I must say this guy has got amazing equipment, I particularly love the Bottichelli speakers by Alsyvox. What a beautiful looking speaker, these and the Caravaggio up to their Raffaello brand to me are some of the best looking speakers in the world🤟
That turntable is the s***! I have worked on several Kronos by now and absolutely adore it. I am surprised however he's got what typically is considered a rather basic Ortofon cartridge - although perhaps it's been transformed into a "mega cart" level with that ruby cantilever retip done by Soundsmith. But yeah, on the whole, Ortofon “house sound” typically isn’t my cup of tea.
@@OCDHIFiGuy Right but on video that pertained to the Brinkmann rig he preferred the cheaper DSAudio optical cart to the more expensive “gold” DSAudio optical cartridge. I was referring to the relatively inexpensive (for a 66k Kronos Limited Edition turntable combo) re-tipped Ortofon Cadenza Bronze. I am sure he doesn’t think that Ortofon betters the two DSAudio optical carts that he uses on the Brinkmann? Or does he?
It's nice when you have a really knowledgable customer with sophisticated ears. That wooden bookshelf speaker is the Alta Audio Alyssa made by Mike Levy in New York. Mikey - you should definitely carry that line of speakers. That model is the most musical bookself styled speaker I know of for about 5K. I like it even more than Joseph Audio.
Beautiful system setups! Keyword concept phrase of the video is “brain relaxation.” Minimize the digital “squirrel food.” Sums up perfectly how Playback Design DAC’s reveal their strengths.
Not everyone can live with low volume, low dynamic range of LPS, not to mention the intrinsic lower SNR, esp the noise of low bass he can tolerate with high sensitivity to smoothness in high frequency range. This means his unique preference for playback design dac doesn't apply to many other people.
@@OCDHIFiGuyAnd I think it totally makes sense that Isaac chose Audionet, because I’ve found my amp to be very natural and tube-like. Low, low harshness factor. What was your take on his amp, in one word? Just curious.
Pioneer Elite DV58 or any of the similar Pioneer Elite machines. I have one that I use to play SACDs and CDs when I don't feel like like toggling the MPT8/MPD8 from streaming to transport, or just to throw in a CD quickly. Not as good as the MPD8 of course but pretty good. The old Ayre C5xe was a modified Pioneer Elite.
Just as I suspected Mikey, you'd be leaving without that mpd-8. Once I heard it for the first time, I had to pull my wallet out as well. You can't unhear what you've heard, and if you love good digital, you have to buy the mpd-8 or find a way to make it happen.🎧👍🙂
i am not hating you mike or am i expecting the kronos to be better (for the cost it should) but if you're so confident about the MPD8 why not compare the two? if the owner is reading this i hope they would make the comparison themselves and film it
I've got too much respect for my client base to use them like that. Aaand I don't owe you anything, do I ? No. I don't. You're not in the market for one anyways. Know how I can tell ? You would have called and ordered one already. It is guaranteed to beat anything you have or your money back. Don't worry, I'll keep putting up people that say MPD-8 beat what they had and ill not even compare it... TRUST me, the buyers find me. How do you like my description with all my tags and tricks for clicks ? Lol. NOTHING. I don't need to make you into my trained monkey by baiting you. High End buyers know how to recognize thier sellers... ;-)
Mikey, i know you make countless videos exposing the industry and telling people you're the black sheep telling people to think critically about what's served to them. i like and enjoy this content but when someone goes slighly against the grain, for me this was a simple theoretical question and not a hate comment. i know that you need to defend your pride and beliefs. and if i chose to buy what you sell I'm sure it would be great. but saying stuff like its the be all and end all source (not dac, if you said its a fantastic dac i think everyone would agree) but going and saying its the be all and end all source is a perhaps a bit much in my opinion. calling people poor is also not very kewl
Sorry i cant follow this one:this guy says dont like bright sound and end up buying a Kronos and Soulution,these are ultra transparant components,didnt he know that,spending all that money,i have the same ears as this guy so i know my shit.Why not go for tubes like Kondo,or a 300B amp.
@@OCDHIFiGuy. My comment to back then to you was that the Rossini had tremendous bass control but it had a false sense of rhythm, as in a drum machine versus a really good drummer. It had no groove! It didn’t sound natural! The etched top end your client spoke of was also spot on. The first CD player I ever purchased had the same sonic signature. So with the last three I’ve owned which includes the MPD-8 it’s been the very first thing I’ve looked to avoid. The MPD-8 oozes with a natural presentation. That’s why your client and myself can compare it favorably to a good vinyl rig.
mikey.... you have promissed in several videos that you were gonna compare the mpd8 to a $100,000 turntable set up.. but now that you did find someone who has one "you're not gonna because that would be leveraging this gentlemans system." I love your videos man but like please
Yup. That is the way it goes. He plays the Kronos because it sounds better than the digital dCS. With the MPD8 that will no longer be true and the Kronos will likely languish. The MPD8 will sound better than the Kronos so why go to the effort?
