Audiolab M- DAC versus Rega DAC

[sq225917]

I own and Mdac and a Weiss both Sabre 32 dacs and I wouldn't call either of them details freaks. The Weiss just picks up everything that is on the disc and presents it about as cleanly and honestly as you can. The mdac tries the same and comes close but they are still quite different sounding. The mdac being a little more reserved and slightly darker sounding and the smallest bit shut in across the mids in comparison to the Weiss.

Can't help any more haven't heard any of the others.

[WAD62]

I've had my MDAC for a month now, and very happy I am with it too...

Initially I was only able to use it as a DAC, and it was an improvement over it's predecessor, an ageing 8000DAX...which is hardly surprising if one takes into account the 15 years between them.

However the big improvement arrives when it's used as the pre-amp too, which makes direct DAC comparisons a little meaningless.

If you've only heard the MDAC as a stand alone DAC then you really haven't heard what it's capable of.......all of course IMHO

[ppat2]

Hi, new member here.

I had a Cambridge Audio 840C that died, and I went looking for a replacement. My music is mostly on local HDD from Logitech SB Touch, fed from coax into previously the 840C DAC.

Some have said the M-DAC can sound "bright". That is true in the first few weeks. After that, it really smooths out. The highs are clear with no brightness, and the bass very solid and layered. I've heard that it "lacks bass". That would be a system matching problem, not a characteristic of the M-DAC. The bass I am hearing now is astonishingly deep and detailed, and the highs clear with no grain or etch.

I had the Rega DAC on loan for 5 weeks from my dealer and planned to keep it if it would fit with my system. After 5 weeks, I just could not get the Rega DAC to work in my system. It is "musical" and a good DAC, but a little too thick sounding for my tastes. I really prefer more separation between instruments (wide clear soundstage), and in my system the M-DAC really trumped the Rega DAC in separation, dynamics and overall musicality, and hits even harder than did the Rega DAC.

As for brightness, the M-DAC after 3 weeks has cleaner highs and mids than did the Rega after 5 weeks, and the bass is deeper and the bass detail about the same in both. In my system the M-DAC just seems to have an extra octave in the lows.

In my system the Rega DAC also had some grunge and grain I just could not get rid of, and finally could not tolerate. No amount of changing isolation or platforms or cables could eliminate the problem for me.

However, both are good DACs and it often comes down to system matching for those of us who are in this price bracket.

BTW, I have also upgraded the firmware on the M-DAC to the a.08 new version, and the features are well worth the upgrade. I notice no degradation in sound quality after the upgrade, and in the last few days it is singing better than ever.

One tip for M-DAC users. Make sure the shelf/stand you have under the M-DAC is very solid/dense with good isolation. If your shelf is light or fragile or such, then the M-DAC will pick up on this and the highs may sound bright. The casework is on the light side, and susceptible to vibration. The Rega DAC is less susceptible to this as it's casework is more solid, but it also (in my system) had that graininess that I could not eliminate.

After some experimentation with the existing platforms and isolation devices I have in my system, it has really hit the sweet spot. My system has never sounded so good, and I am listening to as much digital as I am vinyl now.

[WAD62]

Some have said the M-DAC can sound "bright". That is true in the first few weeks. After that, it really smooths out. The highs are clear with no brightness, and the bass very solid and layered. I've heard that it "lacks bass". That would be a system matching problem, not a characteristic of the M-DAC. The bass I am hearing now is astonishingly deep and detailed, and the highs clear with no grain or etch.

Hi Paul, are you using it as a pre-amp too?

What version of the 'firmware' are you using, I'm on vA0.8 (with 180) at the moment, however there are a lot of varying opinions as to which sounds the best...perhaps it's system dependant

[ppat2]

Hi Will,

I also have the same firmware you have. When I first installed it, I did notice a little brightness that was not there before the install. Very strange, as it's just software, right? Should not make a diference you would think. However, that touch of brightness is no longer apparent.

It could be that the unit is just better burned-in now?

I have been using a NAD C165BEE preamp into a NAD C275BEE amp, with the M-DAC used as DAC only ouputting into the preamp RCA-in.

I am today for the first time trying the M-DAC in pre-amp mode, so giving that a test. On first time listen, the NAD preamp sounds cleaner and more refined, but I am going to leave the M-DAC in preamp mode for a few days to see how it sounds after the preamp facilities have a chance to burn-in.

If you dont' see a response from me in a few days, feel free to check back. I can post some further comments once I've had a few days to hear the M-DAC in this mode and will be able to compare it better to the NAD preamp at that time.

Paul

[WAD62]

I am today for the first time trying the M-DAC in pre-amp mode, so giving that a test. On first time listen, the NAD preamp sounds cleaner and more refined, but I am going to leave the M-DAC in preamp mode for a few days to see how it sounds after the preamp facilities have a chance to burn-in.

If you dont' see a response from me in a few days, feel free to check back. I can post some further comments once I've had a few days to hear the M-DAC in this mode and will be able to compare it better to the NAD preamp at that time.

Paul

Hi Paul, for me whilst the M-DAC sounded very nice through my Audiolab Q (pre-amp), it was only when I bypassed it that I felt I heard the M-DAC at its best, more revealing, a bigger soundstage etc.

So much so that I invested in a good quality RCA router/switch to allow me to use my M-DAC as my pre-amp for digital sources, whilst retaining my Q for TT, AV and other analogue sources.

Got it from Mr Beresford, and it works very well...

http://www.homehifi.co.uk/products/TC-7240.html

[Gazjam]

Rega dac sounded awesome hooked up to Brio-R amp.
Just made you forget the hifi...

Reckon system synergy comes into play with dac choice.

[ppat2]

Hi Will,

I did try the m-dac for a full day as preamp, bypassing my NAD preamp. It did sound very good, but I got a little impatient waiting for some preamp burn-in. In my case, the NAD at this stage produces a wider soundstage with more air and "presence", but I suspect the M-DAC preamp will improve once I geta chance to try it more in this mode.

I plan to do that still, but for me it's a balance right now as I have my turntable, hi-def cable box, and blu ray player all connected to the NAD as well.

Gary, I have no doubt the Rega DAC and Brio amp are a good combination, system matching is difficult and when you compare one DAC to anothe at the same price range, you really start splitting hairs. This is typical as manufacturers will often balance one device against the other. Sometimes pulling them apart and using them with other brands is less effective.

I found this out the hard way. I purchased a Cambridge Audio 840E preamp for use with my NAD C275BEE amp, and while it produced a nice clean sound, it lacked power. There was a very significant gain and/or impedance mismatch between the two which restricted my NAD amps output, essentially not enough signal from premp to amp. I had to turn my NAD amp to the 2:00 o'clock setting to get the same output I get now at 9:30 setting with my NAD C165BEE preamp. As a result the amp would also overheat when used with the 840E at loud levels, and rock n roll was anemic.

Now that I am using amp and preamp that are designed to work together, it's a pretty amazing combination and I can "rock the house down"without the amp even breaking a sweat. I don't have that last degree of air I had with the 84E preamp, but the system is much more musical and no listener fatigue.