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I'm looking for a way to "sweeten" the sound of my stock MSB III DAC. It does sound pretty good in my system: YBA Integre DT, Cambridge Audio 540D (as transport), JMLab Megane Carats, Van den Hull speaker wire and locally made audiophile interconnects.

However, after listening to the Cambridge as a CD player on its own I have come to confirm what I suspected all along: Piano sounds absolutely lousy with the MSB! No harmonics, lots of attack but not at all sweet, (just felt hammers pounding on metal strings). Please listen to the Live 2001 recording of Egberto Gismonti and Charlie Haden as a point of reference. The piano on my system sounds at times like it's played by a ham fisted kid... (Better on the Cambridge alone... go figure)

Voices however sound great and horns, drum and bass are all excellent, (strings less so). But I also want a more luscious sound, piano that intoxicates with trailing harmonics, some wood and rosin on strings. The MSB is a lot better than the Cambridge as a stand alone CD player, (the Cambridge sounds thinner and tilted slightly toward treble, has less detail, not good in my system...). It seems to be a very good transport though and I have very good bass weight, good punch and very nice stereo seperation and layering.

So, I'd love suggestions. Either for a new DAC that will offer a lusher and richer sound with better timbral accuracy of pianos (and all other instruments as well), (I play the piano), Or a tried and true modification that can be done. The miracle must happen within the humble range of $500.00 to $600.00....

Thanks for any help
ariflex
killerpiglet
374 posts
 
Try an Ack!Dack.

It doesn't score high in the "audio checklist" stuff, but it does get a lot "right." Not etched at all; keeps the music "together."

OK, not the best description in the world. But it was free, and maybe even worth every penny. I'll say that the Ack sold me enough on the "simple" approach that I took the plunge with an Audio Note DAC.

It's within your price range, at less than $600 new.

KP
ariflex OP
21 posts
 
I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly...

When you say: >"It doesn't score high in the "audio checklist" stuff, but it does get a lot "right."<

Do you mean my checklist? or some other checklist?

And: >But it was free, and maybe even worth every penny. I'll say that the Ack sold me enough on the "simple" approach that I took the plunge with an Audio Note DAC.<

I haven't a clue as to what you mean here...

Sorry. Thanks for the reply though.
killerpiglet
374 posts
 
Well, I meant my opinion and (clearly) very poor choice of words were free (did I mention our No Refunds Policy?).

Not your checklist but the tried-over-tried audio babble checklists that are flung about to describe equipment.

OK, I'll try again.

The Ack doesn't have "high end extension" or the "low frequency slam" of, say an EVS modded Link DAC (a good DAC, which I use in the bedroom system, and one which you may want to also give a try, as they go for under $400 used). But for me, well, it just did "voices" right. Compared with the EVS Millennium II DAC, which up-samples (which I also still own), it was a much closer. The dynamics and detail in the M2 where better. But the Ack still had that something "right." Again, for me, in the voices. I will say, though, that both my wife and brother in law preferred they M2 DAC, and I have to admit when it came to filling the room, it did beat the Ack.

But like I said, to me it would lose in the "checklist" department, but win overall. I will say, though, that using silver IC's on the Ack seemed to help it in the dynamics.

Thinking this a bit more, I realize we all have our "checklists," so maybe I should have said the Ack caused me to redefine mine, or at least to add a few items to it.

Now, on the "simple" approach: unlike most DAC's, the Ack does not use any sort of over-sampling or up-sampling, nor does it use a digital or analog filter. It's also battery powered.

KP
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