mark-d said: Not a lot of chatter on the audio quality so far. With 50 units shipped,you would think this post would be on fire by now!!! 
Paul said: “Yeah, but…if you take the time to peruse there’s quite a few - many of which, though not all, we posted…”
Yep - I’ve taken Duncan to task for not using my “creamy as hell” assessment of SACD playback 
Largenmt said:
“Any further comparisons of DMP vs Bridge II for CDs will be most helpful to those of us who have few SACDs and now employ the Bridge II, which is very good.”
The more I delve into this aspect - which I had assumed going in, would be the deciding factor on keeping the DMP or not - the less the comparison matters to me. My guess, based on some experimentation, is that a highly tweaked and isolated server system to Bridge II is VERY close to the DMP. I had forgotten that I’ve in fact used the Bridge relatively little so far, other than streaming radio, etc.
I also have to confess that I’ve beaten my head against the wall of UPnP/DNLA so many times over the years, that I’ve come to hate it. I’ve never felt the love for jriver, et al, functionally. As a result, much of my server chain focus recently was on improving the (as we now know) abysmal USB delivery.
So I’m currently using Roon (arguably a sound-softener itself) via (galvanically isolated, regulated-power-supplied) USB to the Jr. This setup so far (still have not done a lot of COMPARING of stuff) is perhaps a bit softer and less dimensional than the DMP. But I would really need to do more comparing.
The thing is - it’s comparing apples and oranges.
Listening to music queued up on an iDevice on the server with Roon is such a completely different experience from a user/functionality perspective than “going through your record collection” (if I may use the term “record” loosely), finding albums you want to put in the “queue” (stack of discs), loading them in and out, etc. that I just feel like they’re completely different animals now, independent of SQ.
CDs are simply surprisingly - sometimes shockingly - good on the DMP. Have not heard them sound this good ever before. If I hyper-tweaked my server rig into the Bridge (ignoring the functionality issues I have with DNLA and jriver) I could perhaps notch it closer to the DMP’s performance. But again, I no longer view them as mutually exclusive. If I were forced to choose only one, I would probably keep the server, for all of the reasons servers are great. They serve me well. I can continue to tweak it.
But I’m not going to stop using my vinyl disc turntable because I have a good server. The DMP is my new Shiny Disc Turntable reference.
dlee saidlargenmt said Still waiting for comparisons of redbook played through DMP vs Bridge II. I may have missed some but so far I have seen 3 comparisons, with 2 saying just about the same and 1 rating the DMP superior to Bridge II.It is clear that SQ wise that it is unanimous for the DMP vs the PWT and that SACDs sound wonderful.
Any further comparisons of DMP vs Bridge II for CDs will be most helpful to those of us who have few SACDs and now employ the Bridge II, which is very good.
Thanks.
About the same??? Hmmm. No comparison to my ears…Redbook/DMP is hands down better SQ c/w Bridge II.
Veil lifted, more dynamic/air/ “pop”, or whatever else you want to call it.
Just my .02c, I’ve demo’ed ~400 redbooks thru beta DMP.
badbeef, you just beat me to the punch, raising a question at the very root (at least for me) of any decision to go with something like the DMP. I am personally one of those consumers who has yet to implement mass storage of music files and their playback through a sound system via either USB or a network solution. While it has certainly piqued my interest for many a year now, opinions that I read on how to best do so are still all over the map. In short, the dust never quite settled enough for me to dare take the leap. But I have long assumed that I eventually would. I also assumed that when I did, I probably would never care to look back. When I look at a product like the DMP – never mind how gobsmackingly good it sounds – I realize that very possibly it is a last burst of brilliance from a dying nova, that optical media will go the way of dinosaurs, and if I end up keeping the DMP I should realize that it would be the equivalent of doubling-down on vinyl playback well into the digital age (which, by the way, was something I did not do, despite a beloved and quite-large collection then of LPs).
What I am trying to say is that I would personally most wish for at this juncture not an investment in playback of recordings on a medium that I know will sooner than later follow a similar demise as 8-track tapes, but instead an addition to the sound system that is forward-looking and that finally inspires me to transfer a vast CD collection to mass storage and go from there. And of course, I would hope that it brought as many gains in sound quality as the DMP has demonstrated in the past couple of weeks.
jstroh saidClifton saidjstroh said Received the player last week, but haven't much to say because I had to ship the unit and my Direct Stream DAC to Boulder because of no apparent fix to the problem of outputting 88.2 instead of DSD64 on SACDs. We tried several solutions, including the latest update, but no dice. Or I should say no handshake. Not sure if others have had to go to this extreme, but I was told there is no alternative than to look over both players because the source of the problem could be in one or the other.Did your player do this with the 1.40 firmware? My player output 88.2k also after I update to 1.47 or 1.57 firmware. I compared the two output and the DSD is much better sounding than 88.2k, much clearer and higher resolution.
When I first hooked up the player, it appeared to output DSD, which turned into white noise after a few minutes and locked up. I then updated the player and have been unable to output DSD under any circumstance. Are you saying that you are unable to output DSD with the two most recent updates and will have to use the original firmware indefinitely or is your opinion on the difference between the two outputs based on your memory of them and you are now stuck with 88.2? I need a permanent fix.
I should note that with the latest firmware I have experienced frequent “freeze ups,” that is the remote signals are no longer accepted, and both the transport and the DSD also freezes. I have to shut power on the rear of the two units, then power up, and the unit works fine until the next event. I did not experience this problem with the previous firmware.
It has been 2 weeks since I installed the DMP into my system. I knew during the first track of the first CD that I played, that this player
would replace my PWT. The PWT was and still is a great transport. But, the DMP is just so much more musically enjoyable.
