[Harmonique131]

Hello everyone.

I've had this DAC for about ten days now. It works 24h/24, amplifier off to break in the DAC, capacitors and output tubes. The mains cable is an elecaudio cs-361b, which I installed myself and have only been breaking in for 4 days, as well as the first SR Purple audio fuse (a first for me, after much hesitation), so it's not broken in yet.

To say that the Miflexes are huge is an understatement !

The very first listening session took place this afternoon.

My old DAC was a Denafrips Ares II (very good for its price), which I sold at the beginning of December. In the meantime, I changed my Matrix II USB interface for a Gustard U18.

To say I was impressed by this first listening experience would be an understatement !

The vocals are very natural (my big fear after an R2R DAC), fluid, the timbres just right, nothing eccentric or harsh, which would be eliminatory for me. The bass comes out of nowhere! How can the little TOTEM Sttaf column speakers with their tiny 14 cm low midrange produce such bass ?

The image is very wide, but so far no deeper than that of the Denafrips Ares II.

On my modest audio system, the impact of the change of DAC between the Denafrips Ares II and the Musical Paradise is enormous, and in almost every area.

Listening is on a completely different level, but I'm not very good at expressing it more precisely. A DAC that, for its price, deserves to be discovered, with a vast choice of output capacitors and tubes to personalize listening.

Best regards.

 

[pythagore]

Hello everyone.

I've had this DAC for about ten days now. It works 24h/24, amplifier off to break in the DAC, capacitors and output tubes. The mains cable is an elecaudio cs-361b, which I installed myself and have only been breaking in for 4 days, as well as the first SR Purple audio fuse (a first for me, after much hesitation), so it's not broken in yet.

To say that the Miflexes are huge is an understatement !

The very first listening session took place this afternoon.

My old DAC was a Denafrips Ares II (very good for its price), which I sold at the beginning of December. In the meantime, I changed my Matrix II USB interface for a Gustard U18.

To say I was impressed by this first listening experience would be an understatement !

The vocals are very natural (my big fear after an R2R DAC), fluid, the timbres just right, nothing eccentric or harsh, which would be eliminatory for me. The bass comes out of nowhere! How can the little TOTEM Sttaf column speakers with their tiny 14 cm low midrange produce such bass ?



The image is very wide, but so far no wider than that of the Denafrips Ares II.

Listening is on a completely different level, but I'm not very good at expressing it more precisely. A DAC that, for its price, deserves to be discovered, with a vast choice of output capacitors and tubes to personalize listening.

Best regards.

C'est quoi l'utilité de l'interface USB (Le gustard U18), n'est-ce pas un gaspillage d'argent?

 

[Harmonique131]

C'est quoi l'utilité de l'interface USB (Le gustard U18), n'est-ce pas un gaspillage d'argent?

It's possible.

I can't say anything about the Musical Paradise DAC, as I haven't tested its USB input.

However, all the tests I've carried out with my old Matrix II interface and its linear power supply, or now the Gustard U18, show that listening improves markedly almost all the time, even with good-quality DACs such as the Denafrips Venus II.

At its price, this USB interface is an excellent bargain.

Only the best DACs can do without it, but they are rare below $4,000 (this is just a rough guide).

But of course, each case is unique and deserves to be tested.

 

[pythagore]

It's possible.

I can't say anything about the Musical Paradise DAC, as I haven't tested its USB input.

However, all the tests I've carried out with my old Matrix II interface and its linear power supply, or now the Gustard U18, show that listening improves markedly almost all the time, even with good-quality DACs such as the Denafrips Venus II.

At its price, this USB interface is an excellent bargain.

Only the best DACs can do without it, but they are rare below $4,000 (this is just a rough guide).

But of course, each case is unique and deserves to be tested.

Êtes-vous familier avec le site audiosciencereview.com? Ils ont fait des tests là-dessus, et n'ont trouvé que ces interfaces ne dégradent, ni n'améliorent le signal USB en provenance du DAC.

 

[Harmonique131]

As for ASR's work, it's very respectable.

For my part, I prefer to let myself be guided by listening.

It's a personal choice.

 

[Harmonique131]

Hello.

My new DAC has been in silent operation (amplifier off) for 16 days, 24 hours a day.

Album listened to: TRIO SR9 "déjà vu" Qobuz 24 bit 48 kHz.

Listening is completely open, with a huge, wide and deep image. Vocals are reproduced in a totally natural way, and on good recordings like this, show no form of sibilance or excessive sibilance. Voices are incredibly natural, present, human, moving, warm but without excess.

Dynamics explode with abysmal bass on my small system. My FEZZ audio amplifier and its eight small watts are totally transcended, with dynamics and extreme bass levels that are just staggering to my ears !

On the other hand, you can forget about any excess shine that ESS Sabre chipsets might suffer from, and believe me, I was afraid of this effect. but nothing! Naturalness and fluidity are the watchwords here, balanced with beautiful transparency. The power supply and output stage (choosing the right output capacitors and tubes) are the most important points.

Of course, I can only compare with my previous DAC, which despite all its qualities, a Denafrips Ares II, remains an entry-level DAC. But I have to admit that all my expectations have been totally exploded, as my little system has been taken to a level I never thought possible.

