dCS Puccinni vs Playback Design MPS-5

[thedudeabides]

Hi all,

I may be looking at upgrading from my current Cary Audio 306 SACD CDP in the near future. Will likely keep my CJ ET5 pre for awhile, which is limited to single ended inputs.

The dCS has received some very high praise in the press. The latter is owned by Steve, Mike L. and perhaps others, which I consider "high praise" indeed.

Has anyone heard both units enough to comment on the pluses and minuses of the PD and dCS players? Of course, absent comparisons, any individual insights on either unit would also be appreciated.

I'm also interested in comments regarding dCS sonics with and without the optional clock. I'm aware of the other connectivity advantages of the clock.

Also, which unit is more "future proof" within the context of software upgrades, etc.?

As always, my sincere thanks for any comments in advance.

GG

 

[Barry2013]

Hi.
I have not heard the MPS but have the Puccini and word clock.
My listening experience validates all the reviews I have read of them. It is a more versatile combo than the MPS and the SACD reproduction is wonderful. The clock does significantly improve the Puccini and DCS back up and service is among the best available, The sound clearly improves with better cables and better amps and speakers.
DCS make all their software and hardware upgrades readily available to earlier models as they become available and the build quality is first class.
There seems to be a reasonable supply of used models as owners move up the DCS chain so buying good used is a realistic option.
Good luck

 

[LenWhite]

I went to the 2008 RMAF specifically to choose a replacement for my Cary 306 CD/SACD player. I spent a lot of time listening to the dCS Puccini w/Clock, Playback Designs MPS-5, Esoteric K-01, EMM Labs XDS1, and the Simaudio Moon Andromeda. I thought they were all wonderful players, and while much more expensive than the Cary were clearly exceedingly better.

I chose the XDS1 because it just sounded more natural and analog like to me. The dCS and Esoteric players were slightly on the cool side to my ear. I really liked the Simaudio but it only played RBCD. I thought the Playback Designs was a very close second to the XDS1, and if it hadn't been so industrial looking to my eye I may have chosen it for price.

I recently upgraded my XDS1 to the v2 making it equivalent to the DAC2X/transport combo with all of its digital inputs, and I also experienced an improvement in resolution and dynamics using both CD/SACD discs. The v2 upgrade involved more than just adding digital inputs as other parts changes used in the DAC2X were incorporated.

In addition to listening to SACD discs, I'm now also using a music server via my network WiFi to playback my RBCD's using the XDS1 audio driver and JRiver. It was a bit complicated to get the settings right, but if there is any difference between the transport and server, it's subtle and possibly in favor of the server although it's too early to be sure.

I've also tried a few digital downloads and also like that experience. So far my comparison of the Holly Cole: Temptation DSD digital download vs. my SACD is for all practical purposes a tie. I've also tried the Eagles: Hotel California 192/24 FLAC digital downloads vs. the DCC FLAC 44.1/24 dbpoweramp ripped version, and clearly heard more air and body with the 192/24 FLAC digital download.

Now if only digital downloads truly become more mainstream allowing us to have more music choices.

 

[caesar]

Personally, I prefer the Playback Designs over the 4 box dCS Scarlatti. dCS makes the detail stand out, while Playback Designs bakes all that same detail into the musical whole. While the cd capability on PD is very good, IMHO Playback Designs has the finest SACD capability out there. Zowie!

You can search for a thread I posted a few years back comparing the 2 brands.

 

[jfrech]

I owned the dCS Puccini and the U Clock a few years ago. Tried it plenty of times with and with out the U Clock. The Clock consistently makes a large improvement in focus & resolution...seems like the noise floor lowers and all this makes a more immersive listening experience. It's pretty vital for dCS....

 

[thedudeabides]

You can search for a thread I posted a few years back comparing the 2 brands.

Thank you Caesar. Will do.

GG

 

[caesar]

I owned the dCS Puccini and the U Clock a few years ago. Tried it plenty of times with and with out the U Clock. The Clock consistently makes a large improvement in focus & resolution...seems like the noise floor lowers and all this makes a more immersive listening experience. It's pretty vital for dCS....

Yes, I agree completely. When I played around with the Scarlatti, I did not think much of their Dac at first. But when I added the clock, it was a huge improvement. The upsampler also made a positive difference. And so did the transport.

 

[caesar]

Dude,

Another thought is that if you do like the dCS player better, I would check with dCS regarding a new model. This one has been around since before the Great Recession, and they are probably due to upgrade their line sooner rather than later.