Enjoying a gently used pressing of Dr. John, the night tripper - Gris Gris.

Really enjoying being "tied-up to the physical CDs" with my PerfectWave DAC and Transport. With the Digital Lens inside the Transport and the I2S connection via HDMI the sound still just surprises and trips me out, six months later.

Disc 3

Last night, I decided to see what 6 ERRs and a bunch of Torii tube magic could really do. Rather than merely using the back speakers for fill, I cranked them up, along with the fronts and centers, using the Ultra's down-mixing capabilities. And played the following albums.

The results were extraordinary. It felt like I was in the middle of an actual concert. Granted, reproducing a true piano, flute, small ensemble, or human voice so that it seems right there, can still be a challenge. But conversely, live rock music sounds very much like "you are in it." I was one of those that thought home music is not the same as live; maybe most of the time, but not always.

My 15yo said "what's amazing is that you can still hear everything." In other words, it's not just volume. It's dynamic, layered, articulate. And the bass from 6 ERRs? Prodigious. From outside the house, it sounded like I had a band inside the house. And I only had the Toriis cranked up to 1 o'clock. Room to spare. Wouldn't want to do this on a sustained basis, but it was impressive. Started softly, and ended softly. In between, not so much.

Man oh man, what I can imagine with my experience of one Torii and two ERRs, with all that amplification, the Ultra, and six ERRs that must be incredible sound.

It's so cool you have a fifteen year old to share this with (and other children). I've had a wonderful life full of experiences, I think at this stage in my life that raising children is the one experience I've really missed out on.

Interesting about the SACD playback. I honestly don't miss SACD playback in my main system as i feel that the redbook playback from the PWT via HDMI to the PWD is so damned good. (I can play SACDs in the second system using the trusty DEC685 which sounds really good).

Lon wrote:
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It is cool. They are a blessing. Not always unmixed, mind you. But five daughters have generally removed al concerns about what to do with discretionary income.

And then back to music:
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From my perspective, so much depends on the original recording, the mixing and mastering, that one can rarely assume that any one format is always better. it is clearly not I have DVD-A, SACD, and Redbook of Hotel California, for example, where I am not at all sure that any one is clearly superior, though to my ears, the DVD-A has more air. OTOH, the SACD-SHM of the first Dire Straits album I just recently picked up is significantly better than either the original CD or the remaster. And Floyd's DSOTM in 5.1 SACD is simply spectacular. I can play a 2-channel down mix of it through the PWD, and then use the Ultra's mixing capabilities to mimic the 5.1. But I get the full benefit of the SACD only if I play the SACD in the Oppo. One nice thing about being able to rip these now, is that my Oppo can play them from the NAS without having to get the disc out and run the risk of damaging it. However, gapless play over the network is still not as reliable as from the disk itself.

Another Muse cd.

Now on to

And for a change of pace:

I'd love to have a box set of all the performances at this festival.