Musical Paradise MP-D2 MkI AK4490 with Modwright VS ps audio perfectwave mkii ?

erniejade
erniejade Posts: 6,321
in 2 Channel Audio
Both seem to get a lot of respect and great reviews. The PS is a little bit more on the used market then the Musical Paradise but, no tubes to replace either so it kind of evens it out in my book. I figure either one should be a step up in sound from my Grant Fidelity tube dac 11 using a wyred for sound recovery femto usb.

What one of the 2 would you choose?
Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    Wish I could help ya out, Bri . . . I know what Marvin would will choose!
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,901
    edited July 2019
    i had the grant and still have the musical paradise mki with ak4490 and upgraded caps. if you are asking about the modwright mod, I have not heard it.(look into the mk3 as it surpasses the modwright mod)


    yes, it is a big step above the grant. the small tubes last a long time and you can tube roll until you fall out.

    I was going to get the mkiii but had a chance to get another dac that had over 100 pages of positive reviews.

    https://www.amazon.com/MH-DA004-ES9038pro-Flagship-Coaxial-Upgraded/dp/B06XT3L6JL
    Post edited by marvda1 on
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
    Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
    Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
    Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
    Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
    Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
    Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
    Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
    Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
    Puritan PSM156
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  • dhart86
    dhart86 Posts: 1,594
    edited July 2019
    I loved the PS Audio Perfectwave so much so that I sold it and upgraded to the PS Audio DSD Jr. Liked that so much that I bought a second DSD Jr. Now I am about to sell one of the DSD Jr so that I can upgrade to the Sr.full Directstream version. Guess you see my thoughts on PS Audio Dacs
    Main Rig:
    Antipodes DX > Roon > PS Audio Directstream Jr.>deHavilland Ultraverve 3 >Belles Reference 150a >Harbeth C7 ES3


    Second Rig:
    Roon> PS Audio Directstream Jr Bridge II > EE Minimax pre (Tutay mods) >Belles 150A Ref >Monitor 5 (Westmassguy-modded)


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  • kharp1
    kharp1 Posts: 3,453
    Love my DirectStream DAC.
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    Sure just when i think i have it narrowed down, in comes marve with another interesting unit!. L.K.S Audio MH-DA004 looks darn good!. More research!
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,414
    PS Audio and don’t look back.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • vcwatkins
    vcwatkins Posts: 1,993
    Love my DSJr. Bridge II built in and streams very nicely (also worked well with Sonore UltrRendu). Can be used as a remote controlled preamp (although I haven't tried it). DSD and MQA. Firmware updates very easily with USB stick. Smooth, detailed, analog sound, especially after latest version (Snowmass).
    b]Beach Audio[/b]: Rega RP6 (mods) - AT33PTG/II - Parks Budgie SUT - PSAudio NPC * Eversolo DMP-A6 * Topping D90iii * Joule-Electra LA-100 mkIII * Pass Aleph 30 * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 2.3tl (mods) * PSAudio PPP3
    Beach Study: Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra & Pre Box S2 * Pass ACA * DH Labs SS Q10 * Brines Folded ML-TQWT RS 40-1354 * PSA Dectet
    Beach Master: WiiM Pro * Dayens Menuetto * Zu Libtec * Dynaudio Audience 50
    Beach Den: Bluesound Powernode 2i * DH Labs SS Q10 * Zu Omen DWII * Richard Gray RGPC
    Town Study: WiiM Pro * Chord Qute (Pardo) * Elekit TU-8600 * MIT S3 * Revel M22 * Beyer DT-990 * Shunyata Hydra 2
    Town Den: Music Hall mm5.1se - Denon DL-103r - Jolida JD9ii (mods) * WiiM Pro * Cary xCiter * Rogue 99 Magnum * Schiit Aegir * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 1.2tl (mods) * Dectet * Bottlehead Crack - Senn 600
    Town Porch: WiiM Pro Plus * Sunfire Sig II * Canare 4S11 * Magnepan 1.6 * Dectet
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  • kharp1
    kharp1 Posts: 3,453
    edited July 2019
    There's a guy on Klipsch Forum that has a silver DirectStream w/Bridge2 that's 2 months old for 4k. Has two currently (one was for the RV) and is keeping the black one. No affiliation.

    https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/185102-ps-audio-directstream-dac-network-bridge-2/
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  • dhart86
    dhart86 Posts: 1,594
    vcwatkins wrote: »
    Love my DSJr. Bridge II built in and streams very nicely (also worked well with Sonore UltrRendu). Can be used as a remote controlled preamp (although I haven't tried it). DSD and MQA. Firmware updates very easily with USB stick. Smooth, detailed, analog sound, especially after latest version (Snowmass).

    @vcwatkins Which delivered the better sound in your opinon the Bridge II or the UltraRendu?
    Main Rig:
    Antipodes DX > Roon > PS Audio Directstream Jr.>deHavilland Ultraverve 3 >Belles Reference 150a >Harbeth C7 ES3


    Second Rig:
    Roon> PS Audio Directstream Jr Bridge II > EE Minimax pre (Tutay mods) >Belles 150A Ref >Monitor 5 (Westmassguy-modded)


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  • vcwatkins
    vcwatkins Posts: 1,993
    dhart86 wrote: »
    vcwatkins wrote: »
    Love my DSJr. Bridge II built in and streams very nicely (also worked well with Sonore UltrRendu). Can be used as a remote controlled preamp (although I haven't tried it). DSD and MQA. Firmware updates very easily with USB stick. Smooth, detailed, analog sound, especially after latest version (Snowmass).

    @vcwatkins Which delivered the better sound in your opinon the Bridge II or the UltraRendu?

