Musical Fidelity V-DAC Owners? - Page 13

Just got v-dac recently. This is my first v-dac and I bought v-dac based on the reviews in this thread. Time for me to help conribute back.

1st impression using coaxial was that tonality and mid range is good. However, bass is greatly reduced and soundstage is smaller. I still prefer the analogue outs from my denon dvd 1740 player.

Next tried using optical and bass is back. Sounstage has more depth and width is slightly improved. tonality and mid range is as good. V-dac is staying in my system using optical in.

Its widely believed that coaxial should be better than optical but not in this case for my system. Did any of you guys tried using optical instead of coaxial?

Loving it via USB.

That's good to know, I may contact Musical fidelity and ask them what time frame they expect the to have it shipping. I saw a picture of the internals of the Kingrex PSU and it looks very impressive. The transformer is just huge.

I ordered v-dac just to try it out. I hope it will be good enough to stay in my computer setup

Did you try it with another coaxial cable. It usually makes a difference

I got my V-Dac on saturday and have been playing nonstop when i can. It´s my first dac so i won't say anything on the SQ, except that i love it!

Would love to hear more about PSU upgrades on DACs, is the sound improvement really noticeably? (PRAT was mentioned a few posts earlier)

I am using belden 1694a as my digital coax. Since I prefer optical sq, think I will rather get a much better optical than trying to find a coax will will giver me better sq.

It is a bit technical but according this article: spdif it is better to use a coaxial cable of at least 1,5 meters. I'm using one (mid-range quality) and i am very happy with it in combination with my Squeezebox and V-dac (which i bought on ebay as well, thanks for the tip).

I have seen this article before and my coax is 2.0m long. I just bought a 2.0m optical cable Wireworld Supernova 5+ to replace the common one that I am using previously. Just one word to describe. wow! No regrets buying this optical cable.

I was hoping more people can try listening to optical and feedback on their results. For me, although it may defy logic, but optical is the way for me. This is based on my system setup and my preferences, so your mileage may vary.

forum is a great place to share and learn

What components are you using. Are you listening to speakers or headphones or both.

I'll try switching back and forth from optical to coaxial - see if I can hear a difference in my system. Interesting....

I am using speakers and the output of v-dac goes to my preamp.

v-dac with Airport Express

I purchased the v-dac based on this thread, so I want to report back. My goal is to retire my humble Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD (heard through the companion A3.2 integrated) with the Airport Express/Apple Lossless/iTunes combo. This allows me to control the setup with my iPhone from the living room (using the Remote app).

Using the v-dac with the digital coax out on the A3.2 player provides little, if any difference in sound from the analog outs - playing the Christoph Poppen Bach/Webern: Ricercar CD. No surprise there. I started with this setup to get a baseline. Switching to the AE optical out with toslink into the v-dac was jarringly different. A veil was lifted, bass performance was heightened, and everything got VERY detailed. There was an unnatural excitement to the voices and instruments. A much closer seat in the hall and more separation. But at the expense of naturalness. The slight muddiness of the A3.2 player was called out - but the edgy detail and slight sibilance of the v-dac did not make up for it.

Now on to Gotterdammerung, Siegfrieds funeral march. I wanted to hear how it handled big brass. But something was wrong. The powerful punch and stab of the climaxes was diminished somewhat. It was very strange. You could hear each and every different instrument in the chords, but something was wrong with attacks.

So then I tried some rock. Loose Fur, Born Again in the USA. Now the PRAT problem was really showing - it just sounded wrong and backwards. No groove.

Hot Chip, The Warning was unlistenable - like a steel razor on my brain. Way too detailed and hyper-sharp.

I am not sure what to make of this DAC. I really want to get rid of the CD player - and I consider the one I have as very mid-level - but it looks like I need a more expensive (or even tubed) DAC to mate with the Airport Express and my A3.2 integrated. Hell, it could be that the Airport Express is the issue - or even the toslink. I might try using a toslink to coax converter and use that input on the v-dac. But I will take naturalness over forced hyper-detail - just the way I prefer my sound. I think the v-dac is a good buy to use with the AE, but it just does not replace my CD player. Not for critical (and enjoyable) listening in front of the big system. This one may go to eBay soon.

vicvega1972 wrote:

"...I wanted to hear how it handled big brass. But something was wrong. The powerful punch and stab of the climaxes was diminished somewhat. It was very strange. You could hear each and every different instrument in the chords, but something was wrong with attacks.

So then I tried some rock. Loose Fur, Born Again in the USA. Now the PRAT problem was really showing - it just sounded wrong and backwards. No groove..."

Contrast my own observation of PRaT made earlier in this post, the two seem to echo each other:

"That which make PRAT the more elusive factor in audio is largely the situation that all elements could be there, and therefore nothing seem missing, but they are not in the right proportion to one another. When this happen, audiophiles may detect something not right about the presentation, but the exact "what's wrong" may well elude them."

May be I have not given enough break-in and audition time for the V-dac to properly evaluate it, but my impression is that the PRaT of the V-dac is already amongst the least of an issue with MF products. It definitely do less well with the Valab NOS dac in my books, but for the $180 I paid easily forgiven, not lest of the fact that the tonality of the V-dac is also quite better than many other MF products I heard. I also sold my V-dac because I cannot justify keeping it and the Valab plus my cdp, but I am sure many will like it a lot.

Why would you think that a 300 dollar budget dac would be able to replace your "mid-fi" cd player? I've heard that those 3.2 cd players are pretty sweet. Don't they go for a little less than a grand? The vdac is nice, but not a "giant killer".

It's interesting that you think that the vdac is hyper detailed. I've been doing a/b comparisons with my arcam cd73 and haven't ever felt that the vdac was too detailed. I just listened through the arcam's analogue outs and still find the vdac a much more enjoyable sound and overall presentation. The prat is not bad either - thanks to some burn in. Sure, dynamics are not quite as big, but the sound is never harsh or shouty like it was with my arcam.

What kind of speakers are you using? Hopefully not some bright mini0monitors - would not be a good pair with your mf gear. Anyway, it's interesting to see how different people's impressions are in relation to the kind of components they mate with the v-dac.

Works awesome with my components - super punchy and musical Atoll in100 integrated with smooth and laid back Wharfedale floorstanders mate well with detailed yet lush MF V-DAC.

I would say for anyone with a lean and bright system that you might not want to consider the v-dac. However if your system has slam and bass a plenty, you will not be effected by the "prat" issues SOME have experienced.

Upgrades in DAC technology in the last 5 years, plus removing the transport and sending digital lossless to the DAC might have been enough to out-do the A3.2. I was wrong - I must have fallen for the marketing. But I did mention a few positives the v-dac had over the A3.2. Advances in DAC technology seem to emphasize detail - which can be translated into brightness if the signal is not handled as-such downstream or in the unit itself. Here is where a higher priced unit may shine in my system. YMMV. But for $299 it was worth the test. And as I stated before, it is definitely worth the money for what it is.

I also mentioned that using the toslink is where the hyper-detail came from. If I could use the coax it might (only might) be a different story - but the AE is only toslink. I could go to another digital transport, but I don't want to run any other software than iTunes.

System is A3.2 Integrated and CD/Paradigm Ref Studio 60 v.3's. Vinyl is Michell Gyro Mark III/RB600/Grado Sonata into K&K Audio SE MM/MC Phono.

Received my V-DAC from MAD England today; quick delivery, three days from England to Sweden. An England to Continental adapter was included for free; nice surprise.

No chance to test it yet but here's a pic for size. Looks like a travel companion, doesn't it?