advertisement


MDAC First Listen (part XXVIII)

Status
Not open for further replies.
PhilCTTE said:
Turin Brakes new album We Were Here
Click to expand...

Had a quick listen on Spotify, it did sound spacious with a powerful deep bass. Really enjoyed the slide guitar solo on one of the earlier tracks. The boys sound a bit more grown up now, I noticed (vs The Optmist/Ether Song). Might have to get a proper copy of it and then turn the wick up when the neighbours are out :(.
 
Out of interest John,

What tend to be the problems with the salvaged units. Do you know? Are they in any way useable as is?
 
Tonyb said:
Had a quick listen on Spotify, it did sound spacious with a powerful deep bass. Really enjoyed the slide guitar solo on one of the earlier tracks. The boys sound a bit more grown up now, I noticed (vs The Optmist/Ether Song). Might have to get a proper copy of it and then turn the wick up when the neighbours are out :(.
Click to expand...

Only had Ether Song , one which I often return to and enjoy.

Ordered Steve Wilson's re mastered blu ray of yes close to the edge
Quoted from his website ....

A new edition of the progressive rock masterpiece from 1972, the first in a series of Yes albums to get the deluxe remix treatment. Featuring new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes by Steven Wilson from the original multitrack reels, and transferred flat at 96K/24 bit. Also included are a flat transfer of the original stereo mix, instrumental mixes, and other bonus material.

Presented in a mini vinyl replica gatefold card sleeve with booklet featuring new sleeve notes by Sid Smith, along with rare photos and archive material, the album has been mixed for 5.1 Surround Sound from the original studio masters by Steven Wilson and is fully approved by Yes.

The CD features a new stereo album mix, plus a new mix of America and an early mix of Close to the Edge.

Contains original artwork by Roger Dean who has overseen the artwork for this new edition.

The Blu-Ray features:

- 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Surround (24bit/96khz) mixed from the original multi-channel recordings.
- the new stereo album mix in DTS-HD Master Audio (24bit/96khz).
- the original album mix and America in a DTS-HD Master Audio flat transfers from the original master tape source. (24bit/192khz)
- exclusive instrumental versions of all new mixes in DTS-HD Master Audio stereo (24bit/96khz).
- exclusive needle-drop of an original UK vinyl A1/B1 pressing transferred in 24bit/96khz audio.
- numerous audio extras appear in high-resolution stereo including single edits & studio run throughs of album tracks
 
ChrisPa said:
Out of interest John,

What tend to be the problems with the salvaged units. Do you know? Are they in any way useable as is?
Click to expand...

If any fault can be found (most appear working) then its the typical "stock faults" the output relays or Crystal - both can be random and thus trouble to induce during quick testing.
 
JohnW said:
If any fault can be found (most appear working) then its the typical "stock faults" the output relays or Crystal - both can be random and thus trouble to induce during quick testing.
Click to expand...

And as I understand it, these potential faults with the original MDAC main board will be inconsequential since the MDAC2 will have a brand new main board.
 
Hi John a quick question will the MDAC2 decode DTS-HD stereo downmixes as the Yes album posted above.
Geoff
 
I've been quiet as I have been busy playing many a songs.

My Unit had V.96/97 from purchase I tried v.90 back then and found I liked v.96 more.

But today I mixed it up after giving the .96 a good run, i put it to v.90 and I hate to say it but its blowing me away, again..., there defiantly appears to be more of a soundstage on .90 !

Total awesomeness, I do notice it gets much better when I am in what I call the butter zone at around -20 to -10db any more and I will go deaf but my speakers seem to be able to take more if I dare.

I also found I needed to toe my speakers out a little bit more since the mod's as it was a little bit to focused. And I seem to be getting better and better bass / mid bass out of the system my sub is almost turned down to nothing !

FYI - also starting a collection of songs I think sound amazing on my system with the M-DAC, its a small list at the moment but it will grow, its also collaborative, i would like to see any one else's recommendations my music taste is wide and varied, feel free to add. :)

http://open.spotify.com/user/1234264199/playlist/28CI5XIxsv9Rt9rwpGrkoU
 
Hey PFM people,

I just had a look at the MDAC2 LakeWest page and have noticed that there is an option for a salvaged MDAC unit in there. I thought Salvaged MDAC units were only for EU or is that still the case?
 
I've been holding off posting about my Premium Toy because I have had some concerns about it. John had previously talked about the bass on the Toy model being pretty amazing, so when my Toy arrived and I found the bass sadly quite lacking, I was surprised and concerned. I was worried that this was the emperor's new clothes. Mine was shipped mid-week, and didn't arrive until the following week, so it probably had a nice cold weekend in some storage warehouse somewhere. I can only speculate that this is why it took at least 2 full days to be listenable(!). I had contacted John and we were trying to work out what was going on.

