misterdog
Not the canine kind
So why waste your time and ours posting then ?
Do something constructive with your/our time.
Listen to music , for example.
It's only Hi Fi.
MDAC First Listen (part XXVIII)
- Thread starter Chertilo777
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So why waste your time and ours posting then ?
Do something constructive with your/our time.
Listen to music , for example.
It's only Hi Fi.
therixonator
pfm Member
Well Phil's XLR cables arrived yesterday right on time as I bought the Parasound Amp today. I must say it's a big upgrade to the Marantz PM7001 I've owned for the last 9 or 10 years. That'll be getting sold shortly. A really good amp for the price but since the MDac got upgraded I've realised that it's just not capable driving the speakers well enough to get the level of detail the dac is capable of.
But now I've got this beast in the cabinet its a whole different story. Like a level of fog has lifted, or someone has cleaned my glasses! Much sharper, wider, deeper. Had some proper hair standing moments playing The Pineapple Thief and Damien Rice earlier.
Only trouble I might have is the volume levels, I'm at about -40db for casual listening and -30db for proper listening. Some tracks had to come down to -34db for neighbourly considerations. But I've not played with the gain controls on the back yet. There is one per channel with no markings though so it could be tricky to get them the same.
Other difficulty was getting it in the house. Think the website said it weighed 30kgs, the seller said 50kg, it certainly felt more like the latter to me.
Got it for £725, feels like a proper bargain for the SQ. Cheers again everyone for helping me find this little gem.
By the way, does anyone know if power amps need to stay on standby when not being used, or whether I can plug it into the same circuit as the MDac which I can switch on and off with a remote?
But now I've got this beast in the cabinet its a whole different story. Like a level of fog has lifted, or someone has cleaned my glasses! Much sharper, wider, deeper. Had some proper hair standing moments playing The Pineapple Thief and Damien Rice earlier.
Only trouble I might have is the volume levels, I'm at about -40db for casual listening and -30db for proper listening. Some tracks had to come down to -34db for neighbourly considerations. But I've not played with the gain controls on the back yet. There is one per channel with no markings though so it could be tricky to get them the same.
Other difficulty was getting it in the house. Think the website said it weighed 30kgs, the seller said 50kg, it certainly felt more like the latter to me.
Got it for £725, feels like a proper bargain for the SQ. Cheers again everyone for helping me find this little gem.
By the way, does anyone know if power amps need to stay on standby when not being used, or whether I can plug it into the same circuit as the MDac which I can switch on and off with a remote?
JohnW
pfm member
Sounds like you might be able to set both Gain controls to minimum - I'm guessing that they have Limited range - thus will not "Mute" when set to Min.
Worth a try!
And you have a bargain
, your dear old Marantz was in a different (lower) league ... happy listening!Oh, and well done to Phil for offering to try his XLR cables - what a true Gent
50kg - I hear your pain, while building the Lab - each thermal brick weighed 40kgs... I weight in at about 55kg!!! lets just say the next house build will be left to the Pros!! Weather permitting, this Wednesday the Oak beams will arrive for the 1st floor ceiling joists - apparently they are about 400kg each
I'm more used to "man handling" miniature surface mount components (not to mention our dearest miniature Bobby, Paris, Ella & Annie ).... I didn't think you would resist that! You got your value in scrap metal alone!It's a thirsty amp by the way, about 150w at idle, goodness knows what at other times, particularly on power up to fill up the big filter caps, could give a delicate switch a hard time. So I switch mine off when not in use! The advice I saw and have followed with my Parasound (predecessor model to yours) is to give it a dedicated wall socket, and I also put together a rather meaty power cable (you may have got the supplied one with yours which was supposed to be decent).
I also have a neighbour issue, damn, when you've got an amp like that you just want to go higher and higher! p.s. ask them to let you know when they will be out - works a treat!
JohnW
pfm member
Well using the cable parameters from the Van Damme Spec sheet, I modelled a 1m cable run... seems like the design will be stable, so I can give your cables a try - I don't suppose to have a couple of meters spare?
JohnW
pfm member
It's a thirsty amp by the way, about 150w at idle, goodness knows what at other times, particularly on power up to fill up the big filter caps, could give a delicate switch a hard time. So I switch mine off when not in use! The advice I saw and have followed with my Parasound (predecessor model to yours) is to give it a dedicated wall socket, and I also put together a rather meaty power cable (you may have got the supplied one with yours which was supposed to be decent).
I also have a neighbour issue, damn, when you've got an amp like that you just want to go higher and higher! p.s. ask them to let you know when they will be out - works a treat!
I'd bet while playing Music it will still idle around 150W - with only very brief "Pips" during Music peaks... which will do little to increase the average power consumption... well done on pointing us to the Amp
PhilCTTE
Senior mumbler
I always leave my power amps on standby plugged directly into wall socket and use a 12v trigger to switch them on from AV receiver. My Mdac is plugged into a Tacima power strip which has rf filters and surge protection. All my Hifi is on same spur from living room ring, I might look into a remote switch to power it all off at some point. What you want to ensure is that you don't choke your power amps by inserting some lesser spec power conditioners/filters , so will a remote switch which I assume is built into a power strip restrict anything. I,d look at getting your electrician in to properly spec out one which is built into a spur.
