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Audio outliers are components that take a different engineering route to the end goal of reproducing music. The designer
decided that it would be better to take their unique route than follow the norm. The insight, different drummer and creative
prowess does not necessarily yield better sounding components. For example, the Doge 8 did not make our list, but that is
not to say that it is a lesser sounding preamp than the Ming Da 2A3 preamp. The Doge 8 is just more conventional. Use this
guide as interest and not a guide for finding the best sounding equipment. If the outlier’s design makes sense to you, then
buy it.
decided that it would be better to take their unique route than follow the norm. The insight, different drummer and creative
prowess does not necessarily yield better sounding components. For example, the Doge 8 did not make our list, but that is
not to say that it is a lesser sounding preamp than the Ming Da 2A3 preamp. The Doge 8 is just more conventional. Use this
guide as interest and not a guide for finding the best sounding equipment. If the outlier’s design makes sense to you, then
buy it.
The Outliers
The Ming Da MC 2A3 X8 Preamp
Packed with 9 tubes, this Ming Da preamp earns its outlier status due to the fact that it uses
2A3 power tubes as rectifiers and an EL34 power tube as a voltage regulator. This
combination of tubes and its powerful transformers make up a circuit that easily passes
music to the listener. For all its tubes, do not expect an overly rich tube sound, expect
anything that the Ming Da produces or for that matter, adds to the sound, as something of a
musical delight. It lets you not only hear pianos, but lets the rich tones of the piano wood
come through the speakers -really something special.
Packed with 9 tubes, this Ming Da preamp earns its outlier status due to the fact that it uses
2A3 power tubes as rectifiers and an EL34 power tube as a voltage regulator. This
combination of tubes and its powerful transformers make up a circuit that easily passes
music to the listener. For all its tubes, do not expect an overly rich tube sound, expect
anything that the Ming Da produces or for that matter, adds to the sound, as something of a
musical delight. It lets you not only hear pianos, but lets the rich tones of the piano wood
come through the speakers -really something special.
The Doge 6
Most folks get overly concerned about what DAC chip is used in the conversion process.
Well, we are ready to say it again: “It doesn't make a hill of beans what chip is used”. What
really gives digital music sonic character is the filtering and conversion process. Where
as most tube CD players use a solid state filter with a tube output stage, the Doge 6 uses
both a tube filter and tube output stage. The filtering is done by the two 12AT7 tubes, and
what a wonderful filter it is. Not only is the music tonally balanced, but instruments jump
out of the speaker as if unleashed from the chains that were holding them in two
dimensional space. Tube rolling in the Doge 6 is a really a gas, because you can change
the sound six different ways of Sunday through creative tube rolling.
Most folks get overly concerned about what DAC chip is used in the conversion process.
Well, we are ready to say it again: “It doesn't make a hill of beans what chip is used”. What
really gives digital music sonic character is the filtering and conversion process. Where
as most tube CD players use a solid state filter with a tube output stage, the Doge 6 uses
both a tube filter and tube output stage. The filtering is done by the two 12AT7 tubes, and
what a wonderful filter it is. Not only is the music tonally balanced, but instruments jump
out of the speaker as if unleashed from the chains that were holding them in two
dimensional space. Tube rolling in the Doge 6 is a really a gas, because you can change
the sound six different ways of Sunday through creative tube rolling.
Bada Purer 3.3
There are tube amps, solid state amps, class “A” amps, dual mono amps etc. What
makes the Bada Purer 3.3 such as outlier is that it combines all of these together in a
technology that lets you “adjust” how much class “A” bias the amplifier has. Its dual mono
/ triple transformer design (one for the left channel, right channel and an “R” core for the
preamp) make is a music champ. Due to its build quality and features, the Bada Purer
3.3 earns its outlier status and a model for all hybrid amps to copy.
There are tube amps, solid state amps, class “A” amps, dual mono amps etc. What
makes the Bada Purer 3.3 such as outlier is that it combines all of these together in a
technology that lets you “adjust” how much class “A” bias the amplifier has. Its dual mono
/ triple transformer design (one for the left channel, right channel and an “R” core for the
preamp) make is a music champ. Due to its build quality and features, the Bada Purer
3.3 earns its outlier status and a model for all hybrid amps to copy.
CyberServer / Netgear EVA9150 &
CyberMini
Soon the rest of the music server world will go the way
of these outliers that funnel the digital signal to the
DAC without the latency, noise and intermodulation
distortion of a disk drive and its arcane motor, LCD or
graphics clock. Where wireless music servers are
jitter juke boxes, the solid state drive of the
CyberServer or the SD card in the CyberMini, package
a stream of digital music to the DAC s so pristine that
your DAC will jump for joy every time they see a
signal. Hear your DAC for the very first time with one of
these units and you will not believe your ears.
