Entech Number Cruncher 205.2 digital-to-analog converter
This 1998 gem was the product of a short-lived effort by Monster Cable to get into the audio component business. Monster Cable spared no money on R&D with the Number Cruncher 205.2; it was a collaboration between well-known high-end audio engineers Demian Martin and Peter Madnick (who are now designing and building mega-fancy stuff). The Number Cruncher 205.2 can turn any old CD player with a digital output into a very sweet-sounding source. My friend Terry still uses one in his tube-powered vintage audio system to get better sound from his satellite TV tuner and his old Pioneer CD changer. The 205.2 cost $450 new, and you can probably pick one up for $100 today. Combine it with an old DVD player (practically all of which have digital output) and you’ll have a real high-end CD player for less than the cost of an iPod.
