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InnerFidelity.com review Dec 10, 2012
After one year of development and preparation, we are glad to announce the first Musical Paradise DAC to the world. The MP-D1 is a multi-functional DAC built with leading edge chipsets and vacuum tubes technologies. It accepts USB, S/PDIF and TosLink inputs. USB input is for use with a computer (Windows, Mac and Linux), the S/PDIF and TosLink inputs allow for interfacing with other source players such as a CD player, DVD player, etc.
The USB section is powered by the XMOS 500 MIPS, 8 threads, XS1-L1 processor. It is natively supported by Apple OSX version 10.6.4 and above, and Linux with 3.0 or above kernel - no driver install required. It also supports Windows XP/Vista/7 by installing a supplied driver. Since the USB input runs at asynchronous mode with multiple dedicated 1PPM precision temperature compensated master clocks, the jitter is virtually not an issue. USB supports up to 24bit/192khz bit perfect digital audio data. It can be used as an USB to coaxial convertor too.
The digital input section uses low jitter TI DIR-9001 receiver to support both S/PDIF and TosLink inputs up to 24bit/96khz. The flagship AKM AK4399 DAC is used in the DAC section. It is the best sounding AKM stereo DAC with 123dB dynamic range.
Power supply is the heart of a DAC. MP-D1 uses dual high quality EI power transformers with 6 separated windings. One is for the digital section, and another one for the analog output section.
Our goal is to achieve the most analog sound in the digital world. In order to meet this goal, the analog output section only employs "vacuum tubes". No cheap op-amp or transistors. Also, no global negative feedback loop. This special design provides very musical listening experience.
Highlights:
Specifications:
Model |
MP-D1 |
Tubes (Default) |
6N3 x 2 |
Chipsets |
XMOS XS1-L1 500 MIPS, AKM4399, DIR-9001 |
Topology |
Class-A Single Ended |
DR, S/N |
123db |
Output impedance |
1K - 250K |
Frequency Response |
20Hz - 20Khz |
T.H.D |
<0.1% (1Khz) |
S.N.R |
123db |
AC Input |
100-120V / 220-240V 50-60Hz Worldwide Use |
Weight |
6KG |
Dimension |
(W 24CM x L 30CM x H 10CM) |
Warranty |
1 Year Limited (One month for tubes) |
Tube Replacement Guide:
V1 V2 |
6N3, 2C51, 5670 and Western Electric 396A |
Latest 0640 firmware (July 1, 2014): MP-D1-640.bin
Fully-configured Foobar2000, instruction and 1.61 driver: MP-D1.zip (Update:2016-Apr-8)