Imagine that OCD Mikey is here in my living room slinging the shit, telling it how it is about what's good and what's not. Someone ask me yesterday " Which 3 people in the world would you ever want to meet, ofcourse first I said Mohatma Gandhi, second Barack Obama and thirdly The Blacksheep. He said who the F is the Black Sheep!? So I showed him a video. YES HE SAID❤
MPD-8 is not expensive. Look up WADAX. Do your homework.. look up NAGRA. DartZeel. This is cheap. They pay me anything I want in the whole wide world every day...
@@OCDHIFiGuy Hi Mike, 24000 dollars is not cheap. This is an extreme pile of money not only for this specific device but for any DAC at all. I watched your video about it and i agree that it is a beautiful piece of engineering and build quality. But that doesn't change the fact that it is enormously overpiced. I don't know why somebody would preferred it to Holo May for example, while it is much beter designed and built, costs five times less and sounds better for sure. This is the true high end at somehow affordable price and everything above is an audiophile hype and perversion.
Where are you getting this assumption about the May being superior to the MPD-8 from? I own the MPD and have also owned and compared side by side with a Tambaqui and May. There really is no comparison on several levels. I get that $24K is a large amount for many but why assume that the May is the pinnacle simply because that is what you can afford. Mikey only said the MPD is the best regardless of price. He seems to be less fixated on price than you, since you seem to be saying that nothing that costs more than the May could possibly be any better.
@@a.s.2426 You are biased and sound just like someone who is trying to ease his conscious. I will not go into technical details and concept why May is better. But it is. And when you are such a big expert and so rich why don't you buy Lampizator Horizon for 50000, a?
The MPD-8 is my reference because it sounds the best to me of the DACs I’ve heard. No details about technical specs (such as you allude to) are needed or are relevant in any way. You can’t “prove” the May is the best. Audio doesn’t work that way. I would ask you this: Have you ever even heard the MPD? At least I have done so. Sure, I could buy a Horizon (also a very nice DAC) or any other DAC for that matter (cheaper or more expensive) but so far I haven’t found anything that I think tops the MPD. If I do, I would probably buy it - again to my point: It isn’t the price that is the motivator, it’s instead the sound. Give it a try yourself with the MPD side-by-side with the May and then you tell us what you think. Right now you seem to be speaking purely in the abstract.
Mikey, your hand was so close to the cartridge (Second set-up)... I almost had a heart attack
Lol. I know. It was the camera angle as well..
Kronos are made in Quebec! What super nice set-ups the gentleman has!
Gorgeous. He's got great taste
Congrats to the host. You have a spectacular system.
I have listened to those alta audio speakers before. Really great pair and the finish work is 🎯
For sure... ;-)
I must say this guy has got amazing equipment, I particularly love the Bottichelli speakers by Alsyvox. What a beautiful looking speaker, these and the Caravaggio up to their Raffaello brand to me are some of the best looking speakers in the world🤟
Italian Design, what do we expect ? They used to be called Leonardo and were MUCH less in cost..
Holy smokes that's one gorgeous turntable.
Isn't it gorgeous ?
That turntable is the s***! I have worked on several Kronos by now and absolutely adore it.
I am surprised however he's got what typically is considered a rather basic Ortofon cartridge - although perhaps it's been transformed into a "mega cart" level with that ruby cantilever retip done by Soundsmith.
But yeah, on the whole, Ortofon “house sound” typically isn’t my cup of tea.
I think you’re correct in your assessment of the Soundsmith retip.
He said it was more pleasing to the ear with the less expensive cart.
@@OCDHIFiGuy Right but on video that pertained to the Brinkmann rig he preferred the cheaper DSAudio optical cart to the more expensive “gold” DSAudio optical cartridge.
I was referring to the relatively inexpensive (for a 66k Kronos Limited Edition turntable combo) re-tipped Ortofon Cadenza Bronze.
I am sure he doesn’t think that Ortofon betters the two DSAudio optical carts that he uses on the Brinkmann? Or does he?
Wow what beautiful systems. Thanks,for the video.
Glad you like them!
It's nice when you have a really knowledgable customer with sophisticated ears. That wooden bookshelf speaker is the Alta Audio Alyssa made by Mike Levy in New York. Mikey - you should definitely carry that line of speakers. That model is the most musical bookself styled speaker I know of for about 5K. I like it even more than Joseph Audio.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Yeah I've been hearing great reviews of this Alyssa speaker. I think its in keeping with Mikey's offerings.
Beautiful system setups! Keyword concept phrase of the video is “brain relaxation.” Minimize the digital “squirrel food.” Sums up perfectly how Playback Design DAC’s reveal their strengths.
