Hello Mr. Ebaen, I hope this finds you well. First off, thank you so much for all the hard work entailed in preparing the reviews on 6moons. Your website is virtually my only reliable reference when it comes to gear reviews. Also and on an entirely different wavelength, I hope that the ramifications and repercussions of what's going on in the Ukraine are as light as possible on your country. My father was born in Slovenia, which with just Hungary sits between it and the Ukraine. I grew up on stories told by refugees and escapees of all sorts of authoritarian European regimes left and right. So, to the point—and apologies for taking some of your valuable time with such a pedestrian question—but is there any contest in 'musicality' between a Nakamichi OMS-7 CD player + Nakamichi SR-4A receiver and a more recent combo like a Luxman D-N150 CD player + SQ-N150 integrated amp for instance; or even a higher-priced Luxman rig?
The reason I'm asking is because the former combo, manufactured in the mid-80s with which I'm satisfied, is beginning to show glitches that sadly not even a recognized Nakamichi technician like Mr. Willy Hermann who has his shop on the other side of the hills from Berkeley and has been beyond kind with advice, will endeavour to repair. In other words, once my old combo gives up the ghost, I'll need to find something else. I've been eyeing the same exact combo on eBay but then I wonder how long I'll be able to enjoy the magic of those Phillips TDA1540D chips when I'm willing to spring for something way more expensive. Another way to ask this question is this: Is there a newer DAC chip that can compete with the TDA1540D on musicality?
And just to clarify, that rig is just for CD. I'm in the process of putting together a totally analog LP rig around a Yamamoto A014 amp also based on the glowing reviews on 6moons,and I have an SET 300B Woo Audio WA5-LE headphone amp hooked to the turntable. Thank you again and kind regards. Francisco Pance
Hello Francisco, given that your kit was built ca. 40 years ago means that progress was made in the interim. I understand your loyalty to the TDA1540D sound and would suggest looking at the Denafrips brand via vinshineaudio.com. They design discrete R2R ladder DACs so execute the old Phillips principle off chip. We've reviewed a number of their models and I have the flagship in my upstairs system. To my ears, that would set you on the proper path in a cost-effective fashion so peruse their catalogue and select the model that meets your price. They all use the same converter principle, just successively beef up the power supply, tighten up parts tolerances and add features and socketry. I'm not familiar with the Luxman CDP so can't comment. As to the Ukraine conflict, I was born in Germany but have lived abroad since my early 20s. After living in Switzerland for about 8 years, we've now been on Ireland's west coast for already four which puts us as far west as Europe gets. Srajan
Mr. Ebaen, thank you kindly for the answer to my questions. And apologies for the geographical mixup. I thought you were based in Poland. Ireland is, as you say, as far West as one can go while still in Europe. Kind regards. Francisco
No problem. Poland, Germany, Ireland… it's all one world. We just don't treat it that way. Srajan
