Meitner i upgrades

Meitner Audio are located in Calgary, Alberta. A long way from Ontario, 2 long days drive. There is also a mail strike going on in Canada right now. This is not helpful.

Too bad I am selling mine. It’s black and like new. 

Why have you decided to sell yours?

What about it do you feel is lacking?

What are you moving on to?

Best wishes,

Don

Sonically, I wonder how the MA3i compares to the EMM Labs DV2i?

I'm in queue for the upgrade or a swap through my dealer.  I am waiting for someone here to relate the difference in SQ between the two which will hopefully be an improvement.

Yeah, my dealer reached to me but doesn’t have much details beyond what has been published. While I’m sure it’s going to be an improvement, I’m hesitant to just spend $3,500 without anyone having heard an upgraded unit. 

@spenav 

I'm curious...

Why have you decided to sell yours?

What about it do you feel is lacking?

What are you moving on to?

Best wishes,

Don

I’m no 1 in the queue for the ma3i upgrade. I’ll take the plunge. If folks are interested I’ll report my findings but it won’t be a side by side comparison. Folks on WBT have who have upgraded their EMM DA2 dacs to i status are impressed. They have reported better sense of space, more dynamic, and lower nose floor.

@no_regrets 

If I were to be honest, I would say upgraditis. I went to an MSB Premier. I could live with either one. I haven’t listed my MA3 yet. I probably will this week. Thanks. 

@paullb  Thank you for the reply.

It can be nice to switch things up a bit...

I was just curious as to what you thought the MA3 was lacking in or what you were hoping to gain by switching to the MSB Premier.

Best wishes,

Don

I got the DA2i upgrade and it is extremely impressive. Seems to remedy the DA2's weak spots and creates a transparent sound without artifacts, or really lacking anything in terms of space, imaging, resolution, texture, presence, punch, dynamics etc.

I would hope the MA3i is comparable, though I know the power supply is different and that is one of the biggest elements of the upgrade. 

@no_regrets 

I think the Premier is a little more resolving than the MA3 and also more dynamic. That’s probably what is being addressed in the update. If I knew about the update at the time, I probably would not have purchased the Premier. However, the Premier can easily be someone last DAC purchase. It’s a solid presentation that leaves nothing to be desired. That has nothing to do with price since I felt the same way about the LUMIN X1. I couldn’t keep it however because I needed a USB DAC. Happy listening. 

@spenav Thank you for your reply. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts!

Best wishes to you,

Don

This is what I have learned about the MA3i upgrade after speaking to Meitner. The improvements are based upon learnings as they developed their other product lines. I have not heard an upgraded unit so realize this is coming from the manufacturer.

Whats changed:

- Completely new analog stage

- New input stage, improved USB

- New network streaming protocol

- A few small tweaks to the FPGA

Impact of these changes:

- Increased bandwidth and lower distortion

- Better low end slam

- More visceral impact

Overall the changes do not fundamentally alter what we like about the MA3. However customers who have upgraded have provided overwhelming positive feedback. 

Personally I have a lot of trust in EMM/Meitner engineering so I am going to take the plunge with the upgrade. 

I got my upgraded MA3i last Friday and let it burn in for 96 hours, which is what the dealer recommended.  By the way, Rick Brown of Hi-Fi One handled the upgrade and he was great.  He took care of everything, kept me up to date, and coordinated with the factory to keep the turnaround time short.  Great service.

I’m very pleased I upgraded.  The noise floor is lower.  I can hear quiet passages, such as during a Mahler symphony, more clearly.  Micro dynamics are better.  It’s easier to hear subtle slight changes in volume.  Tone and timbre is better.  Instruments sound more like the real thing.  Horns have more brass, nylon strings more nylon, etc.

I can’t hear any downside to these improvements.  The new i doesn’t sound brighter, hi-fi, or analytical.  It’s still smooth.  There’s less fatigue because the music is more intelligible.  I noticed and categorized the improvements over the first few days, now I don’t focus on them much.  If you like the character of the original MA3 and want it to sound a bit closer to the real thing, I highly recommend it.

I replaced my MA3 with the new MA3i. The difference is huge. Gone is the softness associated with the old unit. New 7nit is a lot quieter, more dynamic and more nuanced. You can really hear into the music. Same wide and deep soundstage. I  believe this to be a really worthwhile upgrade. 

I also had my unit upgraded to the MA3i version.  I concur with all of the positive comments above, a very worthwhile upgrade.  Improvements in my ability to locate instruments in space, hear the reverb decay, improvements in ability to detect the depth of an instrument.   Better slam and attack.     A great upgrade!

One more strong recommendation for the upgrade.  Low level detail has increased noticeably, the periphery of the sound stage has become more 'filled in', overall more presence for instruments and voices.  Also, the entire presentation has become more open and spacious.  A major improvement across the board.