I have been very sceptical about this whole digital/computer/ipod music thing. I have been listening to my ipod through the Wadia dock and my Wadia 781i CD player as a DAC. Nice but constrained and flat.
Then I found this site. Hmmm..all of you seemed like you were having fun.
After reading Chris's review of the Minerva, I decided to take the plunge and try this whole computer thing for music.
Gentlemen, I am amazed at the sound of the Minerva. I am amazed at how good my itunes can sound through my imac, the Minerva through my Audio research LS26 pre and Audio Research VS115 amplifier and Joseph Audio speakers.
My ripped cd files are 44khz AIFF and sound really good. Upsampled to 176, they are better.
My Reference Recordings music at native high resolution are absolutely and completely amazing. I have not heard music like this before at home or for that matter outside of a live event.
I am ashamed to say I am looking at my Wadia 781i cd player and Linn LP12 and wondering why I ever bothered. And I love them both, I assure you!
I am not given to hyperbole and believe me I have felt that adjectives around these things are used loosely. But the sound I am hearing is not a little better, its orders of magnitude better.
I am converted and humbled and all it took was a little DAC.
Thanks Daniel for creating such a thing of beauty!
Thanks Chris for bringing this to my attention!
anjan