Absolutely
Beautiful system. Those speakers are great, and hail to the MPD8!! (One day, one day…)
Agreed!
Good info. One of my local dealers has the DCS Rossini and clock which I have heard many times. 👍
Next stop Vivaldi...
The Black Sheep HiFi Tribe is ANTI-SNAKE OIL haha love it.
Say hello to the Horns !! Lol.
Interesting he has the Ortofon Bronze, Ortofon describes it as a warm cartridge, so probably aligns with his sensitivity to harshness.
That's exactly why he uses it. The more expensive ones were too much
That’s an incredible endorsement for MPD8.
I'll keep them coming. One day you will understand Mikey is the Gold Standard with recommendations ;-)
Not everyone can live with low volume, low dynamic range of LPS, not to mention the intrinsic lower SNR, esp the noise of low bass he can tolerate with high sensitivity to smoothness in high frequency range. This means his unique preference for playback design dac doesn't apply to many other people.
I have an Audionet integrated, too. Just not their TOTL. Great amp!
Seemed OK. I'd need one in my own system to pass judgement..
@@OCDHIFiGuyAnd I think it totally makes sense that Isaac chose Audionet, because I’ve found my amp to be very natural and tube-like. Low, low harshness factor. What was your take on his amp, in one word? Just curious.
Is there any old stuff worth looking for as digital source? What would you take 10/20/30 years ago?
WADIA
Pioneer Elite DV58 or any of the similar Pioneer Elite machines. I have one that I use to play SACDs and CDs when I don't feel like like toggling the MPT8/MPD8 from streaming to transport, or just to throw in a CD quickly. Not as good as the MPD8 of course but pretty good. The old Ayre C5xe was a modified Pioneer Elite.
@@OCDHIFiGuy Thanks.
@@chuckmoore5382 Thanks.
Just as I suspected Mikey, you'd be leaving without that mpd-8.
Once I heard it for the first time, I had to pull my wallet out as well. You can't unhear what you've heard, and if you love good digital, you have to buy the mpd-8 or find a way to make it happen.🎧👍🙂
Download files Sonic
better than streaming
That doesn't mean I'm
going to do as such 😮
Yeah Shane, if you love to intimately connect with music.. this is it.
I nominate Mikey for Best Actor Award in HiFi. Way to Go Mikey.
Yeah, I'm not acting, but I'll take any award you want to give me.
Those Speakers❤
Indeed!
Right ?
Wow, that was really something to think about 🐹
Yes !
i am not hating you mike or am i expecting the kronos to be better (for the cost it should) but if you're so confident about the MPD8 why not compare the two? if the owner is reading this i hope they would make the comparison themselves and film it
I've got too much respect for my client base to use them like that. Aaand I don't owe you anything, do I ? No. I don't. You're not in the market for one anyways. Know how I can tell ? You would have called and ordered one already. It is guaranteed to beat anything you have or your money back. Don't worry, I'll keep putting up people that say MPD-8 beat what they had and ill not even compare it... TRUST me, the buyers find me. How do you like my description with all my tags and tricks for clicks ? Lol. NOTHING. I don't need to make you into my trained monkey by baiting you. High End buyers know how to recognize thier sellers... ;-)
Mikey, i know you make countless videos exposing the industry and telling people you're the black sheep telling people to think critically about what's served to them. i like and enjoy this content but when someone goes slighly against the grain, for me this was a simple theoretical question and not a hate comment. i know that you need to defend your pride and beliefs. and if i chose to buy what you sell I'm sure it would be great. but saying stuff like its the be all and end all source (not dac, if you said its a fantastic dac i think everyone would agree) but going and saying its the be all and end all source is a perhaps a bit much in my opinion. calling people poor is also not very kewl
Great video!! Thanks Mikey!!!!
Glad you liked it!
Good morning Mikey from Washington State….☕️☕️☕️☕️did you play the Duran Duran song for the guy with killer hearing..
He had his own from the same era...
@@OCDHIFiGuy I played the Duran Duran on my system, it was borderline…hopefully the New Ontech will help
Sorry i cant follow this one:this guy says dont like bright sound and end up buying a Kronos and Soulution,these are ultra transparant components,didnt he know that,spending all that money,i have the same ears as this guy so i know my shit.Why not go for tubes like Kondo,or a 300B amp.
Yeah, well he's in good hands now.
Kondo.. lol
😅
@@OCDHIFiGuy Sell him some NAT amps,end of story,at least for me...
If you remember Mike I auditioned intensely a fully blown DCS Rossini before I visited you. You know what happened after that. Another MPD-8 sold!
