[Cortes]

khaos974 ,
 
  looks very interesting, very complete on feature. But... with the pace news come from Mytek, and suspect we'll need years to know whether is good or not. 

 

[khaos974]

I know, how long has it been since it was first announced? More than 2 years I think.

 

[hkimo]

Has any one bought this DAC??

 

[Mytek]

Hello Everybody
 
My name is Michal Jurewicz and I'm the DAC designer and Mytek Founder.
 
After two concept prototypes  you seen here over the last 2 years the final version has been released and can be ordered. It's a really amazing box.
 
Pls see detailed information here:
 
http://mytekdigital.com/download_library/stereo192-dsd-dac_new_product_release_july_2011.pdf
 
I'd be happy to answer any QQ
 
Best Regards M

 

[Lil' Knight]

Looks great. Really dig the silver faceplate.

I suppose the Sabre is ES9018?

 

[lugili]

Interesting. And someone has to ask the question: does the USB input work with Linux computers?

 

[arnolfini]

According to the specs SNR 128 dB (2 channel) and THD of -110dB it looks that the chip used is ES9016 and not ES9018; budget/implementation reasons? 

 

[khaos974]

The theoretical limits of the DAC chip alone are almost never reached in any given implementation, I'd wait for the official statement. Still, in a $1500 product, I see no point in using the $5 chip instead of the $20 one, especially considering the added publicity.

 

[arnolfini]

The way it is written, it is pretty clearly that Michal gave the spec of the ES sabre dac chip and not of the global device. We all know that the measurement do not define a product but most companies provide S/N, THD, channel separation information for analoge/digital. Michal, do you intend to provide these information?

 

[Mytek]

Quote:

The way it is written, it is pretty clearly that Michal gave the spec of the ES sabre dac chip and not of the global device. We all know that the measurement do not define a product but most companies provide S/N, THD, channel separation information for analoge/digital. Michal, do you intend to provide these information?

Actually, chipset manufacturer typically quote the performance of their demo board as the chipset performance. Analog section in Mytek DAC is simpler and uses parts optimized for sound, while keeping the basic DR specs comparable, so sonically we feel our implementation is better while it measures similarly. Mytek uses 9016 chip , a very good chipset comparable to other high end chipsets on the market such as PCM1792 or AD1955. I would say that at this level of performance (around 130dB) implementation becomes critical, and the way we designed analog section, its dynamic performance, no caps in analog path, the parts we used, the power supply, well grounded multilayer board and clean clock circuit has way more impact on the sound than the particular chip mentioned. For example a new excellent $8000 DAC from Bricasti uses AD1955 very successfully and so does our multichannel DSD capable 8x192ADDA. Sabre has some extras we liked like 32 bit processing, clever clock jitter approach, programmable filters etc. 9018 chip offers few more dBs in DR but that does not translate necessarily to huge sonic difference- this chip is twice as expensive as 9016 and beyond the budget for this $1695 unit. If we have used it , we would need to cut budget in features or in quality of analog and it just did not make sense from sonic perspective. When we tests our designs endless listening trials are integral part of it , while measurements make sure we stay at least within datasheet  performance. In the end at this high level  it's the sound which matters eventually, rather than the noise floor measurements. In our designs we look for sweet spot between these two. I soon should be posting some comparison files of what Mytek Stereo192-DSD-DAC does to sound, compared to competition. In meantime if you want to get a sense of how, for example, our older Mytek Stereo96dac compares to Benchmark sonically , and what's the difference in headphone amp sound, please check the files labeled "Mytek Stereo96-DAC and Benchmark Media DAC-1 comparison files:" here http://www.mytekdigital.com/compare/index.htm
 
Hope this clarifies things a bit. Regards Michal
 
Best Regards, Michal at Mytek
 

 

[axw]

 
I would understand this cost efficiency at < $500, but why would anyone care about dropping an extra $30 on budgets nearing two grands? I'd rather pay $1730 instead of $1695 and get a "reference" series chip.
 
And yes, I take for granted that implementation is crucial, analog stages are many times more important, etc..

 

[vvs_75]

Michal,
[size=9.5pt]Does the XLR out can  drive  balanced terminated headphones  diractly  the same way  the dedicated phones out does it ?[/size]
[size=9.5pt]thanks [/size]

 

[shamu144]

Very nice addition to the Mytek line. It seems that a lot of care went into the design and implementation.
 
If I was shopping for a new DAC/amp in this price range, I would certainly give it a serious listen, together with the recently released GraceDesign M903. Your 15 days trial period on the European page is a fantastic initiative.
 
The DAC is full of features, including asynch FW and USB2.0 in one box. I am just a little concerned about the custom drivers needed, as OS change and evolve constantly. I also love the remote control feature (not available yet) and the additional analog input (very handy).
 
Michal, I would be interested to hear your take on the future of DSD for digital playback... Currently, this is a dead format, with very few pure DSD file available for download/purchase and few computer software which support DSD playback (Pure Music does now I believe). But I can certainly see how many audio manufacturers are trying to bring this format back to life. It might be too late though.

 

[audioholik]

Looking forward to the first reviews of the DAC's headphone out 

 

[audioholik]

Quote:

Michal, I would be interested to hear your take on the future of DSD for digital playback... Currently, this is a dead format, with very few pure DSD file available for download/purchase and few computer software which support DSD playback (Pure Music does now I believe). But I can certainly see how many audio manufacturers are trying to bring this format back to life. It might be too late though.

Shamu144, the number of DSD downloads could increase quickly if audiophile labels like Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Analogue Productions etc made their SACD titles available as DSD files.