Music Fidelity X-V3 Bundle vs MF Trivista or A324

I used to own the whole V3 bundle, and was not impressed. Too cold sounding to me, even with all three boxes. I replaced it with a Bel Canto DAC 2 and the music started to flow naturally. If you're looking at MF gear, get the Trivista 21 and forget the V3 bundle, its supposed to be a great DAC.

I have a Trivista 300 integrated, an A3.2 cd player and the V3 tube buffer. I may just be suseptable to the "salesmans yarn" but I was told by a couple of MF dealers in different parts of the country that the only difference between a Trivista SACD player and any of the MF players from the A3.2 on up coupled with the V3 Tube buffer is the ability to play SACD.

They claimed the transport/DAC in the stand alone players is the same as the TriVista SACD, and the tube section in the V3 is the same as the tube output section as the TriVista. None of this really mattered to me because there is no way I could afford the Trivista 300 I bought used on AudioGon and a TriVista SACD player as well.

Now before I get blasted, I'm only repeating what the salesman were saying. I have never compaired the specs with a fine toothed comb. I do however think the tube buffer makes any MF cd player sound beyond much better. I had a Sim Moon Nova and it could'nt hold up to the MF tube buffer setup, which was in total half the cost of the Sim.
Hope my 2 cents helps you a bit. Compairing and auditioning
equipment is half the fun of the hobbie. Good luck.

I agree with Jpak. I have the trivista 21 and it is absolutely outstanding. Adds a richness, depth, and texture, really transforms the digital sound. I bought 2 sets of the 3 component x series and sold 1, and will sell the 2nd. They do not seem to do much at all. It is tough buying a used Trivista 21. As soon as they are posted they are sold.

I've heard the Bel Canto DAC2 is supposed to be an excellent choice as well. Further improved by mods. It's difficult for me to audition in home, I'm in NH most of the closest HiFi stores in Boston; but I'll what I can do.

My advice to you: given the low prices that DAC2's are selling for on Audiogon these days (you'd pay at least $500 more for a Trivista, almost half the cost of a used DAC2) I would suggest you try out the DAC2 first. It is really a great piece and if you don't like it or want to upgrade you can always sell it and get back your investment.

Sounds like the best advice Glitch. I will keep my eyes open for a good deal on the DAC2. Another item that disappears all too quickly after being listed though :)

How sensitive is it to transport? This will be used with my computer as transport, the sound card right now is an E-MU0404 but I have no problem upgraded to at least an RME DIGI96/8

I use mine with my computer as well (Waveterminal U24 soundcard) and it sounds great. I can't say how sensitive it is to transports because I've done no extensive testing, but the DAC2 does to a certain degree attempt to re-clock to remove jitter so I imagine differences in transports should be minimized. I'm planning on selling my DAC2 at some point in the near future, the soon to be released DAC3 should set the bar in a new stratosphere...

Musical Fidelity A5 should be auditioned.

I have not tried the A324 but I own the Trivista, and the X10v3 with power supply, and have borrowed an X DAC v3 off a friend to compare the X bundle with the Trivista. No, the bundle is not the equivalent of the Trivista; and the higher resolution system you have, the more the difference will be apparent. Dynamics, soundstage and liquidity are all better on the Trivista. It can be argued that the X bundle resolution is better but to my ears, it just sound sharper, not better.

Interestingly and unexpectedly, the X10v3 with power supply does bring something to the party when the Trivista output is wired through it in my system. I suspect this may not be the case in all systems though.

Trust this helps.

If your transport breaks on the Tri-Vista SACD, you can't buy a replacement!

Other than that I loved my Tri-Vista. It's too bad I can't use it anymore. Shame on MF for using such a crappy vendor such as Phillips.