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designer Ed Meitner, owner of EMM Labs, poses with
the audio rack at the ‘Dark Side of the
Moon’ announcement
at the Hard Rock Cafe during CES 2003. |
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Audio designer Ed Meitner and his firm, EMM
Labs, are well
known for their work in developing state of the art audio
products for the professional audio market. These products
include the well-regarded Switchman II 6 channel preamp/switcher
and the Meitner 4th generation DSD converters – the
DAC8 DSD digital to analog converter (DAC) and the ADC8 DSD
analog to digital converter (ADC). A visit to the EMM Labs
web site shows that the users of these products represent
a veritable who’s-who in the recording business, including
some recording artists, engineers and producers who have
yet to release SACD material.
The popularity of the Meitner products was driven home at
last year’s AES Convention in Los Angeles when SACD Project
Director David Kawakami said that the new 4th generation Meitner
DSD Converters have been such a hot product that almost every
new SACD disc in production at that time was made using the
Meitner DSD converters.
Recording Studio Playback of SACDs with Professional DSD DACs
One of the interesting things available to the pros, but not
audiophiles, is the ability to listen to SACD discs through
professional, reference level DSD DACs like the Meitner DAC8.
In professional use, some studios have employed specially modified
SACD players to connect to professional DSD DACs so they can
compare a DSD master tape to an SACD test pressing.
In
fact, at the AES Convention in Los Angeles last year, the folks
at Telarc brought along one of these modified players (in this
case, a Philips SACD-1000 multi-channel SACD/DVD-Video player)
so attendees could hear how good SACD can sound. The question
this raised was how do audiophiles obtain this level of performance
at home? To address this market, Ed Meitner has brought two
new products to market for both the recording studio professional
and the audiophile.
Meitner SACD-1000 Digital Output Module
The first of these products is the new Meitner Digital Output
Module for the Philips SACD-1000 multi-channel SACD/DVD-Video
player. The output module is a circuit
board
that fits into an expansion module space on the left side of
the SACD-1000
player. (I’m not clear on why Philips made a provision
for an expansion card in the
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| The
DAC6 in its box before unpacking. Note the manual
and power supply. |
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SACD-1000,
but it’s fortunate
that they did.)
Once the module is installed, the SACD-1000 player continues
to operate as it did before – but it now has several
new connectors and features. These include:
- 6-channel DSD audio output in EMM's proprietary ST glass format (compatible with the EMM Labs Pro DAC8 Mk IV DSD converter and the new EMM Labs Audiophile DAC6 Mk IV DSD converter)
- 2-channel PCM output in AES/EBU format (only for CD-DA discs)
- Upsampling of PCM audio from CD-DA discs to 2-channel DSD for the highest possible quality conversion to analog audio
- External clock input for clock slave operation (selectable clock sources are BNC input or optical input)
- Plays both SACD and CD-DA discs
I
should note here that since the digital optical module
is specific to the SACD player mechanism in the SACD-1000,
it
is not usable with SACD players other than the SACD-1000.
When the Meitner Digital Output Module is installed into
your Philips SACD-1000 player, you suddenly have an SACD
transport, which can be connected to a Meitner DSD DAC using
the module’s proprietary ST glass format. Since this
set-up works with Meitner’s DSD8 Pro DACs, the first
batch of modules were sold to and installed in the SACD-1000
players used by several companies and individuals in the
recording industry. In January, this product was introduced
to the audiophile market at the CES 2003 show in Las Vegas
and orders were taken for the product shortly thereafter.
The DAC6 6-channel DSD Converters
Now that there is a way to convert an SACD-1000 player
into an SACD transport, the next step to obtain reference
level
SACD playback is to connect the transport to a DSD converter.
To address this need, EMM Labs obtained an SACD hardware
license through Philips and developed the new DAC6 6-channel
DSD DAC.
Looking at the new DAC6 you will probably note that it is
very similar in appearance to the professional DAC8 Mk IV DSD
DAC from EMM Labs. In fact, the main differences between the
two products are that the DAC6 offers 6 channels of 4th generation
digital to analog conversion (DAC) while the DAC8 pro model
offers 8 channels of DAC conversion. The DAC6 also omits the
BNC digital outputs
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| The
DAC6 out of its packaging – note the similarity
to the DAC8 Pro DSD DAC. Like the Switchman II,
it’s another basic silver box. |
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present
on the DAC8 to comply with the terms of the SACD license. Otherwise,
the conversion and audio
circuitry is the same. I asked Ed Meitner about this and he
confirmed that both the DAC6 and the DAC8 Mk IV contain the
exact same converter cards and circuitry.
