I Love My New MS300!

[bingperry]

Ms-300

I have my audio rack to the right side of my listening room, that is about 10ft from my listening chair. I have my MC-501's using a 25 ft pair of balanced MIT oracle IC's. I can hear the fan when it kicks in from my chair. The fan does not run all the time and while I would like for it to be dead quiet , I just live with it. I positives out weigh the one negative

 

[Victor]

Victor, what are you using to display the information. I use a 15" lcd monitor and I am happy with the results. I think you will find out some internet radio stations sound a lot better than others. One thing I would like to have is balanced inputs and outputs. I use MIT Oracle balanced cables to my amps and MDA-1000 and I would like to keep everything the same.As to the fan noise my fan does not run all the time

My audio and video are together so I'm using my 27" Panasonic TV for my display. I would like to get a LCD, they are quiet and my TV has a high pitched whine when on.

I'm using MIT Oracle 2.1 speaker cables for the columns. I would also like to keep my cables all Oracle but this will take some time to save for. Right now I'm using Guerrilla for my balanced interconnect.

My fan is only on about 15% of the time but the hard drive is on all the time, even when the MS300 is in stand by mode.

Victor

 

[Indy]

I have my audio rack to the right side of my listening room, that is about 10ft from my listening chair. I have my MC-501's using a 25 ft pair of balanced MIT oracle IC's. I can hear the fan when it kicks in from my chair. The fan does not run all the time and while I would like for it to be dead quiet , I just live with it. I positives out weigh the one negative

Like that one song, I don't remember the name of it. "just turn up the volume"

 

[Victor]

I can hear the fan when it kicks in from my chair. The fan does not run all the time and while I would like for it to be dead quiet , I just live with it. I positives out weigh the one negative

Mine is on the front wall about 12 feet away and with no music playing I can hear the hard drive spinning. But as I said I'm sensitive to this, with no music playing I can hear a fluorescent light that is about 10 feet from my listening position. If the music is playing over 70db I would not hear any noise from the MS300 so I agree the coolness of the MS300 by far out weighs this one negative.

Victor

 

[bingperry]

Ms-300

Victor, I would love your speakers. I was able to hear a pair of them during a demo of the monster Mcintosh system last fall. If you could lower your stand and get you amps and other pieces lower that would really open up your soundstage. I am sure you system sounds great now, but at one time I had the same issues, tv and other equipment in the center and after I moved things around I could not believe the difference.I know you have already been told this and I will say it again the more you use the MS-300 the more you will love it.The Gracenote feature is also big plus, it finds almost all cd covers and track information

 

[Victor]

Victor, I would love your speakers. I was able to hear a pair of them during a demo of the monster Mcintosh system last fall. If you could lower your stand and get you amps and other pieces lower that would really open up your soundstage. I am sure you system sounds great now, but at one time I had the same issues, tv and other equipment in the center and after I moved things around I could not believe the difference.I know you have already been told this and I will say it again the more you use the MS-300 the more you will love it.The Gracenote feature is also big plus, it finds almost all cd covers and track information

The speakers are great. It is hard to tell in the picture, I have the speakers about 6 feet from the front wall to help reduce the effects of having the equipment between the speakers. It is not an ideal room and I still have some more tweaking to do on placement.

So far Gracenote has found info on all the discs I put in the MS300.

Victor

 

[cnote]

Congrats on the 300, love the xrt30s:yes:

cnote:thmbsp:

 

[CarlV]

:drool: Congratulations Victor!
My turn will come.


Carl

 

[JimBob]

I don't think you can use the MS300 for what you want. The ethernet connection is for importing music to the MS300 not for exporting music.

The MS300 has 2 digital outputs so you could send digital signals to 2 different DACs in different rooms along with the MS300 analog output.

There are many products that distribute audio around the house like the products from Sonos.

http://www.sonos.com/

Victor

Victor, are you sure. Here's a little tid bit from the 6 moons review.

Be it coincidence or not, the McIntosh Music Server MS300 makes the similarity to the Apple Macintosh blatant. After a mere 5 minutes, the MS300 is completely ready for business and music can be distributed and listened to throughout the whole house. Read on for the McIntosh moment. The large box that showed up on our doorstep one day contained a modest-looking piece of audio equipment in typical McIntosh style - black with aluminum edges and accents. In fact, it looks just like an ordinary McIntosh CD player with some additional buttons. The backside reveals that there's more to this baby than just another RedBook player.

 

[misterdoggy1]

Do you think a small lcd monitor might benefit the small screen on the ms300 to help go thru the menu's looking for songs ?

 

[Victor]

Do you think a small lcd monitor might benefit the small screen on the ms300 to help go thru the menu's looking for songs ?

Yes I would highly recomend getting a monitor for the MS300 display. There is alot of info on my TV display, so I would recomend at least a 10" monitor. The monitor makes it very easy to find music, make playlists, edit music info, edit internet radio stations, create new groups for organizing your music...

I have only had my MS300 for less than a week. So far when using my MS300 I have my TV on, to monitor the MS300 about 80% of the time. You do not need a monitor to enjoy the MS300 but the monitor makes things easy and the info on the monitor is nice to have access to.

Victor

 

[jdcheek]

Victor, congrats on the MS 300. I also got a great deal on one about a month ago, and still cannot believe the sound quality that comes from the hard drive. I really like the options you have in sorting music by groups. I like so many different types of music, it is nice to randomly play groups and subgroups that narrow what may play next. I even set up a group labeled as my wifes name and put all of her music there. It makes it very easy for her to enjoy as well.