As I look through my several pages of listening notes, certain words were written on many occasions. Natural - coherent - detailed -
airy - dynamic - open - visceral - nuanced - musical - 3 dimensional and realistic. No…the DMP doesn’t put a band in your listening
room (at least not with my system in my room). But it does an outstanding job of delivering a very believable reproduction of a
performance. Pick an instrument…say a trumpet. The initial bite of the trumpet, is there! The purity of the note is crystal clear as it
spews forth from that trumpet and envelops you. The decay of that note diminishes naturally while it maintains the proper tone and
scale. Fantastic! The same scenario holds true for other instruments and vocals. All the nuances that are present “live” are fleshed out
and kept in, what would seem to be, perfect time by the DMP.
With the DMP in my system, it is effortless to have an emotional connection with what is being played.
PS Audio should be very proud of this product. Great job!!!
Badbeef if I recall you’re using an Audioquest coffee HDMI?
Earplugs, which HDMI are you utilizing?
Has anyone used the topline Audioquest Diamond HDMI?
Wondering the differences in HDMI levels the if any to obtain all there would be out of the DMP/DS interface.
davidl saidbazza saiddavidl saidI tried a couple of different fibre cables but could not hear any difference.
I did replace the switch-mode power supplies that came with wire-to-fibre converters by linear power supplies but did not do any scientific comparisons of SQ.Thanks very much David. I’m going to try it.
You are welcome Bazza - let us know how you get on.
David
oddeophile asked “Earplugs, which HDMI are you utilizing?”
I have a 1 meter PS-12, a 1 meter PS-10, and the shorty sent with the DMP.
I haven’t been concentrating on the cables as yet. Just going through them quickly. I left the PS-12 in for
most of the evaluation as it seemed the best matched to my system.
Question for the beta group. I have most of my music is on NTFS formatted drives, not FAT32 – a stone age file system that should have been put out of its misery a long time ago, given its terrible limitations. Does the DMP read formatted NTFS drives? Has anyone tried? The Oppo BDP-105 reads those drives flawlessly.
Give it a shot and let me know.
George Moneo said Does the DMP read formatted NTFS drives?Works at least as well as it does with FAT32. I'm using a WD 2TB My Passport fairly successfully with the front USB connection. It's not perfect:
Oddeophile said: “Badbeef if I recall you’re using an Audioquest coffee HDMI?”
Naw - I left the coffee on the burner so long it’s Carbon ; )
oddeophile said Badbeef if I recall you're using an Audioquest coffee HDMI?Earplugs, which HDMI are you utilizing?
Has anyone used the topline Audioquest Diamond HDMI?
Wondering the differences in HDMI levels the if any to obtain all there would be out of the DMP/DS interface.
earplugs said oddeophile asked "Earplugs, which HDMI are you utilizing?"I have a 1 meter PS-12, a 1 meter PS-10, and the shorty sent with the DMP.
I haven’t been concentrating on the cables as yet. Just going through them quickly. I left the PS-12 in for
most of the evaluation as it seemed the best matched to my system.
Im interested as I’ve yet to find an HDMI cable to use that beats the XLR Shunyata Anaconda Zitron cable I’ve had for a few years now. It’s superb even tho not I2S.
badbeef said Oddeophile said: "Badbeef if I recall you’re using an Audioquest coffee HDMI?"Naw - I left the coffee on the burner so long it’s Carbon ; )
oddeophile said Badbeef if I recall you're using an Audioquest coffee HDMI?Earplugs, which HDMI are you utilizing?
Has anyone used the topline Audioquest Diamond HDMI?
Wondering the differences in HDMI levels the if any to obtain all there would be out of the DMP/DS interface.
earplugs said It has been 2 weeks since I installed the DMP into my system. I knew during the first track of the first CD that I played, that this player would replace my PWT. The PWT was and still is a great transport. But, the DMP is just so much more musically enjoyable.As I look through my several pages of listening notes, certain words were written on many occasions. Natural - coherent - detailed -
airy - dynamic - open - visceral - nuanced - musical - 3 dimensional and realistic. No…the DMP doesn’t put a band in your listening
room (at least not with my system in my room). But it does an outstanding job of delivering a very believable reproduction of a
performance. Pick an instrument…say a trumpet. The initial bite of the trumpet, is there! The purity of the note is crystal clear as it
spews forth from that trumpet and envelops you. The decay of that note diminishes naturally while it maintains the proper tone and
scale. Fantastic! The same scenario holds true for other instruments and vocals. All the nuances that are present “live” are fleshed out
and kept in, what would seem to be, perfect time by the DMP.With the DMP in my system, it is effortless to have an emotional connection with what is being played.
PS Audio should be very proud of this product. Great job!!!
earplugs said oddeophile asked "Earplugs, which HDMI are you utilizing?"I have a 1 meter PS-12, a 1 meter PS-10, and the shorty sent with the DMP.
I haven’t been concentrating on the cables as yet. Just going through them quickly. I left the PS-12 in for
most of the evaluation as it seemed the best matched to my system.
oddeophile said: "Love your humor Badbeef. I couldn’t remember. All I could vaguely recall was it started with a C. LOL. "
Thanks - I appreciate it. I try. Some may disagree ; )
I had a girlfriend in grad school who considered herself something of a wit. When she broke up with me, as a parting shot she said (with regard to my sense of humor) “All you can do is tell groaners”. 
Of course this was just AFTER I had flown to Denver where I got a good deal on a Mustang for her from a dealer I knew, and drove it back to Chicago for her…
BTW, AQ does make a Coffee as well.