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MDAC first listen (part XXIV)

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I wonder if John has just consigned a bunch of subs to the classifieds with his Toy upgrade. I bought my sub (B&W PV1) to add just that bit extra to my Spendor SA1s (fed by Meridian 557, MDAC, Mac) when listening to classical strings (mostly quartets and solo). Well, it's currently switched off, and I can't think what might make me switch it on again, so full and ripe (fruity, thoroughly tangible, round) are the notes coming out of the speakers alone. And that is with the MDAC "Toy" having had no more than 2 hours to settle down since I took delivery of it from the postman. I'm too embarrassed to say what else I've bought to try to tame what I found to be a slightly bright system with the pre-Toy MDAC; but the MCRU PSU is the most recent (and not yet even tried, for those wondering. It won't be for a while). Watch out, Classifieds...

I'll try to add more to the above impressions later tonight. But I just had to these first findings now, so astonished am I by the sounds coming out of my speakers placed 1.1 m away from me. Acoustic, rock, trip-hop, etc., I've not yet tried; just Classical strings (Bach; Shostakovich; more Bach). As Arthur once said of v0.9: "no sharps there".
Utterly astonishing.
Thank you, John.
Ravished of Holland,
Simon

(The usual caveats apply. YMMV etc etc.)
 
simonom said:
I'll try to add more to the above impressions later tonight. But I just had to these first findings now, so astonished am I by the sounds coming out of my speakers placed 1.1 m away from me. Acoustic, rock, trip-hop, etc., I've not yet tried; just Classical strings (Bach; Shostakovich; more Bach). As Arthur once said of v0.9: "no sharps there".
Utterly astonishing.
Thank you, John.
Ravished of Holland,
Simon

(The usual caveats apply. YMMV etc etc.)
Click to expand...

Amen :)
 
Mmmmm.... JohnW: I'm still poised to send my MDAC to you, but have decided to go with the Toy update (can't justify the Fusion cost - suspect I'd be better settling for second best).

My question is: if I order up the resistors, I assume that you'll still be able to do the L1->L2 update if I send the MDAC at the end of July? I'm off on holiday for a week at the tail end of July so I'd send before then, as I wouldn't need my MDAC in the interim....
 
Think there's a giant queue now John.

I've decided to hold on the toy resistor order till there's some news of when it can be done.

Let it all settle down and see who's what, why and what flavour.
 
John,
I'm planning to send my mdac in the middle of july. I've tried to understand all of the messages but i'm a little bit confused. Could you please do a kind of digest of upg options and resistors one have to buy for each (eventually with vendors).

Moreover in my case my unit has already been sov in your hands. Does it changes something (else that the price you provide me in a previous message) ?

br/
 
JohnW said:
What is your system BTW?
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Rotel 965 cdp as transport into the mdac. Slagle autoformer based passive pre (to accommodate mdac plus other source inputs). VTL power amps. Spendor SP2/3 speakers.

Again, thanks for following up.

Brian
 
The haters will be gathering ("Who does he think he is? A fanboy, a self-confessed noob!"), so I'll keep this short. It's not that the musicians are in the room; it's that the notes have become momentarily embodied: spherical things hovering on the air just beyond the reach of the listener, then disappearing. You can imagine standing behind them.
And for all the new bass, the sound is not dark. It's clear. Limpidly so.
To this total noob's ears, what John has performed is a minor miracle.
 
simonom said:
The haters will be gathering ("Who does he think he is? A fanboy, a self-confessed noob!"), so I'll keep this short. It's not that the musicians are in the room; it's that the notes have become momentarily embodied: spherical things hovering on the air just beyond the reach of the listener, then disappearing. You can imagine standing behind them.
And for all the new bass, the sound is not dark. It's clear. Limpidly so.
To this total noob's ears, what John has performed is a minor miracle.
Click to expand...

:) I'm very happy - as its been a REAL battle... not a leading question, but have you noticed the extra space around every instrument and resolution?
 
PhilCTTE said:
John,

The situation is this, I,ve sold my av pre and power amp and gone for an Anthem receiver with no av bypass.
The idea was to make room for your Mamp. Until then I have no way of bypassing the processing in the receiver.
So I was wondering if the av bypass could be achieved via the Mamp of the Mpax ( if this product appears) and therefore there would be no need for the mm av bypass in the Mdac?.

This would also allow me to have a balanced headphone output , if this is still an option?
I recall jiri and yourself looking at the possibility of a front balanced headphone option .

Cheers hope this makes sense.
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If the Mamp can indeed offer an AV bypass offer then yes I do wish to have the balanced headphone option please.
As I haven't bought the headphones yet, I have no idea of the connection requirements , I also have not a clue on where yo buy from so could do with a steer here.

Thanks
 
JohnW said:
Will - Tracking says that you should have your unit... I do hope that everything its OK?
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All sorted John, my neighbours took the delivery...

I've not had much of a chance to listen to it yet, as I had a bit of a works beer and curry night last night :)

But it's been on all night, and I grabbed a chance of listening to 'King Midas Sound' this morning....Ooh the bass is good :)

A bit hung over so I'll reserve judgement till later, but all is working well, apart from me...;)
 
Hi,
is it possible connect into power amp over XLR for small floorstands and to active subwoofer at the same time over unbalanced chinch to get 2.1?
 
JohnW said:
:) I'm very happy - as its been a REAL battle... not a leading question, but have you noticed the extra space around every instrument and resolution?
Click to expand...

Hi John,

It's like being presented with a particularly fine colour photograph whose every detail can be seen without it ever pixellating and distorting. So one has the choice either to sit back and see (hear) the entirety, ravishingly luminous - magnified, as it were, but categorically not exaggerated - or close-in and focus on the tiniest of individual parts.

The extra space you mention is, to me, part and parcel of this effect.

I cannot get my head around the Fusion upgrade: what else is possible??!:)

Thank you again John. For me, I hope now to have reached the point where there are no more itches to scratch re. upgrades, and no more need to read obsessively others' opinions about audio. Rather, as I indicated in my first post yesterday, I think I shall be off-loading items (subs, psus, etc.). It's time simply to listen and be transported.:cool:
 
jimmy.cross said:
Can you develop a little more that comment? ;-)
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As I said I just had a very brief listen to 'Cool Out' by King Midas Sound, and probably unfair as I've only recently got it, and only ever heard it previously via my SBtouch...

Caveats aside, one can hear all the shenanigans that the engineer/producer has applied to the bass synth, envelope, panning...and general stuff, all in a very controlled/focussed manner, but without loosing its menace :)

Rubbish description I'm afraid, hopefully I'll be able to provide some better feedback after the weekend, my MDAC has arrived at a bit of a busy social calendar...

Goat @ Electric Ballroom Camden tonight, followed by Primal Scream @ Kasbah Coventry tomorrow, and a Glastonbury Stones party at my mate's pub on Saturday...

New liver anyone? ;)
 
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