I got a chance to listen the the Playback Designs MPS-3 (CD Player version of the MPD-3) at RMAF 2011. I was both very impressed and slightly disappointed at the demonstration setup.
They had an Ampex ATR-100 Tape Deck, an MPS-3, as sources. They were hooked up to darTZeel CTH-8550 integrated amplifier and Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne Speakers.
They played Harry Belafonte, Live at Carnegie Hall on tape first. It sounded absolutely amazing, with excellent dynamics. I'd say it sounded as good as, if not better than some very good record setups.
They then played the same track, using a 24/196 version, upsampled to DSD, through the MPS-3.
While it didn't sound as good as the tape, it wasn't that far off. The presentation was perhaps a little bit more forward than the tape version, more detailed in some areas, yet perhaps a little less "analog" and warm.
My main concern with their setup was that they chose not to use regular CD Playback in their demonstrations. They only used high resolution files, so I didn't get to observe how good it could be for regular CD's.
Secondly, it didn't seem that the gain between the tape deck or the MPS-3 was matched or equalized. So the MPS-3 seemed a little bit "hotter".
The speakers were also very impressive and super high resolution.
- I'd love to hear more from those who've had a chance to test out MPS-3 or MPD-3 capability on regular Redbook files...
- Is it forgiving of bad recordings? Is upsampling the true magic bullet?
My ideal is if bad recording sound listenable and good recordings sound great.
They had an Ampex ATR-100 Tape Deck, an MPS-3, as sources. They were hooked up to darTZeel CTH-8550 integrated amplifier and Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne Speakers.
They played Harry Belafonte, Live at Carnegie Hall on tape first. It sounded absolutely amazing, with excellent dynamics. I'd say it sounded as good as, if not better than some very good record setups.
They then played the same track, using a 24/196 version, upsampled to DSD, through the MPS-3.
While it didn't sound as good as the tape, it wasn't that far off. The presentation was perhaps a little bit more forward than the tape version, more detailed in some areas, yet perhaps a little less "analog" and warm.
My main concern with their setup was that they chose not to use regular CD Playback in their demonstrations. They only used high resolution files, so I didn't get to observe how good it could be for regular CD's.
Secondly, it didn't seem that the gain between the tape deck or the MPS-3 was matched or equalized. So the MPS-3 seemed a little bit "hotter".
The speakers were also very impressive and super high resolution.
- I'd love to hear more from those who've had a chance to test out MPS-3 or MPD-3 capability on regular Redbook files...
- Is it forgiving of bad recordings? Is upsampling the true magic bullet?
My ideal is if bad recording sound listenable and good recordings sound great.