    When I first got the DSJ, I preferred the sound of the UltraRendu (LPS-1 power supply + Iso Regen) over the Bridge II. But after an update or two on the DSJ, I could not tell a difference between the two. So for the last year or so, I've been pleased with the uR in the study rig and the DSJ in the den.

    b]Beach Audio[/b]: Rega RP6 (mods) - AT33PTG/II - Parks Budgie SUT - PSAudio NPC * Eversolo DMP-A6 * Topping D90iii * Joule-Electra LA-100 mkIII * Pass Aleph 30 * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 2.3tl (mods) * PSAudio PPP3
    Beach Study: Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra & Pre Box S2 * Pass ACA * DH Labs SS Q10 * Brines Folded ML-TQWT RS 40-1354 * PSA Dectet
    Beach Master: WiiM Pro * Dayens Menuetto * Zu Libtec * Dynaudio Audience 50
    Beach Den: Bluesound Powernode 2i * DH Labs SS Q10 * Zu Omen DWII * Richard Gray RGPC
    Town Study: WiiM Pro * Chord Qute (Pardo) * Elekit TU-8600 * MIT S3 * Revel M22 * Beyer DT-990 * Shunyata Hydra 2
    Town Den: Music Hall mm5.1se - Denon DL-103r - Jolida JD9ii (mods) * WiiM Pro * Cary xCiter * Rogue 99 Magnum * Schiit Aegir * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 1.2tl (mods) * Dectet * Bottlehead Crack - Senn 600
    Town Porch: WiiM Pro Plus * Sunfire Sig II * Canare 4S11 * Magnepan 1.6 * Dectet
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    Skip, funny you mention Denafrips. They have a nice R2R dac that I was looking at.
    Massdrop x Airist Audio R-2R DAC for $350 is another one. The Norma you had going at AXPONA sounded darn good. I like the Norma products and wish it was in my price range.

    I saw a PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MK II without the bridge for sale for $1400 that I thought was a bit high since one with a bridge sold not too long ago for less then that. I also saw a DirectStream w/Bridge2 for $3400 but, I really wanted to keep it at the 1K range. That leaves Denafrips, Airist R-R, PerfectWave DAC MK II, L.K.S Audio MH-DA004 that and Musical Paradise MP-D2 MkIII. All get great reviews.
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    dhart86 wrote: »
    I loved the PS Audio Perfectwave so much so that I sold it and upgraded to the PS Audio DSD Jr. Liked that so much that I bought a second DSD Jr. Now I am about to sell one of the DSD Jr so that I can upgrade to the Sr.full Directstream version. Guess you see my thoughts on PS Audio Dacs
    Safe to say you like PSA DACs better than the Auralic Aries G1 ;)

    Has anyone compared PSA DACs to lower-end Lumins like D1/D2? Asking for a friend...
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • dhart86
    dhart86 Posts: 1,594
    jdjohn wrote: »
    dhart86 wrote: »
    I loved the PS Audio Perfectwave so much so that I sold it and upgraded to the PS Audio DSD Jr. Liked that so much that I bought a second DSD Jr. Now I am about to sell one of the DSD Jr so that I can upgrade to the Sr.full Directstream version. Guess you see my thoughts on PS Audio Dacs
    Safe to say you like PSA DACs better than the Auralic Aries G1 ;)

    Has anyone compared PSA DACs to lower-end Lumins like D1/D2? Asking for a friend...

    Like DSkip said, the ARIES G1 only functions as a digital transport/streamer. The PS Audio DSD w/ Bridge II functions as digital transport/streamer (bridgeII) and dac in one case. The Auralic sounded very good, but I needed to consolidate and raise money... so the more prudent thing to do under those circumstances was to keep the PS Audio DSD which is very good in it's own right.
    Main Rig:
    Antipodes DX > Roon > PS Audio Directstream Jr.>deHavilland Ultraverve 3 >Belles Reference 150a >Harbeth C7 ES3


    Second Rig:
    Roon> PS Audio Directstream Jr Bridge II > EE Minimax pre (Tutay mods) >Belles 150A Ref >Monitor 5 (Westmassguy-modded)


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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    Okay, fair enough. I guess I should have said dhart likes PS Audio streamers better than the Aries. Point is: he sold his Aries and kept the PSA gear.

    I'm considering another streamer myself (possibly w/ incorporated DAC), and have it narrowed down to Lumin D1/D2 or a PS Audio PWDII w/bridge. I already have a PSA SGCD/pre and S300 stack, so naturally adding to that stack would be nice aesthetically. My assumption is that the DAC in any of those contenders would sound better than the on-board DAC in the SGCD, but maybe that's not a slam dunk, and a pure streamer would suffice.

    If I understand correctly, the PWDII w/bridge would require a third-party control app such as Roon. Lumin has their own app for iOS or Android, so that is a plus for me. I don't have a need for NAS (except for a few files on SD card).

    I've been happily using a Logitech SBT with enhanced digital output into the SGCD, but curious about stepping up a notch. I have to say, the SBT has a big WAF.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • kharp1
    kharp1 Posts: 3,453
    PSA doesn't have a streamer, yet. They're currently developing one, but, won't be out until at least the end of this year, maybe next year. Also, to my knowledge, they don't have am all-in-one transport/dac/streamer. They have the Directstram Dac, and the DirectStream Memory player was the sister transport, but, they no longer llist it on their website.
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    @jdjohn I have a lumin d1 woth a sbooster on my den rig. I do like lumin products and their app quite a bit. I have not heard the lumin d2 or the ps audio yet.
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,148
    Thanks for your reply, Ernie. I should have noticed that earlier in your sig :#
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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