What the new model would be called was still up in the air, but it was soon confirmed that the CD-Pro 8 S mechanism would be used.
By this time, Aqua’s stock of Philips CD-Pro 2 mechanisms (which were already a discontinued model) was all but depleted and Cristian of Aqua Hifi revealed that they were working on a successor for the La Diva. Once I completed my coverage of all the LinQ’s modules and their functionalities, it was time to return to the CD transport. Alas, as time moved on and the LinQ development took an unexpected turn and Roon support was dropped in favor of HQPlayer NAA, I decided to focus on the LinQ, HQP NAA, NAA Core module, and all the related facets, and assess the La Diva later.
#HQPLAYER COVEROVER SERIES#
No matter how much I had been enjoying the music server ride, the La Diva had an irresistible combination of aspects that I just could not find in any music server.Īnd then, the Aqua LinQ Network Interface came along, stirring the pot with its amazing solidity, neutrality, and dynamics, which sparked renewed interest and resulted in a series of raving reviews.Īround this time last year, I was anticipating doing an extensive review of the La Diva, along with a comparison between the player and the then-brand-new LinQ. This served me well until the Antipodes K50 emerged, which marked a new benchmark in terms of organic sweetness and liquidity.Ībove and below: the original La Diva with the familiar CD-Pro 2 mechanismĪt this point during my music server adventures, I briefly encountered the Aqua La Diva CD transport and, frankly, it turned things upside down for me. For a solid period, the Antipodes CX marked the pinnacle of the period running Roon via a direct Ethernet connection to the CH Precision C1 DAC. What ensued was a gradual move away from CD players until I became fully invested in music servers.
The DX was not quite as fluid nor quite as 3D as the CD player, but it was certainly robust, sonorous, and impactful and that is what I required at that time. After having tried various music servers and all sorts of DACs, years later, the Antipodes DX server turned out to have a similar timbral presentation to the classic Wadia sound and this worked especially synergistically with the Apogee Diva magnetostatic speakers. 21% VAT): 8.600 euroįor the longest time, I have resisted all the streaming possibilities because I had not encountered a single music server that could beat my then-favorite Wadia 861 CD player in terms of timbre, soundstaging, and pure involvement.
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