Garry, your new DAC is just a marvel! Thank you for your hard work in improving your Musical paradise DAC


PS. Paradise Musical MP-DX DAC. Chipset ES9039MSPRO, clock Crystek, output capacitors Miflex KPCU 2.2 uF 600V + Bypass capacitors Duelund Cooper Foil Precision Capacitors 0. 01uF 600Vdc, E-6SN7 ELITE Linlai tubes (the cover can no longer be closed with them, but it's OK for me), EIZZ PTFE 6SN7 to 6922 adapters, SR Purple fuse, ELECAUDIO CS-361B mains cable + silver Viborg connectors, Neotech NEI 3001 MKIII RCA cable + KLEI Pure Harmony RCA connectors.

 

[sean perth]

Hi All
My brother who lives in Wales UK is having an issue with his MP tube dac
Garry has asked him to do some checking with a multi meter and other bits
He is getting some audio output but very quiet and needs near high volume to get any sound
My question is does anyone know someone that can look at it for him in wales as he’s not got a clue who to start
Cheers
Sean

 

[LongLomg00]

Hello, I've got to buy the MP DAC before myself. I don't have a preamplifier. Can you hear well with the volume control from the DAC ? Or should I buy a preamplifier first?
Setup: Macroaudio Mono Blocks , Cambridge CXN-v2 , Willson Benesch Curve

 

[stevedlu]

Hello.

My new DAC has been in silent operation (amplifier off) for 16 days, 24 hours a day.

Album listened to: TRIO SR9 "déjà vu" Qobuz 24 bit 48 kHz.

Listening is completely open, with a huge, wide and deep image. Vocals are reproduced in a totally natural way, and on good recordings like this, show no form of sibilance or excessive sibilance. Voices are incredibly natural, present, human, moving, warm but without excess.

Dynamics explode with abysmal bass on my small system. My FEZZ audio amplifier and its eight small watts are totally transcended, with dynamics and extreme bass levels that are just staggering to my ears !

On the other hand, you can forget about any excess shine that ESS Sabre chipsets might suffer from, and believe me, I was afraid of this effect. but nothing! Naturalness and fluidity are the watchwords here, balanced with beautiful transparency. The power supply and output stage (choosing the right output capacitors and tubes) are the most important points.

Of course, I can only compare with my previous DAC, which despite all its qualities, a Denafrips Ares II, remains an entry-level DAC. But I have to admit that all my expectations have been totally exploded, as my little system has been taken to a level I never thought possible.

Garry, your new DAC is just a marvel! Thank you for your hard work in improving your Musical paradise DAC


PS. Paradise Musical MP-DX DAC. Chipset ES9039MSPRO, clock Crystek, output capacitors Miflex KPCU 2.2 uF 600V + Bypass capacitors Duelund Cooper Foil Precision Capacitors 0. 01uF 600Vdc, E-6SN7 ELITE Linlai tubes (the cover can no longer be closed with them, but it's OK for me), EIZZ PTFE 6SN7 to 6922 adapters, SR Purple fuse, ELECAUDIO CS-361B mains cable + silver Viborg connectors, Neotech NEI 3001 MKIII RCA cable + KLEI Pure Harmony RCA connectors.

Thanks for your post. I just ordered the same DAC, same configuration. I had the MP-D1 many moons ago and have a stash of 6922 tubes and Caps that I can reuse. Very excited! Do you know what the Fuse ratings/specs are?

 

[Harmonique131]

Thanks for your post. I just ordered the same DAC, same configuration. I had the MP-D1 many moons ago and have a stash of 6922 tubes and Caps that I can reuse. Very excited! Do you know what the Fuse ratings/specs are?

Hello Steve.

Garry had answered this question by specifying that, given the particularly large power supply on this DAC, an audio fuse should have a value of at least 5 amperes (slow fuse), to avoid the risk of premature destruction of the fuse, which is generally very costly. I chose an SR Purple fuse with a value of 6.3 amps. A slightly higher value does not pose a safety problem.

Good day to you all.

 

[Harmonique131]

Hello, I've got to buy the MP DAC before myself. I don't have a preamplifier. Can you hear well with the volume control from the DAC ? Or should I buy a preamplifier first?
Setup: Macroaudio Mono Blocks , Cambridge CXN-v2 , Willson Benesch Curve

Hello.

It seems to me that the DAC comes with a small remote control. Remote volume control should not be a problem with this DAC.

However, if I received this small remote control, I put it away somewhere only to forget about it straight away because I don't use it and I haven't been able to find it. Perhaps someone else could do the test to be sure? If you wish, you can have this clarified with Garry directly by e=mail.

Good day to you all.

 

[stevedlu]

Thank you! Is the size 5 x 20mm?

 

[Harmonique131]

Thank you! Is the size 5 x 20mm?

Yes !

 

[stevedlu]

Does anybody have experience changing the raspberry pi OS on the MP-DX? Garry mentioned on his quick start manual that Volumino OS is compatible, provides a link to their website but this only provides instructions for flashing SD card. The OS can be configured via phone app for Direct I2S DACS using a dropdown menu to select the specific model. MP-DX is not listed and 'Generic I2S DAC' just results in noise on the right channel. Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Harmonique131]

Does anybody have experience changing the raspberry pi OS on the MP-DX? Garry mentioned on his quick start manual that Volumino OS is compatible, provides a link to their website but this only provides instructions for flashing SD card. The OS can be configured via phone app for Direct I2S DACS using a dropdown menu to select the specific model. MP-DX is not listed and 'Generic I2S DAC' just results in noise on the right channel. Garry hasn't responded to questions via his website question form. Does anyone know a different route to contact him? Thanks ahead of time.

Good evening.

Unfortunately, I use an external network drive. So I can't answer your question.

Regarding contacts with Garry, I always get an answer to my questions, but of course it can take a few days.