CD Player/Transport Reviews

The Mod Squad Prism CD player Associated Equipment

Sidebar 1: Associated Equipment

The system included the Klyne SK-5A preamp, Aragon 4004 power amplifier, and VMPS Tower II/R loudspeakers.

Connecting cables were by Monster: M-1000 interconnects and M-1 loudspeaker cable. There was one exception: Straight Wire LSI was used with the Audio Concepts player in the comparisons. An explanation is in order for this. Recall that in my recent review of several CD players, I determined that the solid-state Audio Concepts player sounded best with Straight Wire LSI cables, while the California Audio Labs Aria seemed to prefer the Monster M-1000. The LSI brought out the openness and transparency of the Audio Concepts (at the cost of an occasional dryness and fine graininess), while use of the LSI with the Mod Squad somewhat enhanced the upper-end detail at the expense of midrange definition.

I tried all four possible combinations of cables and players; if you start figuring up the number of possible permutations with three or more different cables, you'll know why I didn't try more than two—JA really didn't want this review as a Christmas present. I compared these two machines using dissimilar interconnects, deciding to use that cable with each machine which I felt presented it at its best.—Thomas J. Norton

COMPANY INFO
The Mod Squad
Leucadia, CA 9202
Company no longer in existence (2019)
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
Bogolu Haranath's picture
Submitted by Bogolu Haranath on September 12, 2019 - 9:13am

' .... this analog first-fan is at least hopeful about digital future...... '

Now in 2019, TJN only listens to digital ........

'The Times They Are A-Changin' :-) ...........

JRT's picture
Submitted by JRT on September 17, 2019 - 11:20am

Rip once, read many.

Digital music on a server is all about listening to the music, and not fussing about trying to find a specific example of the physical medium in the collection, handling the packaging, handling the physical medium, maybe cleaning the physical medium, handling the playback hardware, and doing it all again in reverse order when done.

With the data on the server, it is quicker and easier to find the desired music and begin playback, all without leaving the listening chair. Streaming from a server is a good late 20th century solution to the problem, now much improved over the last quarter century.

Other older music playback solutions are now archaic, and are less about playing music than about playing with archaic hardware and media.

If collecting/hoarding media and gear and playing with same is the desired goal, then fine, there is nothing wrong with that. But that is not listening to music, just as playing with a collection of baseball cards is not playing or watching a game of baseball.

edit: My rantings here were intended as general comment, not in reply to another's post.

Bogolu Haranath's picture
Submitted by Bogolu Haranath on September 17, 2019 - 11:19am

Some people love cleaning solutions, cleaning brushes, cleaning machines and similar such rituals ....... It is like 'foreplay' ......... They don't want to miss such activities :-) .........

JRT's picture
Submitted by JRT on September 17, 2019 - 11:24am

So foreplay to what exactly?

edit: That is a rhetorical question that can remain unanswered.

Bogolu Haranath's picture
Submitted by Bogolu Haranath on September 17, 2019 - 11:27am

You can take a guess or you can ask them :-) ........

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