We've had the occasion to compare our Bolder Duet to a well known & well reviewed Touch Screen Server which runs between $5995 and $7795 depending upon storage configuration.
First a description of our Duet: It has Wayne's Digital Mods including the new internal PS mods, we have an Ultimate PS, Nitro DC Cable, and Nitro Power Cable.
The Touchscreen Server uses Drag & Drop playlists, has search by artist, album name, genre, and cover art. It will rip CD's to hard drive and gets Metadata over ethernet via the web. It can burn custom CD's from your own playlists and can download albums or cuts from Music Giants. It rips to WMA Lossless or WAV and can transfer playsists to I Pod via USB II. This is a very versatile unit which has a marvelous interface and functionality. The only drawback I found was you could not play a cut from an album with out dragging it to the active playlist. This added steps to jumping cut to cut in listening sessions.
We listened only to the SPDIF through two identical Audioquest Eagle Eye DBS digital coax cables into the Extreme DACs of a Theta Casablanca III pre/pro to Theta Enterprise Mono Blocks bi-wired to Vandersteen 5A's.
While the interface of the Server is much more comprehensive and allows the user to do many more things what we were looking into here is very basic; if there is any difference in the Server's and the Duet's SPDIF output and if so which unit sounds best.
There was a difference , and it was fairly pronounced. First the mid bass on the server was overdone and caused the midrange to recede into the fabric of the music somewhat while the Duet was more natural and "correct." The upper midrange on the server had a slight glare which was most notable on female vocal; try Dianna Krall Live In Paris "A Case of You" or Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now "At Last." There was also more air and dimension to the Duet, but what really put me over the top was just a harmonic rightness with the Duet. I was much more emotionally connected to the music with the Duet.
On Thanksgiving Day my Brother came over to listen. He had the Server in his system the previous week. His system is all Audio Research with a DCS Stack which can convert Redbook to DSD. There was a greater difference between the Server and the Duet than between the Server and his DCS Verdi Transport playing CD's. He was blown away by the contrast. He hadn't had an opportunity to hear the Duet with all the Bolder "stuff" before. He was ready to buy the Server until Thanksgiving Day, but not now, he's totally perplexed by the difference in SQ.
Needless to say my Bolder Duet is staying in my system. Regards, Norm
