At last... (Audiolab) - part I

http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/644532.html


Glad I didn't spunk that 2k on the Naim piece...

 

Hallelujah. A reasonable price too.

 

You getting one to audition? Who supplies them?

 

much better.... loved the westlake pt stuff and he claims this is better - just dont need the cd transport - is the pre amp / dac one coming out anyone know?

 

looking at the cd / dac / pre - bloody good specs and price for that much gear

 

They're great according to the advert, anyway.

 

Now if it could store music instead of spin CD's it'd be highly interesting....

 

thats what ive got 2 tb oof storeage and a mac for

 

Mmm, perhaps I could sell my Naim CD 5 and Flatcap 2x.

Jack

 

Form an orderly queue...

I just want the DAC but I'll take the DQ CD... Should be interesting times ahead for those overpriced 'boutique' DACs that are enjoying the run of things at the minute.

 

Do you really believe what is said in that promotion? If you like the sound of Naim amplification in the first place, you will not find it in a Audiolab product.

 

How did you work that one out?

 

If it had HDCD it could have been even better. They even get 5 points more than every other moron manufacturer for placing the eject button away from the drawer.

Now if we could just get the default display to be track time remaining, they really would be geniuses.

 

Can anyone explain that to me and what would be required to use this to front a hard drive system

 

It supports Async USB from PC at 24/96. And also uses a little used remote control feature buried in the USB protocol that allows it to control the basic function of itunes and media player. I have no idea if the same can be used to navigate a NAS. It's basically track forward, track back, play pause and stop.

it also does 24/192 over Spdif, electrical and Toslink, but your other hardware needs to be able to manage it. Most computer Toslinks can't output 192, and most spdif can only do it on dual cable. (Curiously my shitty Cambridge Audio cd player can input and output both at the higher format over single wire, yet Chord and DCS can't...)

 

Intrigued by Peter Comeau's comment - "At last I can forget the source and just listen to the music."

Makes you wonder what he's been listening to all these years

 

So what's your thoughts then Darren?

 

IMO
UK Audiolab stuff was good but not very interesting if one likes the way a Naim cd/amp is presenting music.

Quite sterile sound by previous 8000M/Q/CD, lots of power.. 8000T beeing the only one I'd love to own again.

Hope above is past and they now have hit the spot

 

Its not the blurb or the badge.

This is the long awaited dac by John Westlake, who designed the Pink Triangle DaCapo which was a very fine dac.

And he said this one's better....

 

So what kinda company is Audiolab these days, have they lost their association with that group???, where and how are they manufactured and are/will they be making serious 'hifi' again???