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发表于 2011-3-30 21:57:15
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翻了幾個評論，看來真的很毒，節錄一下精彩段落
Stereophile
PiTracing
Could this baby ever sing.
My immediate impression of the PiTracer, later backed up by many hours of contented listening, was of sonic clarity. It was so transparent that I simply loved listening to music with it. The extra-wide, -deep, practically Olympic-sized soundstage made me want to dive in!
I've heard this kind of presentation so far only from SACD: The backgrounds were blacker than black, resulting in an enhanced sense of imaging. And running direct from the Elgar Plus to the Krells gave me more of that special ease I crave, and which I associate with high-bit-rate, high-sampling-rate machines.
The PiTracer sounded very linear from the bottom: stygian depths to the highest of highs. Sweet, detailed, and oh-so-right there—the immediacy made me gasp with pleasure. Very much like the Linn's presentation—fast, pacey, taut, transparent, and fast off the mark.
I was surprised. I'd assumed that, with so much processing going on in the following stages, the contribution of the transport to the overall sound of today's separate digital components was becoming less significant. Was I ever wrong!
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SoundStage!
Words don't fail me
Over the course of my time as an audiophile, I've owned a few exceptional CD transports, including both Wadia 8 and 20 models as well as my current reference, a Mark Levinson No.37. These transports didn't sound identical, but all were designed and manufactured to very high standards and performed better than other models I was able to audition, even those that cost much more money.
Given the experience that comes from owning other high-performance transports and especially the operational issues I encountered with the PiTracer, I was not hopeful when I put the first CD onto the acrylic platter and secured it with the screw-down clamp. I had a backlog of negativity to overcome, but I take seriously this job of reporting on the sound a component produces, so I cleared my mind as best I could and began to listen.
I can't say that with those first few CDs I was knocked out by the PiTracer's sonic presentation. There was no immediate sense of wow and wonder, no fireworks or razzmatazz. Instead, the PiTracer's sound was self-effacing, portraying music with poise and intimacy. The sound was very liquid, and the PiTracer displayed remarkable proficiency at reproducing low-level and inner detail -- the sorts of things that more boisterous components don't do as well because they lack the refinement necessary to capture such subtleties. As I observed about the Atma-Sphere MA-2 Mk II.3 amps I reviewed earlier this month, the PiTracer excels at presenting music as a complete entity, not merely an amalgam of sonic qualities.
Nonetheless, I'll talk a bit about sonic qualities -- they're what I have at my disposal for describing the PiTracer's overall performance. I noticed right off that with the PiTracer in my system, transients had more snap. However, this was not a matter of a presentation that emphasizes the leading edge of notes. Instead, the PiTracer heightened the contrast between transients and the musical mix from which they emerged, sounding both unforced and lively. This was most apparent with up-front and highly detailed recordings such as Buddy Guy's Blues Singer [Silvertone 01241-41843-2], but even with the more subdued …And Serenity [Sony Classical/Legacy SK 90538], a compilation of Glenn Gould solo-piano performances, the PiTracer presented the music with both ample ease and abundant detail. Its sound was quickly addicting.
In keeping with this, strings, brass and especially cymbals had a delicate, shimmering quality that exposed the sophistication of the PiTracer's treble. And in the midrange, the PiTracer rendered voices with this same quality -- not a tubey sweetness or fullness, but instead a mixture of fine detail and low coloration. Actor John C. Reilly's voice on "Mr. Cellophane" from the soundtrack to the movie Chicago [Epic/Sony Music Soundtrax EK 87018] was beautifully resolved amidst strings whose overtones seemed to decay forever and a panoramic soundstage. The same goes for Victoria Williams' fragile voice on "Moon River," from her recent collection of covers Sings Some Ol' Songs [Dualtone 80302-01126-2]. Here, though, there was also a good deal of natural reverberation from the space in which Williams sings. The PiTracer captured it all, and presented it as an unpretentious and continuous soundfield, albeit one with certain characteristics that are so well done that they are nearly impossible to ignore.
