Daniel Hertz "Master Class" Software from Mark Levinson

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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mep

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Apr 20, 2010
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Not sure how there could be tubes in a digital audio player, but their harmonic content could certainly be emulated.

Tim

I have yet to hear any emulation gear come close to what they were trying to emulate.
 

dallasjustice

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Apr 12, 2011
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Sorry, I'm just being a jackass. :)

Quoted from their site:

"Preamp emulator is very easy to use, and there are only a few parameters for you to handle: input level, tube drive amount, tube type selection, output level and a power switch." Can I assume you forgot to add a smile to your comment?
 

dallasjustice

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Apr 12, 2011
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A 6 band EQ player that doesn't do DSD, no trial and costs north of $700? Masterclass looks like it falls into the L.I.A.R. (Low Information Audiophile Retail) category. I am sure it's the best 6 band EQ ever conceived in the PCM domain because Mark Levinson built an analog EQ in 1984. Awesome sauce!
 

Lee

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Feb 3, 2011
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a 6 band eq player that doesn't do dsd, no trial and costs north of $700? Masterclass looks like it falls into the l.i.a.r. (low information audiophile retail) category. I am sure it's the best 6 band eq ever conceived in the pcm domain because mark levinson built an analog eq in 1984. Awesome sauce!

lol!
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
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a 6 band eq player that doesn't do dsd, no trial and costs north of $700? Masterclass looks like it falls into the l.i.a.r. (low information audiophile retail) category. I am sure it's the best 6 band eq ever conceived in the pcm domain because mark levinson built an analog eq in 1984. Awesome sauce!

lol!
 

Peter Breuninger

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Jul 20, 2010
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I will post up a before and after wav file. Mark "enhanced" an MA Recordings file on Friday. Let you be the judge.
 

mark levinson

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Jan 24, 2014
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Allegations about Red Rose Music equipment were generated by people who wished to discredit the company and me. Red Rose Music products provide amazing sound that is a joy to owners today, 10 -14 years after they were made, and outperform many current speakers and amplifiers that are highly regarded and cost much more. It is sickening to read negative comments repeated by people who have no real knowledge of the facts. Talented engineers and craftspeople worked hard to make those products, and deserve respect and appreciation for their work.

Sadly, Red Rose Music, a NY retail based audio company, could not survive the aftermath of 9/11 (like many such NY companies). In our first year of business, we did $4 million with almost no advertising. Anyone who knows what NY suffered in the years after 9/11 knows what I am talking about.

Products associated with me - including RRM - have value and make people happy long after production stops. The real test of a product is customer satisfaction over time.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Allegations about Red Rose Music equipment were generated by people who wished to discredit the company and me. Red Rose Music products provide amazing sound that is a joy to owners today, 10 -14 years after they were made, and outperform many current speakers and amplifiers that are highly regarded and cost much more. It is sickening to read negative comments repeated by people who have no real knowledge of the facts. Talented engineers and craftspeople worked hard to make those products, and deserve respect and appreciation for their work.

Sadly, Red Rose Music, a NY retail based audio company, could not survive the aftermath of 9/11 (like many such NY companies). In our first year of business, we did $4 million with almost no advertising. Anyone who knows what NY suffered in the years after 9/11 knows what I am talking about.

Products associated with me - including RRM - have value and make people happy long after production stops. The real test of a product is customer satisfaction over time.

Mark, what in that link is incorrect about your relationship with AudioPrism electronics?
 

mark levinson

Industry Expert
Jan 24, 2014
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Hi Miles,
Thanks for your interest in the relationship between Audio Prism and Red Rose Music. The whole story is too much to write at the moment. Briefly, Audio Prism in Redmond, WA became part of Red Rose Music and manufactured products at their facility based on Audio Prism designs as well as supplied some engineering (not all) for RRM products. In time, it became clear that the products made in Redmond had major reliability issues and cost much more to make then was disclosed. There were major management issues having part of the company on the east coast, and part on the west cost. After 9/11, the economy in the US and NY in particular made it impossible to continue. I'm happy to talk about it further if you have more questions.
 

soundArgument

Well-Known Member
May 12, 2013
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London
Hi Miles,
Thanks for your interest in the relationship between Audio Prism and Red Rose Music. The whole story is too much to write at the moment. Briefly, Audio Prism in Redmond, WA became part of Red Rose Music and manufactured products at their facility based on Audio Prism designs as well as supplied some engineering (not all) for RRM products. In time, it became clear that the products made in Redmond had major reliability issues and cost much more to make then was disclosed. There were major management issues having part of the company on the east coast, and part on the west cost. After 9/11, the economy in the US and NY in particular made it impossible to continue. I'm happy to talk about it further if you have more questions.

Thanks for joining the forum, Mr. Levinson. It's a thrill to have you here, and I'm glad to see your response.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
Hi Miles,
Thanks for your interest in the relationship between Audio Prism and Red Rose Music. The whole story is too much to write at the moment. Briefly, Audio Prism in Redmond, WA became part of Red Rose Music and manufactured products at their facility based on Audio Prism designs as well as supplied some engineering (not all) for RRM products. In time, it became clear that the products made in Redmond had major reliability issues and cost much more to make then was disclosed. There were major management issues having part of the company on the east coast, and part on the west cost. After 9/11, the economy in the US and NY in particular made it impossible to continue. I'm happy to talk about it further if you have more questions.

Thanks Mark for the Reader's Digest version :)
 

treitz3

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Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
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Hello Mr. Levinson. I'd like to offer you a warm welcome to the What's Best Forum. So glad to see you here and actively participating. It's a shame Red Rose music had to close it's doors.

Tom
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
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Welcome Sir to the WBF. Forgive me for asking, as I'm not nearly as much in tune with things audiophile as most members, but why the name Daniel Hertz? I would be interested to hear how you came about that choice or your company.
 

mark levinson

Industry Expert
Jan 24, 2014
14
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0
I have not yet posted any original/master class-ed files. A collection of original and MC music files will soon be available at www.danielhertz.com for free download. I made a Master Class (MC) file for Peter Breuninger that he posted, I assume it is ok but have not checked it. It is important to understand that there is a big difference in frequency response between recordings, as mastering systems use speakers that vary +/-12dB in tonal balance. MC is designed so that you can tune the sound for your playback system, not someone else's.

In my own tests including transcription of my 30 ips analog tapes to PCM, MC provides exactly the same benefits as the Audio Palette, and the MC files sound identical to the master, unless we use EQ to improve the sound, in which case they sound better. No recording system is perfect, and there are always compromises with mic placement and issues with acoustics. That is why mastering is so important.
 

RichDavis

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2014
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Mark,

Will a Free Trial version of Master Class be available? I'm currently playing around with mostly Audirvana, Pure Music and Amarra which they all have their pros/cons, but I don't know if the $600 price tag is affordable enough. That's almost as much as my DAC costs. Will it be made to work with DSD files as well?

I haven't heard the Pallete, but I know that top end mastering eq's like the GML 9500 parametric EQ, and other similar mastering eq's that have around 15dB cut/boost can cost in the $11K+ range.

I am interested in checking out the MasterClass player, but I think the price really needs to come down so you can attrack those that want better sound without paying a huge premium.

Also, who makes the drivers in your new Daniel Hertz speakers? Hopefully, you'll have some dealerships opening up so we can hear them.
 

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