I've seen several posts, here in the Stereophile forum, in which ancient (or vintage!) Magnavox CD players are mentioned as a playback source in what I assume are otherwise MODERN (and high-performance) high-fidelity systems.
Classic MULTI-BIT (R2R, etc) digital architecture still seems to draw a crowd, especially in the DIY community (= economy budget).
Unfortunately, the frugal hi-fi community diss Stereophile/TAS "audiophile" gear on unfounded rationale (incl. sour grapes--they don't own or can't afford, so they diss). The technical/"scientific" excuses (against Delta-Sigma), defecated by the budget/DIY community, are largely unfounded. IME: given decent IMPLEMENTATION (clean power supply, well-designed output stage, etc), any digital architecture (Delta-Sigma or classic R2R) can sound decent. (Even Bitstream and MASH are okay turds given enough polishing)!!!
All that said ...
I have some classic Philips/Magnavox CDPs in my collection, all from the late 1980s (before Bitstream). with some being "modded" ... and I must admit that compared to more-modern Delta-Sigma DACs and CDPs (from my experience: Musical Fidelity, Pioneer Elite, late-model high-end Chinese DAPs, etc.), the now-ancient Philips -- esp when modded -- can hold their own (= sound competitive).
Hard to call a "winner", though: the classic multi-bit and Delta-Sigma sound "different" (each with certain virtues and drawbacks).
So what's YOUR experience? E.g., how does that modified Mag stack up against, say, your iPhone+DAC?
I've seen several posts, here in the Stereophile forum, in which ancient (or vintage!) Magnavox CD players are mentioned as a playback source in what I assume are otherwise MODERN (and high-performance) high-fidelity systems.
Classic MULTI-BIT (R2R, etc) digital architecture still seems to draw a crowd, especially in the DIY community (= economy budget).
Unfortunately, the frugal hi-fi community diss Stereophile/TAS "audiophile" gear on unfounded rationale (incl. sour grapes--they don't own or can't afford, so they diss). The technical/"scientific" excuses (against Delta-Sigma), defecated by the budget/DIY community, are largely unfounded. IME: given decent IMPLEMENTATION (clean power supply, well-designed output stage, etc), any digital architecture (Delta-Sigma or classic R2R) can sound decent. (Even Bitstream and MASH are okay turds given enough polishing)!!!
All that said ...
I have some classic Philips/Magnavox CDPs in my collection, all from the late 1980s (before Bitstream). with some being "modded" ... and I must admit that compared to more-modern Delta-Sigma DACs and CDPs (from my experience: Musical Fidelity, Pioneer Elite, late-model high-end Chinese DAPs, etc.), the now-ancient Philips -- esp when modded -- can hold their own (= sound competitive).
Hard to call a "winner", though: the classic multi-bit and Delta-Sigma sound "different" (each with certain virtues and drawbacks).
So what's YOUR experience? E.g., how does that modified Mag stack up against, say, your iPhone+DAC?