PS Audio gives you 30-days to preview and compare it to your existing equipment. If you do not like it, you can send it back.
I replaced my McIntosh MCT450 with the PST, but my MCT450 was acting up a bit and is currently in the shop. Even so, the MCD600 is a different animal than both of my experiences because itâs not a transport. Just curious, whatâs your pre and DAC?
Essentially, if you have a killer DAC that you like more or have reason to believe is better than your MCD, then Iâd go to the transport.
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Good thinking
I think the upgrade to the PST would be a worth while move. With the playerâs new isolated output and the precision low jitter clock, the mate with the DSJ over I2S is tremendous. I have a feeling if you brought this guy home for the trial, itâd be part of your system for a very long time.
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The MCD600 is a full player with its own internal DAC and its XLR audio outputs plug into my AR Ref 5se preamp.
Yeah, thatâs a really good point.
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Oh, I know I understand these different devices quite well. Except your Ref5! I donât think it has a DAC. Beautiful MN kit.
Thanks, WATChad. Youâre right, the Ref5se has no DAC. For SACDs, Iâm letting the MCD600âs own DAC do the work. I have a DirectStream Jr. DAC, which I use for streaming on Qobuz. I tried out the MCD600 as a transport by routing the digital signal into the DSJr via a coaxial cable but that setup didnât sound as good as the full MCD into the Ref5se.
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Thanks, James. Thatâs helpful info to mull over! Iâll keep you posted.
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Just wondering how owners of the new PerfectWave transport are breaking in their units? Is it necessary to put hours on the actual transport drive, or can the unit be broken in using the USB stick? Iâm getting close to pulling the trigger on the new transport, and have been contemplating on how best to burn it in. Always best not to put unnecessary hours on a mechanical device, but will burning the unit in via the USB drive, and sparing the transport drive, properly burn the unit in?
Letâs ask James @jamesh about the transport when on repeat. Since the PST reads the disc into memory, I would hope that ârepeatâ would be done from memory and that the drive would be in âstandby.â
I asked James today when I called in to place my order, and he said the unit would break-in fine using the USB drive.
A nice option.
Right and the unitâs buffer isnât large enough to hold the entire disc. That would be sweet if it could. Like if you were listening to the disc on repeat, read it once, shut the drive off, and then continue playing the disc form mem. Thatâs a cool idea. Other than for burn in purposes though, I canât imagine the individual who can continually listen to the same album/disc on repeat.
I did that for the Avettâs âThe Once and Future Carpenterâ when I first got it. Or some here would accuse me of. 
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I have to say, Iâm a little confused as to what the new SACD Player brings Vs the DMPâŚas the DMP was marketed as⌠âWelcome to DMP, the last optical disc player you will ever need. There are simply no better devices madeâ?
There are never better devices made until they come out with the next one.
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Well, sales hype is not empirical evidence durable for eternity.
The isolation of the output is a big change here that improves sound quality. In the other direction, the new player does not play all the formats the earlier does at least in a very picky and clunky manner, nor does it have the artwork display. A wealthy person could have one of each, one for each HDMI input on the DSD. If I were a wealthier person, I would.
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My favorite is the marketing of automobiles. One would think the wheel had just been invented with each yearâs new model.
This and they often make it look as if there are major parties at the dealerships. Yet, every time I go to test drive a car the dealership is pretty sleepy.
Audio is similar. Most threads here includes someone in an absolute rave over a product, a tweak, an album.
Hyperbole Forever!
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