I never completely grasped what pace, rhythm and timing sound like until I heard the PiTracer in my system. These are not a matter of tighter or weightier bass, for instance (in these strict terms, the PiTracer falls a bit short of other CD transports I've heard); instead, the music's rhythmic elements are more naturally paced, less choppy and mechanical. Ani DiFranco's Evolve [Righteous Babe RBR030-D] sounded funky and propulsive via the PiTracer, but there was more to the reproduction of this music than that. The bass was neither overwhelming nor anemic, so there was little to which I could call attention. Instead, it just sounded right -- flowed at the right pace along with the rest of the music.
Again, I think this has to do with the wholeness of the PiTracer's performance, as though every sonic element is present and in proper proportion. To use a visual analogy, a color copy can look very good, but you can always tell in some way that it is a copy -- the matrix of dots that make it up is detectable even without a loupe. The original is what it is -- the real thing. The PiTracer sounds like the original; there are no dots but rather the flow of true, saturated colors that constitute the image. This makes the PiTracer very easy to listen to -- it sounds human and has soul -- but difficult to capture with words. You'll know it when you hear it, however.
37 vs. 47
When comparing the PiTracer to the Mark Levinson No.37 ($4500 when available), I considered not only the over-$20,000 disparity in terms of their prices but also how different the two are functionally. I won't go into the No.37's circuit highlights, but I will point out that the No.37 is a joy to use. Its display is large and easily readable from 20 feet or more (it's adjustable to four levels of brightness, including completely off). Its remote is well made and heavy, and its commands always hit their mark. The No.37 is a classy package, and while the PiTracer certainly isn't chopped liver (it's a more openly creative design than the No.37 and essentially all other CD transports on the market today), it's not nearly as user friendly as the No.37, which also tracks every disc inserted into it, even those with minor damage.
However, sound is a different matter, and in this regard, listeners who believe that CD transports either don't sound different at all or have only subtle sonic differences should hear both the PiTracer and Mark Levinson No.37. It's shocking to discover how distinct these two transports sound.
It's hard to fault the No.37 for its conspicuous resolution -- its detailed and somewhat showy presentation. Images from the No.37 are large and prominent (but their outlines are not as strong as those of the PiTracer). The No.37's soundstage is larger and airier, leading to a more grand presentation. There are even sharper leading edges -- cymbals in particular have a crisper, more tinny sound -- and chunkier bass. In short, just about all of the traits we audiophiles value are addressed in a positive way by the No.37.
However, the No.37 lacks the PiTracer's wholeness, which leads, at least to my ears, to a less involving and enjoyable presentation. One track I listened to that showed this well was "Crowded Town" from astroPuppees wonderful Pet [HighTone HCD 8105]. SoundStage! named this collection of finely crafted pop art one of the best recordings of 1999; if you are looking for a fix between Fountains of Wayne albums, give Pet a listen. On "Crowded Town," a cover of a Marshall Crenshaw tune, the guitar in the right channel sounded more evident through the No.37 and also less integrated, giving the presentation something of a disjointed character. Through the PiTracer, that guitar, all other instruments and the singer sounded cohesive and whole -- as though there was some connecting element of the music that the No.37 was missing, a sort of sonic mortar. The No.37 certainly didn't make this track sound wrong, but the PiTracer made it sound more right.
I own the No.37, and I will continue to use and enjoy it. But I wish it sounded like the PiTracer.
Conclusion
The 47 Laboratory Model 4704 PiTracer is an inspired piece of audio equipment. Its nearest relative in terms of design is an analog turntable, which also isolates the mechanism that spins the disc from the mechanism that extracts musical information. But the PiTracer is a CD transport, and one whose goal of maintaining a 90-degree relationship of laser to disc only adds to its complexity -- and may be responsible for its terrific sonics. The PiTracer's sound is an amalgam of ease and inner detail, a refined treble and midrange, and bass that flows in a natural, unshowy manner. None of these, however, overshadows the effect of the PiTracer's overall presentation, which is complete and involving.
Would I buy a PiTracer if I could afford one? When I consider PiTracer's functional deficiencies, its $25,000 price is obscene (I chose this word carefully). But as I listen to music with the PiTracer, the definition of obscenity becomes cloudy. The PiTracer is the best-sounding CD transport I've heard by no small margin, and it represents a very enjoyable way to listen to CDs for those who have the considerable means required to buy it. That isn't me, but it may be you.
In the end, the $25,000 spent on a 47 Laboratory PiTracer buys both a lot of musical bliss and a bit of functional disappointment. Which is more significant is for you to decide. |
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