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https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> Reviews >> Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1447700564 Message started by Steve Deckert on 11/16/15 at 19:02:44 |
Title: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by Steve Deckert on 11/16/15 at 19:02:44 Quote:
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Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by dvl on 11/17/15 at 13:23:42 i didn't realize Steve would post that email i sent him, but i'm glad he did. i wanted to add some details for anyone considering this wonderful gear. First, a few comments about the CD/Network player. My son lives on his iPhone, he cannot be without it and it holds all his music. With this player he can just easily hook it up to the USB on the front of the machine and listen to whatever he wants. He can stream Spotify through his phone and listen to that. He loves it. With Steve's output stage, it just sounds wonderful. i listened to discs, stream my library from my hard drive, and listen to internet radio. As i mentioned in my email to Steve, i listen to Radio Paradise mostly. i also listen to Dylan radio. Both sound great, and you can easily tell differences in the sound quality of the songs played. Some discs that i own that sound too awful to play, i will stream from my library. i use J River and i can adjust it in ways that takes out some of the harshness and makes them a bit more listenable. It is also wonderful to play some of the "unofficial" live performances i've collected over the years. Some of those just sound spectacular. That Decware output stage is just amazing. The ZP3 is a remarkable little phono stage. A week or so ago, i took out an original copy of Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd and sat there flabbergasted at what i was hearing. It made me think i had to learn how to listen to music in a different way, so much more information coming at me but not in a clinical way at all. So much music! The stark, fundamental difference between digital and analog is even more stark now. Once both my sons heard what this piece can do, they started buying vinyl, even though when they move out, the stereo stays with me! They want to hear music like the ZP3 gives it to them. My older son brought over a friend one night and they played around with the system a bit. His friend wanted to hear an lp, so he dug through my modest collection, past all the stuff i would normally use to show off, and pulled out Bobby McFerrin, Simple Pleasures from 1988. i didn't even remember that i had that album. They both just sat there dumbstruck and what they heard. i'm not sure i can add much more to what i said about the Torii Jr. and the Monoliths. If you get the Monoliths, you gotta break them in. They sounded awful right out of the box, but then every speaker i've owned has been that way. i played music through them for 10 days straight. Give them some time and they will come around. The last system i owned was expensive and it was wonderful. It wouldn't be fair to try to compare that system to the Decware gear i have now. For one thing, my auditory memory isn't that good, i sold it off in 2010. And i think the two are different approaches to reproducing music. But i will say this. i haven't heard this combination of speed, transparency, and musicality in my listening room. If you are considering Decware, take the plunge. You can always return it. i'm betting you won't. A big thank you to all those who post on this forum. You helped me get here, and i love where i am!! David |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by will on 11/17/15 at 14:22:24 Exciting David! Sounds like you made great choices for your system! |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by Palomino on 11/17/15 at 18:38:05 Great write up. Thanks. Glad you like your new gear! |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by Steve Deckert on 11/19/15 at 02:22:39 Quote:
Yes, Thanks for posting too! I had to chuckle on this one. Steve |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by alper_yilmaz on 11/19/15 at 12:57:55 Dear David, Thanks for the detailed review. Good to hear that you are enjoying your setup... I am not sure if you have heard about it but Tidal is a CD-quality music streaming site. It does not have as much broad a collection as Spotify as of yet, but it is getting there. So if you or your kids are into streaming, that might be another option with better quality sound. In my bedroom setup with the TABOO, soon to be replaced by an SE84UFO, I stream music at times via my iPhone and air it to an Apple TV. Sequentially, even with a budget DAC like Cambridge Audio's DacMagic 100, I can hear the difference between TIDAL and Spotify... So it might be worth giving it a shot if you have not already... Best, Alper |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by stone_of_tone on 11/19/15 at 17:56:12 Congrats dvl/David. If I did not have the ZMA....the Jr. is a no brainer to purchase. I loved my pentodes in triode for many years....(SE84CS). Now, I'm addicted to the Power and Dynamic's I can only get from Steve's UL with no negative feedback and topology! |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by dvl on 11/19/15 at 18:27:11 Thanks for the advice, Alper. One son has "gamed" Spotify, the other is heavily into Apple Music. We have had debates about listening to Tidal, i always lose that one even though the quality is better. Believe it or not, they both would rather listen to LPs at this point! David |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by alper_yilmaz on 11/20/15 at 08:20:19 The whole LP thing is great; yet extremely costly, man... I recently bought a Rega turntable but whenever I would like to buy some LP's, they cost a fortune (unless I dig in some hipster vinyl joints in Brooklyn)! But your kids must have big ears and love the ritual! :) Cheers, Alper |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by dvl on 11/20/15 at 13:40:10 They have really surprised me. One son actually haunts used record stores. We have several around here. The other one saves his allowance and then spends it on Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean LPs. Just last night, the younger one came downstairs after listening for about an hour and said to me that getting that system was the best thing i've done. As his father i'm not quite sure how to take that, but there you go. |
Title: Re: Review - Monoliths, Torii Jr, ZCD240, ZP3 Post by Hekowee on 11/20/15 at 19:12:13 Ditto the Tidal recommendation from Alper. They stream only Lossless, and have a very impressive collection. They go pretty deep in all of the areas that I search. Another cool feature is the "similar artists" that you get with the search results, often uncovering unknown (to me anyway) artists in the genre. |
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