Connecting the SACD-1000 Transport and the DAC6 DSD Converter
Once you receive the SACD-1000 transport and the DAC6 converter,
the next step is to connect them to each other and then to
your audio system. When you purchase the SACD-1000 transport
and the DAC6, you’ll also most likely purchase two pairs
of EMM Labs ST Glass optical cables. These carry the optical
data information from the SACD-1000 transport to the DAC6 as
well as the word clock in and out signals between the two units.
According to Ed Meitner, by carrying the DSD optical data and
the word clock as separate signals, the combination of these
two products can re-clock the data to avoid jitter problems.
Another interesting feature the DAC6
offers is a choice of clock signals. You can either use the
native clock on the SACD-1000 or you can have the DAC6 provide
the clock to the audio source in a unique “pull mode” where
the DAC6 pulls the audio signal from the transport. Meitner
recommends the latter setting for best results and that is
what I used during listening tests of the two units.
I should also mention that the initial production run of the
DAC6 DSD converters only offers balanced XLR analog outputs.
Unlike most consumer and audiophile products, there are no
unbalanced RCA output jacks available. To connect the units
to my system, I connected the two sets of ST Glass cables (mentioned
above) and then connected six XLR balanced cables from the
DAC6 to my Meitner Switchman II preamp/processor, which offers
two sets of each type of connectors (XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced).
It would be possible to use balanced to single-ended converters,
if your system does not have multi-channel balanced inputs.
And then I was ready for some listening tests...
Listening to Stereo CDs Through the DAC6
As previously mentioned, one of the unique features of the
Meitner SACD-1000 Digital Output Module is that it includes
circuitry that upsamples regular 16-bit 44.1kHz CD audio to
DSD so that the music can played back with the Meitner DAC6
DSD DAC. At CES, some audio experts told me that they thought
some people may choose to buy the Meitner SACD Transport and
DSD DAC for this feature alone.
To test these claims, I played back a series of garden variety
CDs as well as some well-known audiophile and gold disc CDs
in my collection. All benefited from the detail and definition
provided by the Meitner DSD DAC. Not surprisingly, CDs that
had minimal compression, air, detail and stereo separation
fared best. In these cases, the Meitner took a really good
CD and made it even better.
In my listening tests, some of the audiophile CD standouts
through the Meitner SACD-1000 Transport/DAC6 combo’s
DSD upsampling included ‘Return to Sender’ from
the Steve Hoffman re-mastered album ‘Elvis: 24 Karat
Hits’ on DCC Compact Classics, ‘Surfin’ USA’ from
Telarc’s album ‘California Project’ by Beach
Boy imitators Papa Doo Run Run and ‘Wooly Bully’ by
Sam The Sham and the Pharoahs from ‘45’s on CD,
Volume II (1960-1966)’ on Mercury that was re-mastered
by Dennis Drake. All three of these CDs are well known for
their excellent sound and the Meitner SACD transport and DSD6
DAC only added to the definition, sonics and separation.
I also found very impressive results on several non-audiophile
CDs by artists like Tom Jones (‘Green Green Grass
of Home’ from ‘Best of Tom Jones’) and the 5th
Dimension (‘The Sailboat Song’ from Stoned Soul
Picnic). The Meitner system was very good at bringing out previously
undiscovered detail and definition from these discs as well,
although the results again varied based on the quality of the
original CD and the amount of compression and detail present
on the original. Even so, I can see I’ll have a lot of
fun in the weeks and months ahead “rediscovering” some
of the CDs in my collection through the Meitner system.
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rear panel of the DAC6. The six balanced XLR
sockets on the unit provide the analogue pre-amp
outputs. |
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Playing Some Stereo SACDs
Next up, it was time to move to stereo SACDs and see what
the SACD-1000 Transport/DAC 6 combo would bring to the table.
In this listening test, I hooked up the equipment through the
Meitner Switchman II preamp/switcher so that I could listen
to both the Philips SACD-1000 SACD player in normal mode as
well as the SACD-1000 Transport/DAC6 as a system. This proved
to be an interesting comparison.
The Philips SACD-1000 is known for its low jitter, High Definition
Analog Module (HDAM) output stage designed by Marantz and Philips
and its warm sonic signature. My SACD-1000 has over four hundred
hours of playing time on it, so it is completely ‘broken
in’. In comparison, the SACD-1000 Optical Card/DAC6 combo
only have over one hundred and fifty hours of playing time.
So the player has the ‘break-in’ advantage, if
you believe in such things.
When comparing the two systems, the SACD-1000 did well for
a consumer SACD player with an original list price of $2,000.
But I have to say that on well-recorded stereo SACDs, the Meitner
SACD-1000 Transport/DAC6 was significantly better. The DAC6
brings a host of benefits to stereo SACD playback. You immediately
notice a lower noise floor, better definition and detail and
excellent and precise imaging.
