At last... (Audiolab) - part VIII
- Thread starter sq225917
- Start date
JohnW
pfm member
Well, lets see!!! I'm sitting here with heart pounding - its like waiting for judgement... well thinking about it, it IS judgement day!!!
Even after all these years John?
And of course if it's even better than the cdq then it can't fail to please.
JohnW
pfm member
Even after all these years John?
And of course if it's even better than the cdq then it can't fail to please.
Well every design is like one of my children - over protective parent etc...
You can have good children, you get wild children and then you have the black sheep...
Aha! The black sheep eh?
I hadn't thought of that. Well, you're about to get plenty of feedback, a cascade no less, so the sheep's colour will soon be loudly evident I imagine. Good luck
OK, sounds pretty good
Exactly what I was hoping for; found other DACs to have plenty of detail but lacking in separation of instruments etc and after 2 mins I have it by the bucket load.
Gonna get the wife to have a listen in a mo to see if I can give the whole 'even she heard the difference' spiel
Exactly what I was hoping for; found other DACs to have plenty of detail but lacking in separation of instruments etc and after 2 mins I have it by the bucket load.
Gonna get the wife to have a listen in a mo to see if I can give the whole 'even she heard the difference' spiel
Musicraft
Trade: Musicraft
Yes, my Wife and I have our we survived Bradford" badges
Shame you could not visit the Manchester HiFi show, I could have updated your machine for free.
You need to give Audiolab UK (IAG) a call in Huntingdon, and they will arrange to update your unit with the latest software, OLED display and Transformer (once upgrade kits arrive) there will be a service charge.
John
I was on holiday, otherwise I'd 've been first in queue. I used to live in Bradford. Nice cheap curries
sq225917
Bit of this, bit of that
Not really, I have a product catalogue going to press tomorrow, 51 pages and it's all on my shoulders. If I crack on I can get it out before lunch then take the afternoon tomorrow when it's run in.
Mine's at Bartletts (thanks again John!) - but will have to wait for the weekend unfortunately.
May need to stay away from reading on here till i pick it up - otherwise some form of 'half day flu' might come over me at work
Do it.
They had a few stacked up in there today. I've never been to Bartlett's before but they were absolute gents and I would use again without hesitation (only haven't before as it's across the other side of london to me). Good guys IMO.
JohnW
pfm member
John
Forgot to say. Thanks
Cheers
Mark
Hi Mark,
Thank you!
I'd be very interested in your feedback once you had a chance to listen.
I had the same issue with USB once - it was due to a poor connection with the USB cable.
Try the filters (I prefer the Optimal Transient XD) and also insure that the D3E is set to "full suppression".
I’d be very interested in peoples experience of the “D3E” mode(s), try tracks with lots of low level detail.
John
Hi John, I don't have a second SBT, but I do have the older Squeezebox3.
Just been listening to it plugged into the MDAC.... Certainly never heard it sound anywhere near as good as this. In fact it's possible I've not heard anything sound as good as this. Early days, I know, but initially I am really, really impressed. For the first time I can see the end is nigh for my CDs. You may well have cracked it.
First impressions of the non-run-in MDAC is that it has a richer/fuller sound to the CDQ, with deeper bass. I think you summed it up nicely somewhere when you spoke about it getting more of the emotion out of the music. It did have us welling up a little.
To quote my wife: "The man's a genius" (I think you might be in there!). Obviously, I had to put her right: I told her that clearly you're not, otherwise you'd have given me a way to turn the display off before my eyes start bleeding
Or did I miss it in the manual?Truthfully though, I know the old CDQ display came in for a bit of stick (not by me), but the preference in my house is definitely for soft and subtle rather than bright and brash. Oh well, I know I;m in the minority with that one, and you will never please everyone, will you. The MDAC certainly seems to have it where it counts though, as the saying goes.
Now, if I can just persuade you to hurry along and integrate all this good stuff into the CDQ, I think I'll be a very happy man indeed.
I discussed the SBT Clock Locking with Dominik and we bounced some ideas around – Dominik (Damn
Sound promising, thanks both of you. I won't ask the details, as I know I wouldn't understand the answer
After 3 years of ownership, my B&W804s are finally starting to make sense. Gone is the ponderous overpowering bass and the forward treble to be replaced with taut powerful lows, clear vocals and detailed, subtle highs with a cohesion I've not experienced from my system before. That's purely down to replacing a Cambridge DacMagic with the M-DAC. The amount of detail this draws out of my CD collection is jaw-dropping. I've had a Benchmark DAC-1 before and although incredibly detailed I found it slightly on the cold/clinical side with restrained bass. The cheaper DacMagic was warmer, but sacrificed poise & control especially on more complex recordings. The M-DAC finally gives the 804s clarity & control over the entire frequency range, and it's not even run in yet.
I've only tested it so far using my old Arcam FMJ CD player as a transport via coax, but already highly impressed. And the build quality, finish & feel is streets ahead of the DacMagic, never mind the excellent & responsive display/menus. Can't wait to try it with some hi bit rate 24/96 recordings
The weak link now is undoubtedly my Marantz SR7005 amplifier, so I think it's time to pick up a couple of power amps for driving the M-DAC straight into the B&Ws and using its preamp section.
John - thank you so muh for creating this little beauty. Totally looking forward to the matching PSU & transport now.
Also, if you were to choose some matching power amps for the m-dac, what would you recommend? The B&Ws are fairly hard to drive so I was considering a couple of 8200MBs initially but would appreciate any suggestions you may have for partnering amps from Audiolab or other brands.
In audio heaven...
Simon
I've only tested it so far using my old Arcam FMJ CD player as a transport via coax, but already highly impressed. And the build quality, finish & feel is streets ahead of the DacMagic, never mind the excellent & responsive display/menus. Can't wait to try it with some hi bit rate 24/96 recordings
The weak link now is undoubtedly my Marantz SR7005 amplifier, so I think it's time to pick up a couple of power amps for driving the M-DAC straight into the B&Ws and using its preamp section.
John - thank you so muh for creating this little beauty. Totally looking forward to the matching PSU & transport now.
Also, if you were to choose some matching power amps for the m-dac, what would you recommend? The B&Ws are fairly hard to drive so I was considering a couple of 8200MBs initially but would appreciate any suggestions you may have for partnering amps from Audiolab or other brands.
In audio heaven...
Simon