I completely forgot Ivan. What was your finding ?? (Other than not as good)
@@OCDHIFiGuy. My comment to back then to you was that the Rossini had tremendous bass control but it had a false sense of rhythm, as in a drum machine versus a really good drummer. It had no groove! It didn’t sound natural! The etched top end your client spoke of was also spot on. The first CD player I ever purchased had the same sonic signature. So with the last three I’ve owned which includes the MPD-8 it’s been the very first thing I’ve looked to avoid. The MPD-8 oozes with a natural presentation. That’s why your client and myself can compare it favorably to a good vinyl rig.
mikey.... you have promissed in several videos that you were gonna compare the mpd8 to a $100,000 turntable set up.. but now that you did find someone who has one "you're not gonna because that would be leveraging this gentlemans system." I love your videos man but like please
Lol. Don't watch my channel then...
Compare digital to vinyl
Yawn....
Are you that simple?
that listening area in dude's house is small asf. what's the point?
Uhhh. Work with what you got, hello...
Great speakers!
Yes, beautiful 😍
$137k speaker & crossovers 😮
Caravaggio is four way speaker $256k
Yeah, someone will make another one for half that price.
@@OCDHIFiGuyFlorian w Clarisys Audio set goals for 6ft speaker @10k 🔊
Sounds like he is trying to
match his analog w digital
Yup. That is the way it goes. He plays the Kronos because it sounds better than the digital dCS. With the MPD8 that will no longer be true and the Kronos will likely languish. The MPD8 will sound better than the Kronos so why go to the effort?
I've got a story about that Chuck...
No subs with the ribbon speakers?
I'd throw a pair of 18 inch JBL subs into that rig and let 'er rip hell ya Mikey!
Namastesaran
Lol. Shiiiii
Imagine that OCD Mikey is here in my living room slinging the shit, telling it how it is about what's good and what's not. Someone ask me yesterday " Which 3 people in the world would you ever want to meet, ofcourse first I said Mohatma Gandhi, second Barack Obama and thirdly The Blacksheep. He said who the F is the Black Sheep!? So I showed him a video. YES HE SAID❤
Rock on Mark !!
Make sure Obama and Mikey are in the same meeting please. 😂
Hey, the OCD guy, when will you understand that expensive doesn't always mean good. Especially in audio. And btw how much do they pay you?
MPD-8 is not expensive. Look up WADAX. Do your homework.. look up NAGRA. DartZeel. This is cheap. They pay me anything I want in the whole wide world every day...
@@OCDHIFiGuy Hi Mike, 24000 dollars is not cheap. This is an extreme pile of money not only for this specific device but for any DAC at all. I watched your video about it and i agree that it is a beautiful piece of engineering and build quality. But that doesn't change the fact that it is enormously overpiced. I don't know why somebody would preferred it to Holo May for example, while it is much beter designed and built, costs five times less and sounds better for sure. This is the true high end at somehow affordable price and everything above is an audiophile hype and perversion.
Where are you getting this assumption about the May being superior to the MPD-8 from? I own the MPD and have also owned and compared side by side with a Tambaqui and May. There really is no comparison on several levels. I get that $24K is a large amount for many but why assume that the May is the pinnacle simply because that is what you can afford. Mikey only said the MPD is the best regardless of price. He seems to be less fixated on price than you, since you seem to be saying that nothing that costs more than the May could possibly be any better.
@@a.s.2426 You are biased and sound just like someone who is trying to ease his conscious. I will not go into technical details and concept why May is better. But it is. And when you are such a big expert and so rich why don't you buy Lampizator Horizon for 50000, a?
The MPD-8 is my reference because it sounds the best to me of the DACs I’ve heard. No details about technical specs (such as you allude to) are needed or are relevant in any way. You can’t “prove” the May is the best. Audio doesn’t work that way. I would ask you this: Have you ever even heard the MPD? At least I have done so. Sure, I could buy a Horizon (also a very nice DAC) or any other DAC for that matter (cheaper or more expensive) but so far I haven’t found anything that I think tops the MPD. If I do, I would probably buy it - again to my point: It isn’t the price that is the motivator, it’s instead the sound. Give it a try yourself with the MPD side-by-side with the May and then you tell us what you think. Right now you seem to be speaking purely in the abstract.
Imo, it seems this guy may have tinnitus and not realise yet, or already knows.
No, Alsyvox sonic separation enables listeners to hear everything 😊
He's been to an audiologist. No tinnitus.
DCS is a great selling tool for you😬
You're not kidding. I could probably convert every Bartok and Rossini owner. Next stop, Vivaldi stack...
Why don't chinese preamps have an input selector?
Answer; Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊
Communists don't want people to have a choice.
Lol. 👏
Lol. 👏
And the APL DSD GR beats them all = )))
Yeah buddy. That is end game. Cost no object.
Really ? Prove it....
@@OCDHIFiGuy The proof is out there. HIGH END MUNICH show 2024.
How was the Innous sounding?
Hard to tell... the listener bought the Playback Streamer however..