CyberMini
Soon the rest of the music server world will go the way
of these outliers that funnel the digital signal to the
DAC without the latency, noise and intermodulation
distortion of a disk drive and its arcane motor, LCD or
graphics clock. Where wireless music servers are
jitter juke boxes, the solid state drive of the
CyberServer or the SD card in the CyberMini, package
a stream of digital music to the DAC s so pristine that
your DAC will jump for joy every time they see a
signal. Hear your DAC for the very first time with one of
these units and you will not believe your ears.
Ming DA MC34AB
We just love power humpty equipment for both its engineering and aesthetics. Trying to
get 75 watts out of a tube amp with proper transformer copper usually yields plaza size
amps with boat anchor weight. A solution is to create a dual mono amp and place the
power transformers in a separate box and leave the coupling transformers in the main
chassis. Not only will the amp be dead quiet, but it will be much easier to lift and deploy
around a room. Hence, this outlier was borne, and using the Shuguang black bottles,
really gives you dead quiet, dynamic performance.
Shuguang Black Bottle Tubes
The black look is more than modern styling on this outlier. The focusing of electrons
directly onto the plates that have been specially treated to receive them, is tube marvel.
What makes them so unique is that they are so darn quiet, and music emerges from a
pristine background with uncanny space and dimension. While they are not cheap, we
expect all expensive tubes to follow this outlier technology as use the glass to help make
music, as opposed to just holding the vacuum.
We just love power humpty equipment for both its engineering and aesthetics. Trying to
get 75 watts out of a tube amp with proper transformer copper usually yields plaza size
amps with boat anchor weight. A solution is to create a dual mono amp and place the
power transformers in a separate box and leave the coupling transformers in the main
chassis. Not only will the amp be dead quiet, but it will be much easier to lift and deploy
around a room. Hence, this outlier was borne, and using the Shuguang black bottles,
really gives you dead quiet, dynamic performance.
Shuguang Black Bottle Tubes
The black look is more than modern styling on this outlier. The focusing of electrons
directly onto the plates that have been specially treated to receive them, is tube marvel.
What makes them so unique is that they are so darn quiet, and music emerges from a
pristine background with uncanny space and dimension. While they are not cheap, we
expect all expensive tubes to follow this outlier technology as use the glass to help make
music, as opposed to just holding the vacuum.
Teradak Chameleon
There are NOS DACs that use 8 chips and some that just use one. The Teradak Chameleon
uses 16 chips in a row to achieve its converting goal plus an outboard power supply for low jitter.
The separate power supply is key to low jitter performance and the 16 chip Phillips TDA1543 array
ideal for dynamic NOS sound. At its price point, the engineering marvel cannot be beat.
There are NOS DACs that use 8 chips and some that just use one. The Teradak Chameleon
uses 16 chips in a row to achieve its converting goal plus an outboard power supply for low jitter.
The separate power supply is key to low jitter performance and the 16 chip Phillips TDA1543 array
ideal for dynamic NOS sound. At its price point, the engineering marvel cannot be beat.
Lite CD-21 Transport
Two distinct qualities make transports, which are generally boring (like, C’mon, just
spin the disk and let me use a remote), a real outlier: they are disk stabilization and up
sampling. Stabilization is key as keeping the disk from wobbling and can help with any
read errors the laser might pickup (and, unlike reading a file off a CD-ROM, the
transport cannot “read the music again” lest you hear a nauseating sonata of Pete and
re-Pete). It has been shown that better the stabilization and less error correcting yield
better the sound. The Lite CD 21 uses an internal upsampler to perform its magic and
is directly coupled to the digital transformers. You have your option of 96K up or
standard 44.1K outputs.
Two distinct qualities make transports, which are generally boring (like, C’mon, just
spin the disk and let me use a remote), a real outlier: they are disk stabilization and up
sampling. Stabilization is key as keeping the disk from wobbling and can help with any
read errors the laser might pickup (and, unlike reading a file off a CD-ROM, the
transport cannot “read the music again” lest you hear a nauseating sonata of Pete and
re-Pete). It has been shown that better the stabilization and less error correcting yield
better the sound. The Lite CD 21 uses an internal upsampler to perform its magic and
is directly coupled to the digital transformers. You have your option of 96K up or
standard 44.1K outputs.
