Furutech GT 40 Review - Canada HiFi Giveaway
For quite a while I have been lamenting the fact that some of my favourite albums are not easily available on vinyl. The cd versions which I have just didn't cut it when played on my Samsung blu-ray player. The sound was nowhere near as pleasant as the sound of my records; they sounded lifeless. I was hesitant to blame this lack of sound quality on the medium itself, as I had not heard these cds through a good player, and have therefore been contemplating the purchase of a decent universal player to replace my Samsung. I have alternatively been thinking about getting an external DAC to (hopefully) improve cd playback. Considering all of this, winning the Alpha Design Labs GT40 really could not have happened at a more opportune time.
When my DAC arrived I set it up and played The Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, my favourite album of all time, which is hard to come by on vinyl for under $200. I was VERY pleased by the sound. It sounded much more life-like than I had ever heard it before. I continued listening to cds over the next week, each time finding the sound to be much better than I had ever heard. After gushing with enthusiasm to my girlfriend, she said something that I had also been thinking myself: "Are you sure it's not just psychological?" Was the excitement of having a cool new toy affecting my perception of sound quality? The next day I decided to do a test. I played the Samshing Pumpkins' cover of "My Blue heaven" on my blu-ray player, and then on my computer through the GT40. The difference was much more dramatic than I was expecting. Individual instruments and vocals were much more distinct.
I was also quite excited to use the GT40 to transfer some of my 45s to my computer. I used my own phono pre-amp plugged into the GT40 input, switched to line-level, and recorded several B-sides by The Killers at 24/96. When i played these back they sounded very close to the original vinyl!
Although the sound quality of cds played through the GT40 is not good enough to make me turn away from vinyl, it is still great. I am happy to know that if something isn't available on vinyl I can still get very enjoyable sound. Now I can use the money I was going to spend on a universal player on a new guitar!
Bite your lip and force a smile
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