Should I buy the DMP?

If you ever get a chance to try an Antipodes or Pink Faun or Sound Galleries running Roon into HQPe with I2S to DS you may be surprised.

Of course the cost is a bit more than the DMP but not all that significantly so.

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I own a DMP and Nucleus+. For me a dsf file compared to SACD is close and DMP wins. With Convolution Filteringā€¦ even closer. CD DMP to .wav streamed from Nucleus+ SSD is even closer. If I ran the PF 2.16 Brett talks about it would be better. It is more about power and interconnects. I was blown away when I heard really good streaming. I never thought DMP would ever be challenged. An eye opener for sure. Smoked is very strongā€¦ Not a word I would use with my set up. Optical players are running out of technical edge for sure. Coming up on their end of life cycle. I own an OPPO 103 and for ripping SACDsā€¦ more of a sound investment cause DMP canā€™t do that. Donā€™t get me wrong. I play my DMP once every few weeks, nostalgiaā€¦ I stream 99% of the time. I bought my DMP cause I never thought streaming could be as good as it is. Then you listen to 24/192 radio and say this is internet radio for heaven sakesā€¦ How can it sound this good. So just for fun I am listening to Eric Clapton SACD and dsf file from SSD ripped by OPPO 103. I will bet if you sat in my sweet spot music room you would be hard pressed. That is with the bridge 2 to Nucleus+ through the AQVOX SE switch. AQVOX 0.5m CAT7 cables and Nucleus+ and switch have separate Sbooster LPS both connected to P20 using AC10 power cable. Thanks, it is nice to see I made the right decision spending the money streaming. Brett - you are so right. And when PSA comes out with their Octave they are going to announce optical disc life cycle is over when you hear our streamerā€¦:sunglasses: I will be moving to the PF 2.16 in 3 years. By then it will be amazing. This is after adding the PSA Preamp between the PSA DS DAC and BHK 250. Then replacing the BHK250 w/ set of BHK300 amps. Then after PF2.16, replace DAC w/ TSS DAC. Will take till 2021 before TSS is wrung out. Just so we are clear, the DMP has AC12 power cable connected to P20 and Nordost Valhalla 2 HDMI interconnect so it is not lacking power and interconnects.

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I think we will see the TSS DAC before 2021. Forum members, what say you?

POLL: Predict the year the TSS DAC will hit the market:

  • 2018
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • Other
0 voters
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@bootzilla - launched with Mount Everest is different than 6 loads laterā€¦:sunglasses: I mean where the DAC is in its life cycle. Not looking for the1st year beta testing. I have many pieces of gear to get. The BHK pre and 300 are proven. I am so stoked to listen to Teds DAC when the shackles of the ā€œmanā€ are off. It will blow away the completion fighting upā€¦:sunglasses: Also, releasing it before I get the BHK pre and 300s will cause me to pause. The TSS and PF 2.16 with the Holland crewā€™s cut at in house oscillator design may be spectacular. Getting rid of bridge and going PF 2.16 I2S to TSSā€¦ hold onā€¦ I caught a glimpse of the PF 2.16 going Nucleus+ using AQVOX SEā€¦ with separate LPSsā€™ from P20

I doubt it, otherwise theyā€™ll be dumping on their own other product (the replacement for DMP).

Im running these two with the Stella Trio, GCD and M700s. Whatmough 505 signature speakers. Loving it all. I wish I could go all outā€¦maybe one day.

Hitting the market, and being fully wrung out, might be vastly different dates. Unless they decide to not release it until itā€™s fully wrung out. So that unknown is an important missing part of the poll question.

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I guess you can be sure about thisā€¦but they probably also will ad that the DMP and follower are still the best optical disc unit, which they possibly are.

Everyone who buys the optical disc units just for sound reasons should give it one more thought generally imoā€¦but many also buy it because they have only a small amount of music on discs or donā€™t want to get into streaming anymore before they pass or because they want a legal option to play SACD to the DAC.

Anyhow there still seems to be a relevant foreseeable amount of optical media listeners that itā€™s worth to offer transports.

While I have generally no problem to believe reports that the DMP is better than Bridge II, itā€™s important that in serious comparisons wav or aif format (and no online service) is used while streaming, network is galvanically isolated and proper network cabling used, network power supplies are on a different power circuit than audio and no inferior (in terms of sound) streaming SW like Roon is used. I guess most comparisons so far didnā€™t consider at least half of those aspects and therefore have a non-surprising result compared to the DMP where all this is somehow addressed, no problem in this concept or mitigated.

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I just saw a gorgeous picture of a red board that is the first fully functional sample of TSS ready for bringing up and starting to test. Be careful with your predictions.

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I would have been perfectly content standing pat with the DSJr and PWT. I thank my lucky stars that the WAF over ruled and pushed for the upgrade. Enjoy your right here, right now kevjed.

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Soā€¦2021 is coming a lot sooner (??)

My bet is 2019

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No they wonā€™t be dumping on their own product. It will be just like the M700 vs the BHK 250 or 300. Higher price point and it sounds better. If itā€™s not they say they wonā€™t release it. I predict it takes years for them to be happy/satisfied with their music server and software and then Paul will say it sounds better than shiny discs from the 20th century.

Have you been able to compare the Antipodes and Pink Faun. Those companies are where my research has led me. The Antipodes is a bit cheaper but havenā€™t been able to discover any head to head comparisons.

DMP is the way to go, hate computer based systems albeit I tried it when the Squeezebox Touch was popular also have over 2K of discs

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I did not but Kin did: https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/43629-pink-faun-216/?page=5&tab=comments#comment-886404

More and more competition in high end streaming these days, these upcoming models also certainly worth considering:

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An Auralic Aries G1 or G2 is a great combination with DSD and both are available. Even supports Roon if youā€™re into that.


The Aries G1 is half the cost, has the same guts, and pretty much sounds identical.

Just checking in, as promised.
Iā€™ve had the DMP for ten days now, and I am almost hard pressed to tell one and all how impressed and satisfied I am.
Let me explain: my speakers are really too far apart, but I canā€™t do anything about that, because of the configuration of my wife designed/custom built furniture in which my components (and other things) are housed.
Nonetheless, the DMP, with the Snowmass upgrade, has made music ethereal (the best word I can think of) sounding: the sound just floats in the air, and instrument placement in the very wide soundstage, though not ideal, is somehow very satisfying as are the dynamics and subtleties. Moreover, Iā€™ve rediscovered my various CD box sets acquired over the past few years, as well as the many SACDs that I have in my Florida home.
The DS and DMP did not, however, create new amounts of time in which I can listen, but that time somehow creates itself, as priorities are rearranged. Very pleasurable and, I think, money well spent!
Thanks to all for your input.

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Wonderful; enjoyā€¦

Unsolicited advice: You might experiment with toeing your speakers in and out to pick up a better, standard soundstage; to compensate for your current set up.

Regards.