Another thing that was immediately apparent was the wisdom
of the decision by Sony and Philips to focus on and bring a
lot of audiophile label material to the SACD market early on
in the format’s life. A number of these stereo SACDs,
which had sounded good in the past, are brought to an even
higher level with the SACD-1000 Transport/DAC6 system. This
is especially true with SACDs made from DSD and analog masters
such as ‘Stir It Up’ by Monty Alexander
on Telarc, ‘A
Song for You’ by the Jeremy Monteiro Trio on FIM, ‘Our
Gang’ by the Anthony Wilson Trio on Groove Note
and ‘Double
Vision’ by Paul Bollenback on Challenge. On these
discs, the music featured excellent sonics, air and definition
on
instruments such as drums, guitars and piano.
The stereo SACD catalog also features a number of discs re-mastered
from the original studio master tapes, many of which also scored
well with the Meitner. Some highlights included the Creedence
Clearwater reissue series on Analogue Productions and the Zombies
Greatest Hits on Audio Fidelity (both mastered by Steve Hoffman),
the Vince Guaraldi Trio on Analogue Productions (mastered by
Doug Sax) and several others.
Also of note were some of the Sony Music Japan SACDs including ‘All ‘N
All’ by Earth, Wind and Fire and ‘Caravanseri’ by
Santana. These discs also offered some fine sonics and a sense
of air and definition. If you’re looking to buy a high
end SACD player or system like the Meitner, I’d suggest
checking out some of the following SACDs and tracks which scored
well in this portion of the Meitner system listening sessions.
Standout Stereo SACD Demo Tracks:
- Wild
Horses from Hot
Rocks by the Rolling Stones (ABKCO)
- Suzie
Q from Creedence
Clearwater Revival by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Analogue Productions)
- Cast
Your Fate to the Wind from Jazz
Impressions of Black Orpheus by Vince Guaraldi Trio (Analogue Productions)
- Shes Not There from Greatest
Hits by the Zombies (Audio Fidelity)
- Thank
You Herbie Hancock from Double
Vision by Paul Bollenback (Challenge)
- Goodbye
Pork Pie Hat from Mingus
Ah Um by Charles Mingus (Columbia)
- Theres A Kind of Hush from A
Song For You Karen by the Jeremy Monteiro Trio with Two for Brazil (FIM)
- Chitlins
Con Carne from Our
Gang by the Anthony Wilson Trio (Groove Note)
- Fool
on the Hill from Modern
Cool by Patricia Barber (Mobile Fidelity)
- Pavane from Hans
Rucker: The Musical Legacy by Jos Van Immerseel (Northwest Classics)
- Angel
in the Dark from Angel
in the Dark by Laura Nyro (Rounder)
- Ill Write A Song for You from All N All by Earth, Wind and Fire (Sony Music Entertainment Japan)
- Waves
Within from Caravanseri by Santana (Sony Music Entertainment Japan)
- Could
You Be Loved from Stir
It Up: The Music of Bob Marley by Monty Alexander (Telarc)
- The
Girl from Ipanema from Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto (Verve)
Moving On to Some Multi-channel SACDs
Since
the Meitner DAC6 is a 6-channel DAC, I would remiss to not
do some listening with the system in multi-channel mode.
Here the “sound mode” button on the SACD-1000 player/transport
proved handy. It lets the listener toggle between the stereo
SACD and multi-channel SACD tracks on multi-channel SACD discs – with
only a slight delay before the mode switches.
Comparing the stereo and multi-channel tracks of the SACDs
at hand was quite interesting. The multi-channel tracks that
were primarily ambient in nature gave a very nice sense of
a concert hall or listening environment that quickly disappeared
when switching back to stereo SACD mode. For the more “immersive” surround
mixes, a similar shrinking of the sound field occurred when
the sound mode button switched back to stereo SACD mode. The
bottom line was that once you hear either type of surround
multi-channel mix via the DAC6, you are unlikely to switch
back and listen to it in the stereo mode.
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| The
SACD-1000: from the front it looks the same as
before its trip to get the Digital Output Module
card added. |
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Another
interesting finding was the impact of multi-channel SACDs that
featured a vocal that was mixed completely into
the center channel, rather than those that use a phantom center
vocal, very much like what you get on a stereo SACD or CD.
With the Meitner DAC6, the multi-channel SACDs with a strong
center channel vocal were much more compelling – almost
as if the singer was in the room singing to you live.
I also reflected on Telarc’s past comments that they
compare their SACD test pressings via an SACD player modified
so it would connect to a Meitner DAC8 DSD DAC before approving
it for replication. After hearing several of the Telarc SACDs
through the DAC6, I'm very sure that is indeed the case. The
rich detail on Telarc SACDs by the Ensemble Galilei and the
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet were very impressive indeed. And
the real highlight was one of the lesser-known Telarc SACDs
named ‘Scary Music’. Released just before
last Halloween, this SACD features DSD sound effects, vocals,
choral
singing and orchestral performances that are truly three-dimensional
when played through the DAC6.
