[Ankkor]

The MDA has a mythical status. But Mc considers the D1100 their reference component. People are surprised a D1200 didn’t come along with the C12000 last year. I’ve always been all Mc but the DAC process broke that stranglehold and I went DCS. I think DAC’s are uniquely complicated and not a McStrength. Without a MDA replacement over the years I think they have quietly ceded this capability.
My understanding is that the D1100 has the umbilical to the C1100 but the C12000 doesn’t have that umbilical input. Without that input and without a D1200 their DAC roadmap is opaque. They told me you would access the D1100’s DA2 through balanced cables but I just can’t get over duplicating a solid state preamp. But that was all minor to the sound I got from the superior specialized DAC equipment.
So I went from the DA1 in a C2500. That was warm, rich and mellow. A heavy warm blanket in front of a fireplace in a quiet safe place. The smell of fresh mulch on a beautiful warm garden. In the comfortable haze of a lazy sunny Sunday morning. A sleeping golden retriever keeping your feet warm.

The DCS is clear and exhilarating. It is dopamine with the first chord at your favorite live concert. Clarity, separation, accuracy, and a reminder that it is very good to be alive. The physical piano in the room sounds like it is the thing making the music. The human imperfections in a world class singers voice and the real life intricacies of different cymbals tell you the real story.