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ctsooner

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  1. Chris, Sam sells it from his site. If you have interest in any of his software (it really takes things to a better level) get in touch with Sam. Text Sam at: 917-535-8888 email at: [email protected] Feel free to tell him Pete sent you. He'll be able to let you know if he can help or not. I also know they have even more software upgrades from what they share on the site as their players keep getting upgraded.
  2. My server, The Memory Player by Laufer Technic, uses Windows. They are selling some amazing software to lower jitter etc. that my buddy installed on his Windows computer and it sounds amazing. He built a minimal server and used the build in DAC on the board. He build a nice sounding LPS to drive it all, but once he installed some of this software, it took it to a new level. It's all about implementation though. You can make any of them sound good, but some sound a lot better if done properly. I enjoy reading these threads to find out what folks are doing. Fun stuff, thanks for letting me play.
  3. I was wondering if anyone else is using this server (some with DAC). I have been using it for a couple of years now. I have the internal DAC and now a true dual balanced analog volume control to run direct to my Vandersteen mono blocks that drive Vandersteen Quatro CT's. A close friend, Matt Clott writes for The Absolute Sound and did the review on the top Innuos server and has heard the Taiko (former Green Machine I believe it was called). Matt feels its the best server he's ever heard and purchased one. I too feel it's the best server I've had in my system to play with and it's not close for my ears. They are upgrading the chassis to a two box unit that will be milled out of solid blocks of aluminum. I can't wait. You can upgrade with whatever caps you want etc... Lot's of great small digital companies out here. I used to own an Empirical Audio DAC that was fully tricked out and it was a GREAT DAC. I'm hoping the internal DAC in my Memory Player will sound amazing as it's been totally redesigned. I'll get the unit next week. Just curious who's heard TMP and if anyone else owns one.
  4. There's a company out of Atlanta, GA called Empire Ears. Jack and his crew make some of the best IEM's and CIEM's that you can buy. Their entry level is around 500 or so I believe, but they are serious IEM's and compete for best in the world. www.empireears.com
  5. I have friends who have gotten teh smaller Memory Player for Laufer. www.thememoryplayer.net if you get in touch with Sam, he can discuss with you what he can do to help. They make the best players right now and it's not close. Their software lower the jitter big time. I own their top unit and am blown away by the great sound. I notice so many folks making things complicated and saving only a few dollars and still not getting what they want IRT sound. Every single time you add something in digital it's a crap shoot. Noise and jitter just get in the way. It's a system just like in analog audio. Not every piece goes together regardless of highly rated they are. I have spent a lot of money to just send my system the cleanest power I can. Even the power cords on digital gear is HUGE. It's also not always the most expensive that works best. Right now I'm with the Audioquest power cords and Niagara over the TOTL Synergistic Research I formerly owned as it just sounds much better in my application. YMMV as it's digital and each house/room is so different when it comes to power delivery etc... JMHO
  6. This happens all the time in the digital world. SO often we've all seen this same scenario where a company does it's job and responds quickly, but it it to a dead account that was never updated, or to spam etc... I use Apple and have to constantly change the outgoing email server being used as it always tries to default to my iCloud email that I too, NEVER USE. (I have to have my me.com and iCloud.com as I've been with them so long and it has screwed me up since the change years ago). Glad that it will all be taken care of quickly. Very few I know have had problems with Aurender, but when they do, the company gets things fixed very quickly. I dont' own Aurender (I have a Laufer The Memory Player with integrated DAC), but feel the N10 is the best server in the business IRT ease of use, sound quality, build quality etc.... They make GREAT products. I'm obviously not a shill as I have zero skin in the game. Can't wait for your unit to get fixed adn back in your system.
  7. Update. Mark has figured out how to integrate Roon in TMP. I get mine back next Friday adn can't wait. There have been SOOOO many upgrades since I purchased mine. It still crushes every player on the market that I've heard. My buddy, who's a reviewer for TAS and a couple of others, has had all the top servers in and says nothing else is even in the contest and he doesn't have all the upgrades yet, lol. Mine will probably be the only one that has the integrated DAC as they are focusing on TMP and their new line array speaker line.
  8. You can get Roon, but it won't sound as good as JRiver. It's just not that great still. Same with Tidal. It can sound great, but not as good as a well recorded track in high Rez.
  9. I hope that you can. I asked Sam and will reports back as to what he says. I listen to a lot of Tidal too. I could have sworn he told me last year that it can now be set up that way, but don’t take my word on that. Let’s see what he says.
  10. I love Jim's gear. All of it. Heard the Mimas integrated crushes it at 6k or so. Just amazing. I sold my Rhea when I sold my analog rig, but what phono stage. Their top modded gear is so special. I just love these brands because they sound great, even their lower ones without stealth caps. These caps are so special though. Sam Laufer will use whatever you want. It was my idea to use the Stealth's. His digital is unreal. Mark P who started Melos, is the designer.
  11. Dave, there are a lot of directions and maybe all make a positive difference. Mark is so software driven and that's why I think he is way ahead of the power curves out there. A larger company can't always do what Mark is doing for financial reasons. They also may not think it matters (clearly it does as every upgrade he makes is making a positive difference in my digital playback. What I'm most excited about is Mark deciding to make my internal DAC an external, two box unit. I think it's going to become another of his no holds barred products. We have StealthCaps being used and he's upgrading the tubes as well as everything else. He also does more with power filtering etc.. than many other manufacturers out there. It's custom, so I'll chose what inputs I want and need. I currently have a digital pre output (that I'll never use as I've yet to hear a digital preamp sound good) as well as a built in analog one that I can't try, because I have to use a 100hz cross over for my Vandersteen Quatro's. Eventually I want to get Richard's new mono blocks and then I'll have mark design the preamp (or jsut get a used Audio Research or Aesthetix pre. Bottom line though is that this is the first digital that I feel compares favorably and often bests top vinyl (Yes, I've heard it against top reel to reel and was blown away at how good is can sound.
