So where to begin. I got my new player this past Friday and let it play on repeat for the last 36 hours. my reaction is this: WHOLLY GUACAMOLE.
This unit is a serious and wonderful upgrade from the already amazing PWT. I would say that the difference is almost as great as when i switched from the Marantz Black Pearl player (a fantastic stand alone unit i might add) to the PWT. One of my favorite demo cds is So by Peter Gabriel. it is both well recorded and yet very frustrating because of an overly bright/sizzly top end. the PWT does a great job with it, but the DMP allows more power and oomp to come through. plus the top end, while still bright, is a lot less sizzly and a lot less congested. I think the strength of the DMP is its incredible ability to resolve inner detail without adding brightness. So the music is both more detailed, more powerful, and less congested. I think that Paul and his great team have a masterpiece on their hands. I have said this before with regard to other gear, but i cannot imagine how this beast can be improved on. But knowing Paul, and his team, it will be for sure. THANKS GUYS.
Add on: I would be remiss in not mentioning the incredible sound stage that i am getting. the room and speakers have disappeared like never before. Try Anasastia by Dead Can Dance and see what i mean. Truly the most three dimensional sound i have ever heard from a home system.
Frode, by “suboptimal” to you mean only that I2S is the best quality output if you can take advantage of it, or that the other outputs are somehow deficient?
I expect the vast majority of the reviewers will only listen to the non-I2S outputs as they will not have any way to try I2S.
Elk said
Frode, by "suboptimal" to you mean only that I2S is the best quality output if you can take advantage of it, or that the other outputs are somehow deficient?
I expect the vast majority of the reviewers will only listen to the non-I2S outputs as they will not have any way to try I2S.
Not deficient really, but I consider I2s to be simply better than the rest, exhibiting the DMP full potential (saying this without auditioning the DMP).
Paul McGowan said
Review units shipped out on Friday. Print magazines take quite some time to put ink on paper. Webzines much quicker.
Paul, did y'al by chance offer review units with a combo of the DS? As @schuerholzklump238 notes, this is probably how the DMP sounds best. Granted, one would want to show people how the DMP is better than whatever they've got through whatever DAC they already have and know, but.........
Got my DMP today. One day early. Took the little feet off, gingerly placed it on top of my DS DAC. Perfect fit, of course. Then I turned the puppies on.
My two word review:
Holy crap!
I played a crappy SACD with a meh recording (Volodos Rach 3, amazing performance) and was impressed. Then I put the assistant granddaddy in: Munch and the BSO with Saint-Saens Organ Symphony on SACD. OMG! I almost spilled my bourbon when the organ came in at the start of the fourth movement. I’ve never heard it like that! What bass definition! Then, some DSD files of Stan Getz on an NTFS formatted flash drive. Great sound but the navigation is clunky. One album at a time is okay for the USB input.
The granddaddy is next: Daphnis et Chloe, with Munch and the BSO on SACD.
I lied. The next one up was the Blu-ray Audio disc of Wagner’s Ring. Fail. Wouldn’t play at all. Recognizes the disc, but no cigar. Shame, this would’ve been a great test. Peter Gabriel’s So sounds overly bright. But that’s just the way these damned pop stars cut their records.
Okay, this is an issue that’s been really ticking me off for months and months now. Why in the hell does the DS DAC go into MUTE mode all of a sudden in the middle of a track? I experienced it with the Oppo via Coax and now with the DMP. It’s incredibly annoying. It happens completely at random. I thought it was the Oppo but I guess not…
Is there any way to disable the MUTE function? Is this a bug?
NOTE: I forgot, it’s happened with MinimServer streamed music as well.
lonson said
Have you tried another cable? The only time I've experienced this (not with these components) a faulty cable was the culprit. . . .
One is a Transparent coax and the other a Transparent HDMI. (And AudioQuest Ethernet cables.) These are very good, quality interconnects. I can't wrap my head around the fact that the cable is to blame here. And anyway, it's happened when I'm streaming via Ethernet. It's very weird. It's totally random. It happens just often enough to piss me off but not enough to send the DS DAC back for a look-see.
(P.S., Dark Side of the Moon SACD sounds incredible. More detail than I’ve ever heard from the DSD layer. And dead quiet when it has to be.)
George Moneo said
Okay, this is an issue that's been really ticking me off for months and months now. Why in the hell does the DS DAC go into MUTE mode all of a sudden in the middle of a track? I experienced it with the Oppo via Coax and now with the DMP. It's incredibly annoying. It happens completely at random. I thought it was the Oppo but I guess not...
Is there any way to disable the MUTE function? Is this a bug?
NOTE: I forgot, it’s happened with MinimServer streamed music as well.
You are not accidently using another IR Remote when the mute occurs? Sometimes other product’s IR code might interfere with some IR functions elsewhere and creates utter confusion.
Frode said
You are not accidentally using another IR Remote when the mute occurs? Sometimes other product's IR code might interfere with some IR functions elsewhere and creates utter confusion.
No, only the new PS Audio remote*. The Oppo remote is the only other one I use. However, you bring up an interesting point. Could a streaming device like an AppleTV (or the wireless dongle on the Oppo) cause this? Would that cause interference? I don't think so, but I'm at a loss...
(*The new remote control is awesome. The old DS DAC remote is in the bin of forgotten devices.)
George Moneo said
The granddaddy is next: Daphnis et Chloe, with Munch and the BSO on SACD.
Did you get back to this recording? The orchestral textures and small expressive dynamic shifts would be a wonderful test.
The old DS DAC remote is in the bin of forgotten devices.)
:)
I have not had surprise mutes with the DS as you describe. I too would have suspected the cable, but for its occurrence on multiple inputs. I think Frode may be correct that it is caused by another controller or interference. It may be worth loading earlier firmware and reloading the latest just in case it somehow is corrupt - but this is a long shot.
George Moneo said
The granddaddy is next: Daphnis et Chloe, with Munch and the BSO on SACD.
Did you get back to this recording? The orchestral textures and small expressive dynamic shifts would be a wonderful test.
The old DS DAC remote is in the bin of forgotten devices.)
:)
I have not had surprise mutes with the DS as you describe. I too would have suspected the cable, but for its occurrence on multiple inputs. I think Frode may be correct that it is caused by another controller or interference. It may be worth loading earlier firmware and reloading the latest just in case it somehow is corrupt - but this is a long shot.
I ran out of time last night. Three solid hours of listening, all great. All SACD or DSD files. Some of it jaw-dropping. Lots and lots of detail, wide soundtstage, great bass on all discs. Better than the 105. Dark Side of the Moon was amazing. I’ll listen to the Daphnis tonight. It’s really the best orchestral recording I can test with – and I know it like the back of my hand. I’ll listen to Redbook as well; I haven’t played a CD yet. Got loads of tests there. First one will be, of course, the Mahler 9 with Karajan and BPO live.
