REVIEWS
The Absolute Sound
June / July 2010:
by Jacob Heilbrunn
"Rumors of the demise of the Compact Disc are ubiquitous, but somehow the silver disc seems to keep spinning, and with billions in circulation perhaps that should be no suprise. All the more reason, then, to hail the splendid Playback Designs CD/SACD player, which boasts the flexibility to play either format as well as multiple inputs for accepting digital streaming devices. The $15,000 Playback Designs player is spiffy in appearance and has performed faultlessly over the past two years, which isn't something that can always be said of pricey CD players. It possesses an extremely smooth treble, extended bass, and a lovely midrange. As relaxed as analog via the Continuum Caliburn? No. But, its fidelity to the source is scary. When Wilson Audio's Peter McGrath , a highly regarding recording engineer, heard it at my place, he immediately set about obtaining two of the Playback Designs for himself."
Stereophile
February 2010:
by Michael Fremer
"So analog-like was the MPS-5's decoding of SACDs and hi-rez PCM files that it has joined the very short list of players that make me want to sit down, undistracted by other activities, and actually listen to digital recordings—as long as I don't go back to the turntable!"
For the full article, please visit http://stereophile.com/hirezplayers/playback_designs_mps-5_sacdcd_player
Positive Feedback Online
November / December 2009:
by Dave Clark
"As good as it gets? But in a good way… a really, really good way. Or is it more like… this is as good as it gets—that it can't get any better than this? Or the proverbial beauty is more than just skin deep… or in other words, it is way, way more than just a pretty face...."
For the full article, please visit http://positive-feedback.com/Issue46/playback_designs.htm
July / August 2009:
by Dave Clark
"the Playback Designs MPS-5 is simply a completely different beast altogether. It is a sonic (musical) marvel and does everything so much better than anything else I have heard…"
Fedeltà del suono - Italy
November 2009:
by Andio Morotti
"I don't know if we are truly seeing technology with the level of sound that replaces vinyl playback, but certainly the result is amazing. The articulation is excellent, a fluidity at first, an exceptional acoustic stage, as low a noise floor as I think heard in my life ..."
For the full article, please click here: Playback Designs MPS-5 Review (In Italian)
Stereo Mecmuasi - Turkey
November 2009
by Reha Arcan
“…From what I wrote until this paragraph you probably have guessed my bias for the vinyl; I was thinking the same, till that day I visited Timpani’s showroom. Adnan Arduman wanted me to audition the newly arrived Playback Designs MPS-5 CD/SACD player. The sonic performance of the not yet broken-in player was amazing. I heard myself saying “plays like analogue”. Later on, the editor of Stereo Mecmuası, Hakan Cezayirli, called and asked me to write a review about Playback Designs MPS-5. So here we are.
Playback Designs MPS-5 was fully broken-in by the time it arrived to my listening room.
I listened to it for three consecutive days. First I tested it with Aydin Esen’s “Light Years” CD which has incredibly dynamic passages. I was left alone with the music without the interference of the electronics. It’s something you experience when you listen to a good analogue, it is so involving that you don’t think about the source of the music…
… Playing some AIFF files from my computer, I enjoyed a lot the performance of the DAC section using the USB input. Its SACD performance is incomparable. You enter a completely new sonic world. The naturalness of its sound is unmatched by any of the similarly priced top level SACD players that I heard.
Later on I listened to some orchestral works. On the “The Yellow Shark” CD of Frank Zappa, I noticed a huge stage depth, effortless and untiring micro details in the high frequencies and many layers of instrument groups. All this is probably easy to put into words but a very difficult task to perform for the electronics. Playback Designs MPS-5 achieved everything with ease and elegance. I had listened to many different reference level CD players, but this particular one was a unique experience for me.
I listened to a variety of music genres during three days, but the parting time had arrived. When Timpani people rang my bell to pick up the MPS-5, the devil was whispering “don’t answer the door!” in my ear.
For the full article, please visit http://issuu.com/stereomecmuasi/docs/stereomecmuasi19/52 (In Turkish)
Hi Fi Review Magazine - Hong Kong
July 2009:
Positive Feedback Online
September / October 2008:
First Impressions: The Playback Designs MPS-5 SACD/CD Player
by David W. Robinson
"Sooooooo…the MPS-5 now ascends to my personal "top o' the heap" of stereo SACD/CD quality. Kudos to both Andreas Koch and Jonathan Tinn for a wonderful accomplishment; the envelope has definitely advanced with Playback Designs. If you have the scratch, this one will nuke the itch!
I therefore give the Playback Designs MPS-5 a "Ye Olde Editor's Very Highest Recommendation!" with real delight. Here's the new reference standard for me, amigos.
You can draw your own conclusions…."
For the full article, please visit http://positive-feedback.com/Issue39/playbackdesigns_mps5.htm
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