Summary: I read the other review (which appears to be duplicated) and I needed to respond. I have a Rotel RCD-961 CD player, which as the time was an excellent product (and probably still is). I'm an analog/LP person and I've never been satisfied with the sound of CD. I"ve been upgrading my CD chain for a while and, after reading the Stereophile review of this product, decided to take the plunge into DAC-land.
Briefly, the sound quality, and specifically the LP-ness of the sound, is much improved with this product vs. the Rotel. I've A-Bed the sound and I can't go back to the Rotel. The rest of the audio chain is Plinius/Dynaudio with JPSlabs wiring everywhere, so I'm listening with high quality componts.
That said, this is still not LP sound, even with incredibly high-quality recordings such as the Steve Hoffman DCC Joni Mitchell "Blue"....but it's coming close to holography.
Poorly mastered CDs still sound horrible through the A324...probably worse.
Strengths: Clean, pristine sound. Quiet, friendly, locks on to thte signal instantly. Cool blue lights.
Weaknesses: Won't turn your CDs into LPs.
Similar Products Used: This is my only DAC
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Summary: Open and detailed, but tonal balance is heavily treble-dominated / bass light. Definitely a "try before you buy" product.
Strengths: Open spacious soundstage, especially with 196KHz upsampling where the detail really shines through. Well & solidly made.
Weaknesses: Tonal balance is very treble-dominated, this really irritated after only a few minutes - I couldn't live with this. Bass is weak and a little loose. Limited inputs; only 1 co-ax and 1 optical input. Irritating clash between the front panel red power light and the blue status lights - yuk.
Similar Products Used: Benchmark DAC1, Eastern Electric Minimax CD, Meridian 563 (tha bass champ!), Mark Levinson 39, Perpetual Technologies PA1 & PA3, Quad CDP99.
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Summary: Well made, hefty. Good detail & soundstage, but let down by lightweight balance. Obviously very system dependent - a definite "try before you buy".
Strengths: Good presentation of detail, especially with 192KHz upsampling. Open and spacious. Treble is smooth and extended. Quite good focus and transparency, especially for the price.
Weaknesses: Overall tonal balance is treble-dominated and started to really irritate after only a few minutes. I could not live with this. Bass is a little loose and very lightweight. I've owned & enjoyed many MF components over the years, but this is the worst musical balance I have heard from them.
Similar Products Used: Benchmark DAC1, Eastern Electric Minimax CD, Quad 99, Meridian 563, AudioNote DAC3, Mark Levinson 39, Perpetual Technologies PA1 & PA3, MF FCD
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The ERC-1 CD player is in a class by itself for price/performance.
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