using MDA1000 preamp

[vincentinvasion]

Just tried using my MDA1000 as a preamp skipping my C100 and switched to balanced interconnects. It is like a veil has just been lifted off my system. Depth, clarity and snap. What an improvement I may finally give up SACD. Is the Pre in the C500 just as good? Should I give up on SACD for now and get the MCD1000? Don't want to fork out the cash for a C1000 just now. Help...

 

[PHC1]

The C500 is a great preamp. The question is, do you really need a preamp when the MDA1000 rivals the C500/C1000? The other question is, do you really want to spend the $$$$ on MCD1000? How about a music server instead that you can use through the MDA1000?

 

[vincentinvasion]

thats not a bad idea. I could burn all my sacds onto the server the server right?

 

[vincentinvasion]

can I burn SACDs onto an MS300 using the analog inputs?

 

[PHC1]

I have not tried that but I think it should work since the MS lets you record to the hard drive from analog inputs. SACD is protected in the digital domain but once it is analog....

 

[LewinskiH01]

Vincent,

Have you considered an MCD500 instead of the MDA + CD player? Has SACD capability and many think the preamp section on the MCD500 is quite close to that in the MDA. You can also plug in a music server.
I have been contemplating using an MDA as a pre and recently posted a question about MCD500 vs. MDA1000 as pre, and that is the conclusion I came to. Admitedly, where I live nobody carries either of these so I haven't heard either unit. I still don't know which way I might end up going myself, though.

My 2 cents

Horacio

 

[forzaroma]

Just tried using my MDA1000 as a preamp skipping my C100 and switched to balanced interconnects. It is like a veil has just been lifted off my system. Depth, clarity and snap. What an improvement I may finally give up SACD. Is the Pre in the C500 just as good? Should I give up on SACD for now and get the MCD1000? Don't want to fork out the cash for a C1000 just now. Help...

I echo one of PHC1's suggestions (i.e. get a server).

About going "commando" - as I call my pre-amp-less mode now - I suggest you give it some time. Some people (e.g. PHC1) really like the directness of the sound, and it's hard to argue that the purest and simplest signal path will have maximum clarity. Other people (e.g. MasterLu) mentioned that they prefer the sound with a C1000. As far as I am concerned, I was VERY impressed with the MDA1000 going straight into the MC501s, but I missed some of the warmth that the C220 added to the sound. So, knowing full well that I was intentionally adding distortion to my signal, I put the the C220 back in ... at least for now. I also like the convenience of having a pre for tone controls and for listening to my turntable.

These days I am experimenting with room treatment and it's fully possible that with some of the absorption I plan to add, the sound will warm up to the point where I won't need the C220.

Bottom line:

Try to live without the pre-amp for a while (I'd recommend at least a couple of weeks - ideally 4 week to make sure you are not being fooled by the novelty ) and observe your listening habit and reaction. Are you listening more? Less? Louder? Softer? Do you hate for listening sessions to end? Are you more "into" the music or more distracted while you listen?

I've learned the hard way that the best way to judge a system or a new component is to look at the impact it has on my listening over a long term. If I listen more - and more attentively - then it's a good system/component. If I jump from track to track and looks for audiophile "tricks" and "effects" (e.g. did you hear the detail in that brush stroke) instead of listening to the music, then it's probably a component that sounds impressive but, ultimately, it might turn out to be fatiguing.

Help!

I hope this helps a little.

Alberto

 

[Vesuv1us]

Are you listening more? Less? Louder? Softer? Do you hate for listening sessions to end? Are you more "into" the music or more distracted while you listen?[/I]
Alberto

Yes. No. Yes. No, well, sometimes if the situation calls for it. Yes. Yes on part 1, not really on part 2.

I guess the MDA1K stays as being its own pre for now.

Pure is good.

 

[PHC1]

I've learned the hard way that the best way to judge a system or a new component is to look at the impact it has on my listening over a long term. If I listen more - and more attentively - then it's a good system/component. If I jump from track to track and looks for audiophile "tricks" and "effects" (e.g. did you hear the detail in that brush stroke) instead of listening to the music, then it's probably a component that sounds impressive but, ultimately, it might turn out to be fatiguing.



I hope this helps a little.

Alberto

Words of wisdom! :thmbsp:

 

[@TOMMY@]

Words of wisdom! :thmbsp:

Agreed!

This is also how I evaluate any new gear/accessory. If I listen to music longer with a new piece of gear/accessory, it's a keeper :thmbsp:

 

[Algoods]

ALCON,

I unhooked my C46 pre and started using the MDA 1000 as a pre w/ 501’s. The music is a lot clearer and I can listen a lot longer; Fully balanced is less distortion maybe? My problem is I still like to use the tuner and turntable. I use my computer as a server and it has a tuner card so that takes care of the radio; doesn’t sound as good as the MR 85.
So I ran single ended from the C46 to the 501’s to get the best of both worlds w/ the inconvenience of switching from bal to un-bal on the amps. One thing I noticed is when the 501’s are in un-balanced mode I can still play the MDA 1000.
When I’m in balanced mode though I can’t hear the single ended side so are the 501’s truly fully balanced?  

AL

 

[Victor]

can I burn SACDs onto an MS300 using the analog inputs?

Yes, but it is a pain because the MS300 does not have a track break function. So your options are to put the entire SACD (through the analog inputs) on the MS300 as a single track or individually record each track onto the MS300 one at a time.

 

[PHC1]

I would imagine recording from SACD would be going D to A then back A to D which will almost certainly introduce noise and the recording will not be as good as the original SACD. :scratch2:

 

[Victor]

I would imagine recording from SACD would be going D to A then back A to D which will almost certainly introduce noise and the recording will not be as good as the original SACD. :scratch2:

I have a few LPs on my MS750 (recorded through the analog inputs) and they sound great. I have not tried using the analog inputs for recording a SACD or DVD-A disc yet but I would also think this may not have great sound quality.

 

[2uberoller]

I have a few LPs on my MS750 (recorded through the analog inputs) and they sound great. I have not tried using the analog inputs for recording a SACD or DVD-A disc yet but I would also think this may not have great sound quality.

Just curious why not ?

 

[Victor]

Just curious why not ?

Like PHC1 said, too many conversions. As I said I have not tried this, so it's just my guess that the sound would be degraded.

One thing I did try was making an audio CD from my MS750 and that definitely degraded the sound. I did not expect this because FLAC is supposed to be bit for bit perfect. When I put the CD on the MS750 in FLAC format I thought the MS750 FLAC file playback sounded almost identical to the CD playing (all through my MDA1000). But the audio CD I made from the FLAC files on my MS750 had a very harsh digitized sound. So in this case the multiple conversions degraded the sound, would this be the case with a SACD? We won't for sure until someone tries it.