I'm really pleased to report that my problems have just vanished. Some 48 hours after I first switched it on, and it's sounding wonderful.

I'm a 100% headphone listener. My headphones are Sennheiser HD800, which got a bad rep for poor bass response on the early serial numbers, but mine are great with bass, and quite a late serial. I have a Violectric V200 headphone amp running off the MDAC on XLRs, and I've been trying the headphones direct from the MDAC and also from the V200.

The first thing I noticed with the Toy is the impact and detail. These really go together. It sounds really snappy, lively and responsive, and individual sounds are so well isolated from each other that you feel as if you're getting much more information than I have previously experienced. Even before the bass was sorted, I could tell that the mid/treble was bringing me boatloads of detail. Now the bass has kicked in, the overall picture is just awesome.

I don't know what people think about soundstage and headphones, but I've always found the HD800 pretty good, and I now find the soundstage very "3D". I'm not a hifi reviewer, and I don't read many reviews by other people either, so I'm struggling somewhat to express this, but along with the aforementioned percussive separation between instruments, the positioning of the sounds seems precise and realistic.

Now that the bass is behaving itself, the headphones' speakers seem to be held in a vice-like grip, ruthlessly conveying vibrations from the deepest low. It's effortless, and doesn't feel strained at all.

Much has been said about MDAC with female vocals (e.g. The Wailin Jennys). I have a lot of female vocal music in my collection. To be honest, this isn't what I've been listening to since the thing arrived. I am currently drawn to percussive music, especially live, and "atmosphere" in general. The girls sound great too, but I'm busy rocking out.

My HD800s have always been somewhat analytical. I'd hoped from John's description of the Toy that I might be able to add some "fun" to that analytical presentation, and get the best of both worlds. This is what it now feels like to me. I couldn't be happier.

It leaves me with several big questions. How could John have fine-tuned the sound so well, when it has taken over 48 hours for the bass to settle? Is it really realistic to expect MDAC2 to be better than this? What on earth does a Fusion sound like??

I will probably sell the V200 at some point as I no longer see any advantage over the built in MDAC amp with my headphones.

Thanks for everything, John!
 
Great review !

"It sounds really snappy, lively and responsive, and individual sounds are so well isolated from each other that you feel as if you're getting much more information than I have previously experienced."

The above extract from your review sums it up nicely.
 
I can't wait to get my hands on my Toy MDAC, your impressions are so enticing! I sincerily hope it won't be long now...
 
wintoid said:
I've been holding off posting about my Premium Toy because I have had some concerns about it. John had previously talked about the bass on the Toy model being pretty amazing, so when my Toy arrived and I found the bass sadly quite lacking, I was surprised and concerned. I was worried that this was the emperor's new clothes. Mine was shipped mid-week, and didn't arrive until the following week, so it probably had a nice cold weekend in some storage warehouse somewhere. I can only speculate that this is why it took at least 2 full days to be listenable(!). I had contacted John and we were trying to work out what was going on.
Thanks for everything, John!
Click to expand...

This has probably been discussed long ago with the first Toy/Fusion upgraded units, but I just missed that part. How different is the bass between the two upgrades? My concern is that I hardly listen to classical music, therefore I don't want a system lacking bass (not overwhelming either!).
 
I've received my second MDAC today. It's an unmodified unit I bought on ebay.

Just compared it to my L2 FUSION. It's good but the FUSION is way ahead.

@tunkejazz: To me the L2 FUSION doesn't lack anything.
 
Hi All

I've been enjoying my MDAC for a year now. Can one of the senior forum members pls update me on available upgrades (and the waiting lists!)....I've tried to read through past posts and the Wiki but there are so many it's tricky to get a complete picture!

My main interest is the AV bypass as I have an AV processor (both XLR and RCA out) from which I would like to pass-through the analogue signal....obviously if doing this it's worthwhile to look at upgrades to the MDAC circuitry at the same time.

Pls let me know what's possible. Hope I'm not breaching forum etiquette by posting in this way.
 
There's no available upgrades or waiting list, all john's development work is focussed on delivering the Mdac2 so he's unlikely to ofer any further mods to exisiting Mdac owners. But you know John, never say never.

Read through the Mdac2 wiki to find out what functionality it will offer. It will be a main board pcb swap over for existing Mdac owners with new case work coming in due time for new owners.
 
John

Any chance the av bypass can be balanced?

I quite understand about space constraints on the back panel but from a system point of view this would provide full flexibility for an existing balanced system

Balanced circuit on the motherboard allowing a diyer to use a balanced connection instead of rcas?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.


advertisement


Back
Top