Mutec MC-3+ USB

[Antoine]

Inspired by the good guys at the JPlay forum I experimented with the buffer settings of the Mutec USB driver. Contrary to what I did and learned earlier I changed the setting from minimal latency to maximum, so the "safest" setting and maximum number of ASIO buffers and this surely took off some of the edge/sharpness of the highs resulting in a somewhat more natural sound.

So if you're like me and think the Mutec is great but could be 'tamed' somewhat I think it's worth it to experiment a little with the Mutec Control Panel settings. Perhaps later I will experiment more with the intermediate settings.

[SwissBear]

Inspired by the good guys at the JPlay forum I experimented with the buffer settings of the Mutec USB driver. Contrary to what I did and learned earlier I changed the setting from minimal latency to maximum, so the "safest" setting and maximum number of ASIO buffers and this surely took off some of the edge/sharpness of the highs resulting in a somewhat more natural sound.

So if you're like me and think the Mutec is great but could be 'tamed' somewhat I think it's worth it to experiment a little with the Mutec Control Panel settings. Perhaps later I will experiment more with the intermediate settings.

Hi Antoine,

Thanks for the tip. I guess that this is for Windows users right ?

[brit]

Inspired by the good guys at the JPlay forum I experimented with the buffer settings of the Mutec USB driver. Contrary to what I did and learned earlier I changed the setting from minimal latency to maximum, so the "safest" setting and maximum number of ASIO buffers and this surely took off some of the edge/sharpness of the highs resulting in a somewhat more natural sound.

So if you're like me and think the Mutec is great but could be 'tamed' somewhat I think it's worth it to experiment a little with the Mutec Control Panel settings. Perhaps later I will experiment more with the intermediate settings.

Hi Antoine, Curious (sorry for pun)  to know how you are getting on with the Curious cable. Heard a lot of good things about them.

David

[Antoine]

@SwissBear, I'm not 100% sure since I don't own a Mac but I do know Mac doesn't require a third party driver for USB audio 2.0, Windows does and the control panel is part of the driver. I'm not sure if there are other ways to tweak these buffers in a Mac system and if that would have the same effect.

@David, I like the Curious cables. Before I had the TotalDAC D1 USB cable and though I liked that one very much as well it did have a 'character' it imposed on the sound. It made music sound a bit darker, more relaxed. While I appreciated this earlier I didn't anymore after some time, especially after I installed the Regen (which was replaced by the Intona later. The Mutec replaced the Intona). I started missing the more lively, dynamic sound. The Curious is a more neutral cable in my system, restoring that balance. It's very popular but as always YMMV etc.

[Antoine]

Short review: http://yourfinalsystem.com/dac-reviews/1...ddc-review

To wrap things up, there's a new king of SPDIF converters and it's the Mutec MC-3+USB! At $1,099 MSRP, this unit is costly but not that bad when you consider what it's capable of. Compared to the Berkeley unit that comes in at $1,800 MSRP, the EVO and clock at $1,050 MSRP sans LPS, and the Transient MkII at $700 MSRP, this Mutec piece is a no-brainer as it surpasses all the others in the performance AND convenience. Way to go Mutec!

[nicoludio]

...The Mutec replaced the Intona...

Antoine, could you kindly describe the improvements brought about by the Mutec?

Was this due to use of the AES input (via Mutec) instead of USB (via Intona)?

[Antoine]

...The Mutec replaced the Intona...

Antoine, could you kindly describe the improvements brought about by the Mutec?

Was this due to use of the AES input (via Mutec) instead of USB (via Intona)?

My impressions are scattered a bit over this forum and changed some since I first used it but my most "condensed" post about the Mutec I guess is this one: http://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?t...2#pid36032

I can't separate the improvements due to the use of AES and the Mutec itself since I've always used them together but I think the improvements are due to all of the things below.
- characteristics of the Mutec (so it's intrinsic qualities and functions like galvanic isolation, re-clocking etc.)
- use of the AES/EBU imput of the Devialet
- not using Devialet's USB input/not using a USB input inside/near the DAC.

[Confused]

Antoine - I just re-read your observations per the link above. One thing that strikes me is how accurately your description describes my own experience listening the Aurender W20 via AES in a demo last weekend. So it makes me think that maybe some of these improvements come simply from using the AES input. But how much is down to the Aurender or down to the Mutec is pretty much impossible to guess. Interesting though!

[nicoludio]

Thanks, Antoine. Since the Mutec does not output USB (when using the USB input), AES/EBU is the only option.

Having said that, did you manage to get back your Intona with the firmware upgrade? Curious if adding the Intona before the Mutec makes difference. We are then listening to the sound of cascaded USB galvanic isolation.

[Antoine]

@Confused, it sure all is interesting. Perhaps you could lend a Mutec to find out once you've made your short-list or make use of the 30 day return option.

@nfnc, besides the AES/EBU there are also S/PDIF outputs (coax, bnc, toslink) on the Mutec. I've sold the Intona last week. I tried it (after I got it back with the latest firmware) before the Mutec, but I couldn't hear a difference, positive or negative, in my system.