Other multi-channel highlights included DMP’s gospel
SACD ‘Grace’ (Wilson Audio’s Peter McGrath
called this SACD via the Meitner DAC6 “scary good” at
CES 2003 – based on my listening, he’s right),
the excellent channel accuracy from the O’ Jays ‘Ship
Ahoy’ SACD and some wonderful orchestral music from several
SACDs from Verve. Here’s a list of some of the best of
the multi-channel SACDs I listened to through the Meitner DAC6.
Standout Multi-channel SACD Demo Tracks:
- Changed
My Name from Grace by the Broadway Inspirational Voices (DMP)
- Suspicious Minds and The Kings Medley from My
Tribute to the King by Helmut Lotti (EMI Electrola)
- For The Love of Money from Ship Ahoy by the O Jays (Epic)
- You Saved My Life from Strange Beautiful
Music by Joe Satriani (Epic)
- The Golden Age from Sea Change by Beck (Geffen)
- Hes A Carioca from Waves by Eden Atwood (Groove Note)
- Honeysuckle Rose from In Full Swing by Mark OConnors Hot Swing Trio with Jane Monteith and Wynton Marsalis (Odyssey)
- New Favorite from New Favorite by Alison Krauss and Union Station (Rounder)
- Scollays Reel from From The Isles to the Courts by Ensemble Galilei (Telarc)
- SFX: Haunted House Fun and Theme from Addams
Family from Scary Music by Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops (Telarc)
- Hasta Alicia Baila from LAGQ: Latin by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (Telarc)
- Ask a Woman Who Knows from Ask a Woman
Who Knows by Natalie Cole (Verve)
- The Look of Love from The Look of Love by Diana Krall (Verve)
- Ive Got You Under My Skin from When I Look In Your
Eyes by Diana Krall (Verve)
- Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield (Virgin)
Pricing and Availability
The Meitner DAC6 Multi-channel DSD DAC and the Digital Output
Module for the Philips SACD-1000 multi-channel SACD/DVD-Video
are now available. The pricing of these products are:
EMM Labs Meitner DAC6 Multi-chanel DSD DAC – $8,995
EMM Labs Meitner Digital Output Module for SACD 1000 Player – $999
(installed)
EMM Labs ST-Glass Cables (2 Sets) for SACD Transport to DAC6
Connection – $80
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added connectors and features on a Philips SACD-1000
player that has been enhanced with the EMM Labs
Digital Output Module. |
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Professional audio sales of these products are being handled
through Studio Audio Digital (Sadie) in Nashville, Tennessee
and Canada Promedia in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Consumer sales
of these products is being handled by Chambers Audio in Washington
and Oregon. Chambers Audio also has a web site at http://www.chambersaudio.com/ where
you can find more information about their company.
Future Products from Ed Meitner’s EMM Labs
As you might expect, there’s more to come from Ed Meitner
and EMM Labs in the months ahead.
Now that the Philips SACD-1000 player is out of production
(EMM Labs had a limited stock on hand for modification last
month but these have already sold out), EMM Labs is developing
their own Meitner SACD transport. This product will include
the same SACD player mechanism that is in the SACD-1000 along
with the Meitner Digital Output Module card already built in
for use with the DAC6.
Ed Meitner says that some audiophiles who are interested in
the DAC6 DSD DAC have asked about a version of the unit that
would include unbalanced RCA output jacks as well as the current
XLR balanced outputs since their preamp doesn’t support
XLR balanced inputs. Ed Meitner tells me that the next production
run of the DAC6 will have a set of unbalanced RCA output jacks
added to the product to address those requests.
The current version of the Meitner Switchman II 6 channel preamp/switcher
has been sold out. The good news is that a new edition of the
Meitner Switchman 6-channel preamp/switcher is under development.
The main advantage of the new Switchman will be that the connections
will all be on one side of the unit for easier configuration
and use by audiophile and consumer buyers. I’m told that
the new Switchman will be on the market in about ninety days.
In Conclusion
As I said earlier, to my ears, the Meitner SACD-1000 SACD transport
and DAC6 DSD DAC has set a new standard for multi-channel and
stereo SACD playback. The very revealing nature of this combination
will delight SACD and CD fans alike. I could go on, but I still
haven’t had a chance to play a number of my CD and SACD
discs through it yet. So I’m heading back to the listening
room.
I’d encourage you to take a listen to the Meitner SACD-1000
transport and DSD DAC6 when you get a chance. You won’t
be disappointed. But you may need to get your credit card ready
when the demo is over!
Brian Moura - 17/03/2003
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