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Deliciously musical...Mytek DSD 192 DAC

I have been searching for a musically engaging DAC and have been lucky to do an extended home demo of a few respected and well reviewed brands eg NAD 51, Playback Designs 3. Somehow either because the units were not fully broken in or lack of synergy with my system, none of the units ,including a Korean brand , floated my boat.
This weekend after much persuasion and repeated phone calls I managed to track Michal, the owner of Mytek in Brooklyn. He was kind enough to instal the Mytek drivers on my Mac. Have only used the headphone amp on the Dac with a pair of Grado cans but my initial impression is Wow...this sounds really good. I am using the same Hi Res HD Tracks on my MacAir. Tracks that sounded positively digital and metallic eg The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are not just listenable but musically engaging and fun. Ditto for Melody Gardot, Aretha Franklin and a series of Mozart violin concertos featuring Salvatore Accardo is positively stunning.
If you are in the market for a Dac that does DSD, has a headphone amp, a host of features including a preamp, do yourself a favor and audition the Mytek. IMHO it is way better than Dacs costing $$$$$ more.Its that good.
Happy listening
Pradeep
128x128sunnyboy1956
14 responses Add your response
njs
30 posts
 
Pradeep... when you get around to hearing DSD on this DAC your going to be significantly more impressed.
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Njs
Sure except the DSD Mahler Symphony 1 from Blue Coast records is USD 50 a pop ! Entirely agree that DSD sounds great but my experience is limited to a few free downloads. Hopefully HD Tracks will include DSD in its repertoire some day. The Mytek is a great DAC and the DSD a free bonus.
Cheers
Pradeep
kclone's avatar
kclone
652 posts
 
So you thought the NAD M51 was not as good as the Mytek? Or is this this because of DSD capabilities?
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
Same question as Kclone. The NAD N51 and the Mytek are on my short list and a direct comparison would be useful, especially for non-DSD material. Thanks.
ghasley
2,434 posts
 
The Mytek is in another league....if you want to want the NAD, don't compare them because the Mytek is clearly superior. I have spent some time with the Mytek and have owned some terrific DACs. The Mytek can be favorably compared with Berkeley, ARC and doesn't quite reach the level of a McIntosh MDA1000, Naim nDac or the Playback Designs MPD3 but these DACs are 3-6 times the cost of the Mytek. YMMV but read my posts where I talk about my DAC journeys through the years. It really is amazing what high quality gear is available for reasonable money these days.
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Kclone and Dtc
I had the local dealer set up a brand new M 51 in my system. The next day I called him agreeing to purchase the unit. The dealer and I are good friends. After day 4 , I told the dealer I was not entirely happy and he promptly took the unit back. My experience is entirely at odds with some excellent reviews in Stereophile and on Agon. At best, in the course of 5 days or so , I may have clocked 15 hrs or so . There was something in the sonic signature that didn't gel with me. YMMV.
I now have the Mytek plugged into my system with a brand new pair of speakers (which obviously require break in) and the music is positively enticing. While the Mytek has my highest recommendation , would urge any prospective customer to demo before you proceed.
Cheers
Pradeep
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
Thanks for the comparisons. So, to summarize without being too technical, the Mytek smokes the NAD.
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
IMHO, Yes Sir
kclone's avatar
kclone
652 posts
 
Interesting. I have both in house right now. NAD has about 75 hours. Mytek, is from the dealer, and he told me it has 200 hours on it. I thought I read somewhere the Mytek takes about 500 hours until it comes into it's own. Have you guys experienced this?

I have done a quick back and fourth. At this early juncture, the Mytek has a more open sound and expansive stage. But, it is a bit brighter or harder sounding then the NAD. Another plus from the NAD M51 is it looks much nicer, but that will not be a deciding factor.
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
One of my next tasks is to start converting some of my vinyl to DSD, so the Mytek is the obviously choice for a DAC. Glad you guys like it so much. I'll probably start doing the conversions before updating my DAC, but this discussion helps solidify my direction. Thanks.
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,651 posts
 
I have heard a rumor that NAD will be adding DSD capability to the M51.
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
Thanks Kal. - I have heard that also, but I I also read someone who said the NAD had told him that they had no plans to do that. But, they also may just be willing to say anything publicly yet. There is a long thread on Head-Fi.

Current plan is to get a Korg MR-2 and record some of my vinyl in DSD? Any experience with Kork MR-2 vs. Kork MR-2000? The MR-2000 looks great, but may be overkill.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
kennyb
117 posts
 
Yes it does take about 500 hours for the Mytek to totally rid itself of a slight hardness. I am absolutely delighted with mine.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,322 posts
 
Reviving this thread again.
Assuming that NAD adds DSD capability to the M51, will it be possible stream SACDs DSD "out" through HDMI from an Oppo BDP 105 to HDMI "in" on the NAD? What chip is NAD using currently in the M51? Will the "out" from Oppo be native DSD and not conversion to PCM while sending it through HDMI?
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