Ciamarasound Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Playback Design Merlot DAC ($6500) Playback Designs imagines, creates and manufactures the highest performance, highest resolution, jitter free digital playback systems available for the most discerning of listeners. Each and every person involved with Playback Designs is first and foremost a lover of music. Without this appreciation no company involved in either high-end audio or the professional recording industry can truly measure how good the products are that they are bringing to market. Sure, they measure each and every unit that we ship, but the most important step is the final listening session that occurs just prior to packaging the unit for shipment. Playback Designs’ systems represent the finest audio playback in the world for the finest listening system in the world… your ears! Most people consider digital playback to be sonically inferior to analog playback, whether tape or vinyl. Playback Designs wanted to match or better the critical areas where we felt analog had superior advantages without losing the benefits of great digital playback. The Merlot D/A converter is the first in history to also offer recording capability direct to hard disk. Anything you want to do with audio, digital or analog, this system can do it. The Merlot is a state-of-the-art discrete converter accepting any digital format and sample rate up to quad DSD via its AES / SPDIF / USB and PLink (proprietary ST fiber-optic) interfaces. Merlot Integrated DAC / Headphone Amp Features Up to 384kHz PCM and up to 11.2MHz DSD USB, AES, Coax, PLink inputs Headphone output with separate volume control Balanced and unbalanced line level outputs Differential discrete DAC (standard “Playback Designs” architecture) Software upgradeable by end user Recording software for file creation on computer This product qualifies for Free Shipping and 5% back in points when you register for Club Ciamara Membership Rewards Program 1.844.CIAMARA (1.844.242.6272) High End Audio Store NYC - Experience Ciamara Ciamara is the trusted leader in high end audio. We deliver the tailored advice and service of the best local stereo shops, but with a dynamic, interactive experience that is only possible on the Web. For more details, we invite you to visit us at ciamara.com Link to comment
Solstice380 Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 Have you heard one? https://audiophilestyle.com/profile/21384-solstice380/?tab=field_core_pfield_3 Link to comment
Ciamarasound Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 Have you heard one? They just started shipping to dealers, so we should be getting our hands on one very shortly. Ciamara is the trusted leader in high end audio. We deliver the tailored advice and service of the best local stereo shops, but with a dynamic, interactive experience that is only possible on the Web. For more details, we invite you to visit us at ciamara.com Link to comment
esimms86 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 The Merlot with the OpBox sounds like the most intriguing combination as it allows you to listen to any OPPO supported disc formats without having to go through HDMI. Now if it were to also allow you to rip from SACDs, DVDAs and blu ray discs, well, that would be awesome! Getting sound close to vinyl and tape is an interesting promise but first you'd have to prove that this is more than just advertising hyperbole. I'd also be curious to know what sound parameters were found in their design to be the key ingredients for matching or bettering the sound of analog media. Link to comment
Ciamarasound Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 The Merlot with the OpBox sounds like the most intriguing combination as it allows you to listen to any OPPO supported disc formats without having to go through HDMI. Now if it were to also allow you to rip from SACDs, DVDAs and blu ray discs, well, that would be awesome! Getting sound close to vinyl and tape is an interesting promise but first you'd have to prove that this is more than just advertising hyperbole. I'd also be curious to know what sound parameters were found in their design to be the key ingredients for matching or bettering the sound of analog media. Agreed. Music is such a personal experience and looking for that sonic holy grail can be challenging. These are a just couple of the many reasons we offer 30-day home trials. The founder and lead engineer of Playback Designs, Andreas Koch, is a well respected leader in the field of DSD and digital playback/recording. His designs are always carefully thought out and well executed, so anytime he introduces a new product it's worth taking a look at. Ciamara is the trusted leader in high end audio. We deliver the tailored advice and service of the best local stereo shops, but with a dynamic, interactive experience that is only possible on the Web. For more details, we invite you to visit us at ciamara.com Link to comment
jtwrace Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Look forward to your thoughts with it compared to the Vega in PCM. W10 NUC i7 (Gen 10) > Roon (Audiolense FIR) > Motu UltraLite mk5 > (4) Hypex NCore NC502MP > JBL M2 Master Reference +4 subs Watch my Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMw_bZWBMtRWNJQfTJ38kA/videos Link to comment
bmoura Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 And don't forget that the new Playback Designs DAC comes with a bottle of wine! Gelato, Tubes, Wine & DSD - Native DSD Blog Link to comment
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