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Old 02-05-2018, 11:32 AM
audioguru audioguru is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Tone View Post
Careful the D1100 owners might be reading your comments.
A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to audition the MSB Analog DAC in my home. While this product has recently been discontinued by MSB, this particular unit was loaded with all of the latest upgrade options including the MQA module. With upgrades, it was easily 2x the price of the Mcintosh D1100. While the Analog DAC sounded smooth and natural, in back to back listening comparisons I have to give the sonic edge to the D1100. To my ears, the D1100 was consistently able to engage me more and pull me into the sonic landscape of albums I know well. With the D1100, there was a greater sense of dynamics, offering up a clearer sense of the recording soundstage, transients were more evident, and the sound overall seemed more natural on complex musical passages. More goosebumps and a greater sense of emotion from the performance came through with the D1100. I'm not able to explain from a technical standpoint why that is, but just thought I would relay what my first hand experience has been. I personally find it amazing how there are many competing approaches/technologies for decoding the bit-stream (Delta Sigma chip, R2R Ladder, FPGA) and how the sonic results do vary tremendously. I guess at the end of the day there is no definitive winner when it comes to the decoding technology utilized - rather it's all about the execution of the overall design surrounding the given decoding technology, including power supply, clean clock, output filter, etc.

Now I would love the chance to do a shootout between the D1100 and the Yggy...
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Best Regards, Andrew
The Sound Room: C1100/D1100 Combo, MC-2301 (2), MC-1.2Kw (2), Martin Logan Summit X, Wilson Yvette, MT-10 turntable, Lumin U1 streamer, Nordost Tyr 2 sc and ic's.
The Study: Sony HAP-Z1ES/TA-A1ES Combo, Kef LS50

Last edited by audioguru; 02-05-2018 at 06:37 PM.
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