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Article: EMM Labs DAC2X Review


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Nice review Chris. I knew this was coming (chatted quite a bit with Gregory) and knew the ceramic boards were outperforming my MA-1, but after reading this maybe I need to save up the pennies even faster. Wow. Great stuff.

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  • 2 months later...

BTW, I know that Stumil is mainly looking for differences in sound, but to comment on the differences in product, the DAC2X is digitally the same as the MA-1. It's analog section is designed on expensive ceramic boards, unlike the MA-1. Ed says the ceramic boards sound "point-to-point". I asked if Meitner would allow me to pay to have my MA-1 boards swapped but they are unlikely to cannibalize DAC2X sales. :( Regardless, I love my MA-1.

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Priaptor,

1) i think the Meitner really blossoms into its full potential at about 300 hours, although Gregory (Meitner) will tell you it doesn't take that long. He's been right about so many things that maybe mine is some sort of expectation bias, since most of my best stuff takes that long. :)

 

2) I have so much invested in DSD (600+ SACDs ripped, 2 DSD dacs, etc) that hearing about DSD from me might seem biased; it is, but only because it hooked me. :) I find it to be soo much more effortless than even 24/176 PCM (24/192 native PCM recordings are damn good too, but few and far between), but it might be a very individual thing. And I am speaking about that large-but-subsetted-collection of DSD that is either pure DSD recordings or analog-to-DSD. Any PCM sourced converted material sounds fine, but I'd much rather have the PCM source. However, in the case of many of these PCM-based SACD's the hirez PCM source is not available, so it's as good as we can get (EMI's hdtracks releases and BIS's own eclassical downloads of the original PCM notwithstanding). For me the sound of piano is sublime in native DSD.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I suspect that just adds weight to the argument that there is no perfect solution and that contary to what some people would try and have you believe every option requires compromises...

 

Eloise

 

Yes, the comparisons would be very interesting, given their almost 180 degree perspectives. Kind of mirrors today's Nobel Prize Quantum Physics announcement. Two scientists (French and American) were awarded for the same discovery (that one could finally isolate and therefore evaluate quantum particles). One used photons to evaluate electrons; the other used electrons to evaluate photons! Same result. Cool stuff.

 

And yes, now the Firesign Theater motto (they are my signature) comes true: how can you be in two places at once, when you're not anywhere at all!

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  • 1 month later...
Add to that the reviews of people using them. IIRC, even Ted_b was using one recently in lieu of a pricey active.

 

Think what you will Barrows, but you are presenting a very skewed perception as some sort of fact. I'll not address this further in this thread.

 

My Bent TAP TVC was nice, but since changing to MG Audio Design cabling my "pricey active" (Concert Fidelity CF-080 with 5814A Sylvania gold labels) is now my Meitner's preamp, and is the most organic, dynamic and musical presentation I've had.

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