Hi there....What other DACs did you consider before purchasing the MA3....? You think it would compete with the dCs Bartok...or the MSB Discrete? I'm waiting to hear reviews!
new Meitner MA3 hit the rack today
Letting it warm up and run some playlists on repeat through it. Gonna give it a few hundred hours of break-in before the first critical session. Nice unit. Roon 1.8 picked it up, but didn’t let me configure as an output since the certification is delayed by a few weeks. Wasn’t really planning on switching the digital front end, as it’s more of a secondary source during the day, but I just couldn’t take the Aurender UI/UX anymore. “A far more intuitive interface, Roon is” said Yoda. The A10 sound was very livable long term but just got tired of that darn UI. Roon could stream to it, but only over airplay, so what’s the point there. Anyway, I’ll post up some thoughts when I get rolling with it for real.
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Good review so far, and looking forward to hearing more about it. I'm also a turntable first kind of guy, and recently bought an EMM Labs DAC2X V2 and NS1 Streamer (the two units connected by Meitner's Optilink). His stuff is just special, probably because he gets that the "A" pat of the D/A process is essential. Since you have Qobuz, here is a track to try - Snarky Puppy's "Sintra." Listen when the woodwinds come in after the intro. Listen for the small percussion instruments in the background. If you A/B between a lesser DAC and the EMM, the differences are just unreal. Another track that I noticed wholesale differences (and don't laugh) is Taylor Swift's "August" from her Folklore album. There is so much going on in that track...low fi, high fi, layered vocals...and as much as I heard through my system both through my prior Lampizator DAC and on the vinyl version, the EMM took things to a whole different level, especially with the NS1 in the chain. Enjoy the new toy! |
Agreed, there's just something about his stuff that just seems to work. I was looking to see if I could score one on the used market, but they don't come up often and when they do, they're gone like beer in a college fridge. I have hear the Bartok and Vivaldi, and the Select version of the MSB in other rooms but also with wilson front end and while very nice, i actually prefer the MA3. it's apples/oranges, but I'm not going to get on the DAC merry-go-round. At that level they are all of similar cloth, and you'd have to spend a ton more to get 'more', whatever that is. I'd rather save the cash and pay for a Qobuz subscription for the next 350 years or every last subscription that acoustic sounds puts out between now and my death bed! |
A quick post here to echo the thoughts from @73cuttysupreme - very few mentions of the Meitner MA3 on this board, or in the press generally. I had the chance to home audition it this weekend and it is stellar. 100% engagement with the music -- I forgot about lunch it was so good. Not warm, not cold, just right and natural -- great dynamics, timing, timbre, transparency, linearity and whatever other category you care to name. Not quite as alive as the $50k analog setup I A/B'ed it with, but close enough that I suspect many folks wouldn't care about the difference in exchange for the convenience. It's the only DAC in the ~$10k range that made me seriously consider selling my current DAC. If you're looking for a network-capable DAC and it's in your budget, I'd highly recommend a home audition.
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