TO DAC OR NOT TO DAC?

Jitter starts at the transport. If you don't have a good transport, it can only get worse further down the line. You can add filters, re-clocking mechanisms, etc... but this is all more "junk" in the signal path and extra cabling. As such, a well designed one box player SHOULD always beat separates ( transport / DAC ) in terms of total performance. Unfortunately, the machines that are built to that level cost thousands upon thousands of dollars.

One can attain very good performance for a LOT less money by using a reasonable transport and upsampling DAC with a carefully chosen cable. That is the path that i have taken for multiple reasons, the main one being lack of funds : (

As to the newer Musical Fidelity DAC, i've seen it and listened to it. Only problem is that i was not familiar with the system, recordings or the room. I asked the salesman his opinion of it and he basically confirmed my thoughts. The fruit of Antony Michaelson's labor have not fallen far from the typical Musical Fidelity tree in terms of "house sound". In other words, it is clean, clear and detailed without being etched. It also lacks warmth and body, coming across as being slightly lean and lacking in impact. Whether or not this would compliment your system and personal tastes is a matter of choice. Obviously, others may have different experiences and opinions of this product.

Why don't you try holding out for a bit and see what the newer G&W piece will be like ? It is an upsampler that uses tubes in the output section. While Sam Tellig gave their stand alone upsampler high marks, i don't really put much faith in his written advertisements called "reviews". However, Marty from Bound for Sound also raved about it and i do respect his opinion. If you wanted to find out more about the G&W piece, you can read about it in Tellig's article or on the Audio Advisor website.

I don't know when the upsampling tube DAC will be out, so you might want to give AA a call and see what they know. As usual, you could probably take advantage of their 30 day trial period to see if it will measure up to your expectations once it does come out. Being able to swap tubes would also give you some added versatility in terms of fine tuning the overall presentation and tonal balance. Just a thought. Sean
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My understanding of this is admittedly limited, but as I understand it, the problem with separates is that a DAC has to reclock the signal, and not all of them do that well. The result is jitter (which is a mistiming, akin to analog flutter, although I imagine it sounds very different). If that's the case, one might ask how any box between transport and DAC can solve the problem. Seems fewer boxes is the better way to go.

People familiar with their technical aspects have told me that Rotel and Arcam make very good CDPs in this regard, adn they're probably well within Whirshfield's means.

Sam wrote a glowing review of the new MF upsampling DAC, which got me wondering, too, despite my wariness of reviews in consumer magazines. The real question in my mind: is upsampling truly the trump card? I've read in a number of places that it is. I've been considering upgrading from an Arcam cd72 to the FMJ23 and now wonder if the MF would be a better choice for about half the money? An a-b comparison, practically speaking, is impossible to arrange. I have an older MF preamp that I really like. Anybody who has done a-b's between upsampling dacs and known good non-upsampling CDP's please weigh in. Sam said the MF improved the sound of his Rega Jupiter, and that adding an anti-jitter box helped even further.

A totally irrelevant opinion.. my source is Mac Mini, my speakers either Dynaudio Xeo 20 or Edifier S3000 Pro (both active speakers). I found direct cabling was good, but putting a humble Schiit Modius in the middle made the sound a lot crisper. Trying a more expensive DAC made very little difference.