I have around a 1000 cd's collected over the last 20 plus years and it has been nice to put in partial cd's. I have loaded around 120 full cd's and many more partial ones. And I still have 703 hrs of space left.

I do find the internet radio options still a little hard to navigate. I have been using the squeezebox, and so far I think I like it better for internet radio. I 'll keep playing with it.

Congrats again!!

 

[bingperry]

Mine is on the front wall about 12 feet away and with no music playing I can hear the hard drive spinning. But as I said I'm sensitive to this, with no music playing I can hear a fluorescent light that is about 10 feet from my listening position. If the music is playing over 70db I would not hear any noise from the MS300 so I agree the coolness of the MS300 by far out weighs this one negative.

Victor

Victor, I know what you mean about room issues. I am about 90% complete on finishing my basement and I had the chance to build a room 25'x 18.5 with an 8ft ceiling and I still see things I wished I would have done different.I will post pictures of system and room when complete.

 

[AudioClassics1]

Great unit Victor! I have had one for about two months now. I have loaded over 600 cd's and still have more room!! This unit even get a :thmbsp: from my wife! No she can play any cd she wants with a push of a button! And I have been told to "get those ugly cd's out of my sight!" (Fine by me! I got a new toy out of the deal!) Sound quality is great, I am running the digital output through my MX134 and really enjoy it. I have the unit in an entertainment center that has a tendancy to resonate...and I barely ever hear the fan running. I highly recommend the unit!

Here are a few things to keep in mind for the next unit. The MS300 has a wireless keyboard....the MS750 will not. Those of you who own the MS300 know how handy the keyboard is when inputing cd's. Also the new software for the MS750 will be available for the MS300, which will add a jukebox feature, more languages and a little bit better interface. MS300 users will have the option to upgrade the software if they choose.

Overall the unit is great, it's a cd changer on steriods!

 

[jimmyc1996]

MS300 users will have the option to upgrade the software if they choose.

I have had a MS300 for a year now and love it . I run mine optical out to
a MDA1000 and analog out to my MX135 . Sounds great .The MDA1000
also really improves the sound of IRADIO especially signal of 128kps or better.
Do you know if the new MS750 software will be upgraded to the MS3000 via Internet connection or will I have send the unit to Mcintosh? Also would the
wireless keyboard from a MS300 work on a MS750?

Thanks
Jimmyc

 

[PHC1]

The more I stick around on this forum, the more I want to replace my non McIntosh equipment with the real-thing.

Forzaroma, the MS300 is a very convenient piece but if you are looking to replace your Rega, keep this in mind, many use the MS300 with the MDA1000 to get much better sound out of it and you are listening to digitally compressed version of the CD. as good as Flac is, it is still a compressed digital version of the real deal. Just something to keep in mind. Many find the MS300 to be perfectly acceptable sonically. Try to audition one before you commit to make sure.

 

[forzaroma]

Forzaroma, the MS300 is a very convenient piece but if you are looking to replace your Rega, keep this in mind, many use the MS300 with the MDA1000 to get much better sound out of it and you are listening to digitally compressed version of the CD. as good as Flac is, it is still a compressed digital version of the real deal. Just something to keep in mind. Many find the MS300 to be perfectly acceptable sonically. Try to audition one before you commit to make sure.

Hi PHC1,

Actually that comment on replacing other gear with McIntosh was addressed to the Squeezebox I currently own. I have been thinking about a Slimdevices' Transporter ($2K) but, if for a little more, I can get an MS300 I would consider it.

BTW, my understanding is that FLAC is compressed but it's lossless compression. I understand the difference having studied and worked on compression algorithms myself (although not for audio) and, if well implemented, de-compressing FLAC should result in absolutely no loss of information.

Am I missing something?



ForzaRoma

 

[PHC1]

Actually that comment on replacing other gear with McIntosh was addressed to the Squeezebox I currently own. I have been thinking about a Slimdevices' Transporter ($2K) but, if for a little more, I can get an MS300 I would consider it.

Without getting into a sonic performance debate of one over the other, I would say that the MS300 is a much more "elegant" solution that has both aesthetic and visual interface appeal.

BTW, my understanding is that FLAC is compressed but it's lossless compression. I understand the difference having studied and worked on compression algorithms myself (although not for audio) and, if well implemented, de-compressing FLAC should result in absolutely no loss of information.

Am I missing something?

I've played around with different compression files through my computer/headphone listening station as well as ripping some CDs in different ways and playing them back. In the end I got tired of the whole thing. I can tell you that from my own personal findings that sometimes I did hear a difference, from AIFF at highest setting creating huge files, sometimes it was too close to call and I would have settled for Apple lossless. I still feel that some of the "air" and ambiance/acoustic space info is missing from lossless but it could be my imagination. I don't want to steer you away from MS300, I just suggested you audition one carefully for yourself and decide. I have plans on getting one myself at which point I will do some more thorough A/B comparisons in the main system.

 

[jimmyc1996]

[BTW, my understanding is that FLAC is compressed but it's lossless compression. I understand the difference having studied and worked on compression algorithms myself (although not for audio) and, if well implemented, de-compressing FLAC should result in absolutely no loss of information.

Am I missing something?
/QUOTE]

forzaroma

There may be no loss technically but my hearing tells me there is a loss of highs ,clarity and openness . When I A/B an album from my MS300 ,compared to The Cd played on my MVP871.
Don't get me wrong the MS300 is very good sound but not the same as the original CD
JImmyc

 

[AudioClassics1]

To answer your question Jimmy, the upgrade will be through the internet. Not sure of the exact process yet, but that is how it will upgrade. Somehow you will give permission for the unit to upgrade itself.
Yes the keyboard from the MS300 is supposed to work on the MS750.