CD playback: When are analog interconnects better than digital?

Just checked the manual for my amp, and they suggest using the digital input if possible. No word on whether it reprocesses the signal, or if Carver just assumes their DAC is better.

 

Sorry about my lack of clarity.

I had read in one of the reviews on the MH MMF-CD25 that if you hire the right (Chinese) contractors, they can do an admirable job. There was also a blurb about Mark Levinson and Chinese parts, but I don't recall exactly what was said.

I used the term "audiophile" a bit liberally earlier. I know this Music Hall player isn't a Krell or Linn, but I'm still interested in it for its price mainly, and its HDCD decoder.

 

Mark Levinson I believe has certain products in the Red Rose line built in China - also I believe that the Shanling CD and SACD players are from China and they have very good reports regarding sound quality.



All the best - Andrew

 

From what I gather, Music hall is Shanling rebadged.

 

Which model Shanling ?

&ru

 

Apparently the Music Hall MMF-CD25 is called the Shanling CD S-100 in China. (And retails there for only $160 USD.)

 

Here's a site in Canada that has that player



http://www.nfaudio.com/products/sources/shanling_cd_s100.html

All the best - Andrew

 

I'll be the first to admit I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that they were using Burr Brown DACs and the Phillips transport.

aashton, do you have a link to the Chinese SACDP?

 

There's this one



http://www.charismaaudio.com/S200.html

and then there is the valve version



http://www.charismaaudio.com/T200.html

All the best - Andrew

 

Say Andrew buddy, pal, friend. Do you have an extra $5,000.00 Canadian I can borrow and promise never to pay back?

Thanks for the shots.

 

I'm all out of loose change I'm afraid Dave

All the best - Andrew

 

Take what you read in reviews with a grain of salt. Roy Hall (who owns Music Hall) "discovered" this player on a trip overseas. He has quite a knack for finding cheap, good sounding stuff.

The player is both designed and built in China. Whether Roy has anything else done to the machine before rebadging, I don't know.

 

Where have you seen this for $160?

 

Well, that's what Shanghai Pete paid for his -- where else?
http://www.audioreview.com/CD,Playe...,HDCD,24-96,CD,Player/PRD_130238_1586crx.aspx

Man, busy day today. I still havent found out the status of my receiver's analog ins. I'll be back here when I do.

 

There are cables designed expressly for working with digital audio. They are still "RCA" cables (for SPDIF, that is, consumer-level digital connections) but they have a different characteristic impedence than cables designed for audio use. In the same way there are cables designed for video use. These are closer to digital cables and can be used in a pinch.

At high frequencies if you use a cable that has the wrong characteristic impedence you will get reflections coming back down the cable and confusing things, causing possible timing errors, increased jitter, etc. (It is a problem with analog audio cables too, but only if you run them for longer distances. For this reason cables designed for digital will generally work fine with analog, but not necessarily the reverse.)

So using standard audio cables for a short digital connection will probably work, but perhaps not optimally.

 

Well I've heard it in two systems and think it sounds great for the money.

I wouldn't worry about reliability too much, especially if you buy it from Music Hall. Roy Hall is a good man and would make sure if any problems came up, they'd be taken care of.

 

Your question is confusing.

Are you talking about digital only, or the final listening in analog? If you are talking digital, optical is supposed to have a higher jitter induction than copper rca digital cable. CAn you hear it? Some say they can. Higher jitter gives an uneasy sensation, and glassy high frequencys. If you are talking about analog interconnects, they do influence sound, and are great when you use seperates such as preamps, DAC etc.