  12. Mark, not sure which one you have compared to mine, but I can tell you that the N10 doesn't come close to the one I'm using.
  13. Possibly a bit off topic, but I have a Mac mini server that was Steve Nugent (Empirical Audio) personal unit. I now am using Laufer Teknik Memory Player as it's world class. My server is really special, but it runs on a large Paul Hynes LPS unit. I odn' have the specifics, but I can get them from Steve. Are these units worth much on the after market?
  14. I recently got the all new Memory Player with DAC. The DAC is in prototype still. they will be taking it out of the player and making a two box unit out of it and upgrading the caps to StealthCaps along with many other upgrades. It sounds awesome right now, so I can't wait for the full blown solution. Right now in my system, to my ears, in my room it sounds as good as the Brinkmann, Berkley Ref adn DCS Rossini I've had in to audition. I sold an Ayre QX5 and will sell my Steve Nugent server/Paul Hynes LPS unit server for this combo. I've had many top servers in to play with. My favorite has been the Aurender N10. This Memory Player blows it away for me. It's just one of those units that does everything better. It's hard to put into words sometimes how I hear. I can use audiophile terms, but even those mean different things to different folks. The biggest difference I always hear when listening to digital vs analog (good vinyl) is that I relax into the music with analog (vinyl or reel to reel/my fav). I've heard the MP in a Rockport Lyra system with top analog, both vinyl and new reel to reel. I got to hear the same song on all three in a blind test and the MP and reel sounded nearly the same. You could hear small differences in drive and pace with the reel that the other two couldn't give you. the MP impressed with the size of the stage. I didn't think I'd hear the depth with it that I got with either reel or vinyl, but it was there. It had the pin point location of vocals adn instruments also, which again, I didn't expect. I'm getting similar in my room in my modest system of Vandersteen Quatro's and Ayre AX5/20 (which I'm selling off to get the new Vandersteen mono's, lol). I can't help myself. Anyways, this is a special unit and they continually upgrade the software for you. I've gotten to know Sam and like him a lot, but it's about the unit not the friendship here. I strongly recommend folks to check it out and put it on the must hear list. I have a few friends who have done that and also purchased it, so I know it's not just me, lol. Anyways, there are a lot of great choices in servers right now, so that's the best part. enjoy all
  15. Guys, the reality is that implementation of newer and better materials, knowledge of the various type of jitter along with basic trial and error gives us components that are worlds better than what the past gave us. It's not even close if you sit and listen in the same system, same room etc... I have some older digital gear still that was considered high end in the 90's and early 2000's. I have had friends bring their older gear over to hear differences. I just sold my Ayre QX5/20 digital front end/streamer/DAC. I've had many top DAC's from 100k down in the system. I"ve recently (a few years) owned an Empirical Audio top end DAC (Steve makes one of the best on the market) along with the Ayre and a few other lesser ones I use for headphone listen at times. I go to many stores and hear what they have along with my audio buddies. I like to think that I get out and hear a lot of digital set ups. I use the Platinum WW ethernet cables and when I use USB, I'm using the Audioquest Diamond cable. I use an EMO medical filter along with optical isolation at times. Both work very well and neither take away from the sound. I use Audioquest Hurricane power cords and the Niagara power conditioner deal. The cords and Niagara make a WORLD of difference. Best cables I've had in my system, but I"ll be getting the Enklein and Elrod's in to audition soon. My system consists of Vandersteen Quatro CT, which to me have sounded better than anything I've auditioned from 30k down. I use an Ayre AX5/20 with the build in Vandersteen crossover for the speakers (they are semi active). Speaker cable are AQ Castlerock. My interconnects are the former top fo the line AQ WEL balanced (their new mystical creatures are AMAZING). My new Streamer, server and DAC are the Memory Player from Sam Laufer. This is the link for those who don't know about it. www.thememoryplayer.net Mine is a prototype DAC that is getting better and better as they do up grades to get it ready for market. The Stealth Caps are being shipped as I type. I use the Hurricane cables on everything. The music I'm playing as all 24/192 or 32/384 direct from albums or reel to reel. I don't know the A/D converter they used, sorry. I've used various tweaks, but not too many. I think my system sounds very good for the price range. I only share that, because digital is strange. It will sound different in all systems due to mainly power being fed. It's jsut strange that way. There are a few types of jitter than Laufer/Mark use to measure their jitter and they constantly upgrade the software to lower them all. I have yet to see any other products lower their jitter this much and it shows. I can actually change the jitter settings and the difference is not subtle. They also use defragmented slotting for all music. Makes a HUGE difference...The point is that NOTHING from years past is even close to this. I loved the Theta in its day. Most of my favorite dealers sold it. Just a wonderful product, who's time has past. If you are being honest with yourself and others, you will go listen to it against the top digital on the market today and hear the difference. I have done this as there are plenty of Theta's around still. I have the Krell 64 and stealth DAC's (just sold the 64 and will sell the Stealth). They are still outstanding in so many ways. They really are. I had the Stealth in the system during a gap after selling the Ayre and it amazed me how good it still is vs many of the under 2k DAC's, but overall, it lacks in the highs especially. Also the noise floor is not as low as the new digital is. Again, JMHO, but I do audition a ton of gear and have a decent system to audition it on.
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