, but at the prices we are discussing, 2 grand on up, simple frequency response differences do come into play. In your instance the more costly one wins out. In mine it just might as well.

What is the rest of your system?

- It is posted.