Wow just read other posts 150w at I idle !
Just reading Johns post (*blush) , of course if you are not happy in anyway with the cables I'll be happy to offer refund,
The same levels as I,m experiencing , can't adjust mine tho
Wow just read other posts 150w at I idle !
Just reading Johns post (*blush) , of course if you are not happy in anyway with the cables I'll be happy to offer refund,
The same levels as I,m experiencing , can't adjust mine tho
The other joy of Van Damme Starquad is that it costs less than £ 2.00 per Metre.
I have 15 M. running around my room
Imagine the cost for a boutique cable.
Before I ran Active I had some speaker cable (2 times 3M) costing £700 (RRP)
Guess which I prefer.
Been following this posts for as long as I've had my M-Dac, this is the first I've seen posts on the legendary Van Damme cables, i upgraded form Atlas Hypers and The Chord Company interconnects to Van damme Hi-fi Series and Van Damme Silver Series Session Grade Instrument interconnects. WOW JUST WOW sold my atlas and Chords and now i have enough money for upgrading my power amp (wife restrictions in and out policy) so i look for some assistance. I have the Audiolab 8000p picked up second british serial number "E" for £150 a year ago i my budged its up to £800 would the Parasound 2125 be a massive upgrade? or should i be aiming higher?
therixonator
pfm Member
I always leave my power amps on standby plugged directly into wall socket and use a 12v trigger to switch them on from AV receiver. My Mdac is plugged into a Tacima power strip which has rf filters and surge protection. All my Hifi is on same spur from living room ring, I might look into a remote switch to power it all off at some point. What you want to ensure is that you don't choke your power amps by inserting some lesser spec power conditioners/filters , so will a remote switch which I assume is built into a power strip restrict anything. I,d look at getting your electrician in to properly spec out one which is built into a spur.
Wow just read other posts 150w at I idle !
Just reading Johns post (*blush) , of course if you are not happy in anyway with the cables I'll be happy to offer refund,
The same levels as I,m experiencing , can't adjust mine tho
I'm not what it burns the 150w on. I left it on standby for a couple of hours and it cooled right back down, so it isnt heat. I put it on the bottom shelf and removed the shelf above, so it's got a double bay now to help dissipate the heat. Your cables are great, difficult to know really though I suppose after changing the amp. I could plug the mic cables in instead and see if I can tell the diff.
Not sure if the power cable is original. It looks better than the usual ones.
jamjar784
Heavy Up
Is this what you're talking about http://www.amazon.co.uk/Designacable-Custom-Length-Neutrik-Microphone/dp/B009FZX5DU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_4 ?
Just need John's new amps when they're ready
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misterdog
Not the canine kind
Is this what you're talking about http://www.amazon.co.uk/Designacable-Custom-Length-Neutrik-Microphone/dp/B009FZX5DU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_4 ?
Just need John's new amps when they're ready
That's what I use except mine are Black
I made my own cables up and used the silver plated XLR. Pretty good price that though.
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Is this what you're talking about http://www.amazon.co.uk/Designacable-Custom-Length-Neutrik-Microphone/dp/B009FZX5DU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_4 ?
Just need John's new amps when they're ready
I'm not using XLR into my audiolab 8000 so I'm using these
http://www.vdctrading.com/shop/van-...grade-lo-cap-55pf-instrument-cable-per-metre/ with Rca plug's
But I will be obtain those if my next power amp supports it. Out of interest what power amps are the majority of mdac users preferring?
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misterdog
Not the canine kind
The ones inside my active Adams
cuts out all the worry about Impedance matching etc, etc.
and hence allows more time to listen.
Stilgoe1972
pfm Member
That's what I use except mine are Black
I made my own cables up and used the silver plated XLR. Pretty good price that though.
The ones in the link aren't quad star, and the price appears to be for 1 leg, so not actually a great price. If one is running long lengths use quad star not the normal stuff. Better shielding etc. Mics direct are pretty good (eBay shop) and are pretty helpful on the phone.
sq225917
Bit of this, bit of that
By 'we' I meant, us, forum members, mdac owners, people who bought an Mdac with their own money. It's sad that soem people seem to have nothing better to do with their time than make up pocket conspiracy theories. Stilgoe, is Englsih your first language?
fusion5
on the dark side of hifi...
The ones inside my active Adams
cuts out all the worry about Impedance matching etc, etc.
and hence allows more time to listen.
Yes, the internal Adam amps. If it weren't for the high gain
I'll test the bulk foil attenuators once they are ready.
Maybe it's possible to apply some (lossless?) attenuation with the MDAC2s FPGA.
Stilgoe1972
pfm Member
So, just an enthusiastic user.
Did you mean "English" or is that how you spell it up North?
If so, yes.
misterdog
Not the canine kind
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