Musical Fidelity V-DAC Owners?

[SunWarrior]

Hi,

When I did a search here for the MF V-DAC, I see little on it, with a thread on the topic from early December locked because of "several posts that violate the Rules/Terms of Use."

So, perhaps a new thread could call up some info, some opinionated opinions, some perspective.

For example, how does the V-DAC compare with the CIAudio DAC?

I know the Musical Fidelity DAC has a USB input, which the CIAudio does not. But my question is more about sound quality, especially with coax.

Dave

[anadin]

My DAC's so far to date have been as follows.

Stello DA100 Signature, (did I really pay that much for a DAC why?). price £650

Cambridge Audio DacMagic, Great value budget DAC with balanced outputs. price £200

Musical Fidelity V-DAC, Lovely clean punchy highs with a neutral to warm sound, a brilliant sounding super budget DAC that will go down in Head-Fi history as the bargain of the decade at an amazing £150.

[suikodenii]

I should receive mine this week if it does not get stuck with the x-mas mail.
I will only be able to compare it with the Pico and IMod with large cap dock station though.

[Kane-DK]

Anadin, so you think that the DacMagic is as good as the Stello DA100?

How does the V-Dac compare and have you had the chance to compare these to the Pico?

[Valens7]

Originally Posted by anadin

Musical Fidelity V-DAC, Lovely clean punchy highs with a neutral to warm sound, a brilliant sounding super budget DAC that will go down in Head-Fi history as the bargain of the decade at an amazing £150.

So...you like it then, huh?

[JohnnyLightOn]

Does "punchy highs" mean it might be too bright with a Denon D5000?

[ADD]

Yeh, I worry about the term "punchy highs". One person's "punchy highs" might be another's "intolerable, glassy brightness".

[Mandrakespain]

Originally Posted by anadin

Cambridge Audio DacMagic, Great value budget DAC with balanced outputs. price £200

What a difference, recomended selling price in Spain, so far I have seen, is 369€!! (220 GBP at the current exchange is more or less 220€)

[Herandu]

Originally Posted by anadin

Musical Fidelity V-DAC, Lovely clean punchy highs with a neutral to warm sound, a brilliant sounding super budget DAC that will go down in Head-Fi history as the bargain of the decade at an amazing £150.

Be careful that you don't get branded as a fanboy of the V-DAC. They said the same of me when I started mentioning the TC-7510, the real bargain of the decade.

[Greeni]

I look forward to getting a V-DAC in my country for $180. I owned MF digital products before, found them ultimately un-involving in the long run. Lacks tonality, somewhat bleached, and something not quite right with PRAT. Judging from the What Hi Fi review, the V DAC appears to have been much improved. Let's see...If it were not for the portability, the Valab DAC also for $180 is adequate for me.

[MatsudaMan]

Finally, someone interested in this DAC. I've always enjoyed products from MF, especially there tube stuff. While this is not a tube DAC, it sounds like it may have a lush and tubey sound signature. I'm hoping, since it's high up on my Christmas wish list.

I'll definitely give some impressions after the 25th.

[anadin]

I've had one for a couple of weeks now and its not going anywhere fast, simply put it's a cracking little DAC for the money.

I can't wait to hear other people's impressions.

[Calvin&Hobbes]

For completeness, I'll repeat here what I posted in the DACMagic forum:

Audio, the German magazine for Hifi and High-End tested four DAC's between 100 and 400 Euro (Jan. 2009 issue). Among them the CA DacMagic and MF V-DAC. I'll only translate the concluding remarks here: the cheap looks are utterly misleading: the MF V-DAC is buying you true high-end sound for a special price. If you need more connections or a more valuable look, the CA DacMagic offers a firstclass alternative.
CA DacMagic in summary:
POS: unspectacular neutral sounding, allround equipped, NEG: at this price no complaints at all. Excellent: sound 100 (RCA), 105 (balanced).
MF V-DAC in summary:
POS: Enormous sound potential for the money, high-end for understatement fans. NEG: digital connections at front, other connections at rear. Excellent: Sound 110 (RCA only).

[anadin]

I would be interested to know what the other two DAC's where in the test.

[Herandu]

Originally Posted by anadin

I would be interested to know what the other two DAC's where in the test.

Didn't you buy What HiFi? The test was between Musical Fidelity, Cambridge, and Beresford. The V-DAC came last. The CA won by a whisker due to its USB input and balanced out. The Beresford was best value for money.