New MDA200 DAC

[Jean-Marc jmajma]

Thank you very much.

In fact, my MDA1000 is out of service since 3 months and I'm not sure if the tech will succeed...

Meanwhile I bought an excellent stand alone DAC from Atolln the 200 Signature...which has the ESS9028 PRO!

And it is really excellent, to say the less.

Considering the French price of this new MDA200, 5700 euros!!!!, ....I think I won't buy it for the moment.

Cheers.

[j3brow]

Originally Posted by Maks

Yeah, I believe the DA2 uses the ESS 9028pro.

Do you know if the MCD12000 uses the ESS9038 pro?

Re: MDA200, the naming of this DAC makes me believe we will see a MDA2000 as a new flagship DAC someday.

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by Jean-Marc jmajma

Thank you very much.

In fact, my MDA1000 is out of service since 3 months and I'm not sure if the tech will succeed...

Meanwhile I bought an excellent stand alone DAC from Atolln the 200 Signature...which has the ESS9028 PRO!

And it is really excellent, to say the less.

Considering the French price of this new MDA200, 5700 euros!!!!, ....I think I won't buy it for the moment.

Cheers.

Sorry to hear this Jean-Marc....I've been wondering. Hang in there, mine was in 15 weeks but did succeed. Now for some bad news. This same MDA1000 has had to return to the shop 2 days ago with a new issue. Hopefully, it will be less complicated to remedy than the last.

So, my investment in a spare MDA1000 has now paid off, 5 months later. The spare is on duty in my system until my primary unit returns.

[brownbear]

I currently use the D1100 as my DAC. I wonder if this would be any better. Any guesses?

[Jean-Marc jmajma]

Originally Posted by Vintage Pete

Sorry to hear this Jean-Marc....I've been wondering. Hang in there, mine was in 15 weeks but did succeed. Now for some bad news. This same MDA1000 has had to return to the shop 2 days ago with a new issue. Hopefully, it will be less complicated to remedy than the last.

So, my investment in a spare MDA1000 has now paid off, 5 months later. The spare is on duty in my system until my primary unit returns.

Pete, I'm sorry for this new issue: can you explain what happens?

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by Jean-Marc jmajma

Pete, I'm sorry for this new issue: can you explain what happens?

Jean-Marc....Wednesday evening, everything was fine. Thursday evening, I tried to play a CD and there was a crackling, static-like and distorted sound from both channels. A few simple troubleshooting steps confirmed the MDA1000 as the culprit. So, I went to my storage unit and brought home my spare unit. Before hooking it up, I tried playing my primary unit one more time. Strangely, it played fine now...for about a minute and a half and then the problem returned.

I'm not at all sure what the problem might be-but I'm hoping it isn't in the digital domain (possibly the upconverter?) where we might have trouble sourcing discontinued components (such as chips).

My tech is very curious as well. We'll see I guess....

[JBT]

Originally Posted by j3brow

Do you know if the MCD12000 uses the ESS9038 pro?

Re: MDA200, the naming of this DAC makes me believe we will see a MDA2000 as a new flagship DAC someday.

At the heart of the MCD12000 are two ESS SABRE PRO ES9038PRO 32-bit/8-channel DACs, with one DAC dedicated to the left audio channel, and the other DAC dedicated to the right audio channel. Each DAC uses ESS’ patented HyperStream® II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator to deliver an unprecedented performance level that will satisfy the needs of the most demanding digital audio applications. Each ES9038PRO is configured in Octal-Balanced Mono mode where the DAC’s eight outputs are used to drive the analog audio, resulting in outstanding sound quality. Separate digital and analog power supplies keep the power and audio signals free from cross contamination, while a specially constructed R-Core power transformer minimizes noise radiation.

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by j3brow

Do you know if the MCD12000 uses the ESS9038 pro?

Re: MDA200, the naming of this DAC makes me believe we will see a MDA2000 as a new flagship DAC someday.

Jason.... I had the same thoughts. It will be something to marvel at and dream about, if it does arrive. Perhaps even an MCD2000 transport?

[JBT]

Originally Posted by brownbear

I currently use the D1100 as my DAC. I wonder if this would be any better. Any guesses?

The D1100 is a reference level DAC so I doubt the MDA 200 is better. It has a newer Chip, but there's much more involved in a great sounding DAC than the chip

[brownbear]

Originally Posted by JBT

The D1100 is a reference level DAC so I doubt the MDA 200 is better. It has a newer Chip, but there's much more involved in a great sounding DAC than the chip

That was my thought as well. It would take an MDA2000 to top the D1100.