chowkwan%priam.usc.edu@usc.edu (Raymond Chowkwanyun) (12/19/90)
Capsule Version (for those on the run)
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The Musik System One digital to analog converter (d/a) sounds
like analog. May the Gods of Audio fry every circuit
board in my possession if this isn't true.
By comparison other d/a's I have heard have softened
the edginess of CD sound but at the expense of tonal
accuracy and reduced dynamics (Wadia 2000, Theta II, Madrigal,
Aragon, and Digital Link). The Musik System is a breakthrough
product, folks. It doesn't just make CD bearable, it makes CD
enjoyable. It is simply better than we could possibly have hoped
for.
At $2K, the Musik System One outguns units costing hundreds
more like the Theta and Wadia and it significantly outperforms
cheaper units - making it worth the extra hundreds of bucks. You owe
it to yourself to check this unit out before investing in any other
d/a. Here is the company's address and number:
Bitwise Audio Technologies
11839-B Sorrento Valley Road
San Diego, CA 92121
(619) 792-6634
(The choice of Bitwise for the company name is unfortunate because
the Musik System does *NOT* use a 1-bit converter.)
I can't tell you that the Musik System is the best d/a available; I
can only say it beats out the other d/a's I've heard by a large
margin. So other worthy contenders which you might want to consider
are Krell, VTL, Goldmund, Stax, and a whole raft of British 1-bit
systems.
Full Bore (OK have yourselves a field day with this one) Review
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This is my account of a listening comparison I did between the Theta
Generation II processor and the Musik System One.
(Yes, it's Musik with a "K" at the end and not a "C". This is
because the company's name is spelled out in Greek letters and there
ain't no "C" in Greek (aren't they the lucky ones?))
I had heard the Theta Basic unit demonstrated at our audiophile club
by Mike Moffat, one of the Theta owners. On the basis of this demo,
I had ordered the full blown Generation II Pro unit (better power
supplies than the Basic unit while keeping the same conversion unit).
Enter my dealer who lugged in a Theta II Pro unit which one of his
customers had just traded in on a Musik System One. Having plunked
down my dollars on the Theta, I was naturally highly sceptical of this
interloper.
We started by listening to Walter's Beethoven 6th on Columbia
(a wonderful CD IMHO and cheap too). The Theta did what I expected
it to. The edginess of CD was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately,
the dynamism of LP was also nowheres to be found. To me, CD has a
homogenizing effect on the music, with none of the jagged peaks and
valleys to heard on LP. Oftentimes I think we praise a d/a because
it makes CD acceptable. Our expectations of CD are so low that
anything that doesn't send us running from the room with our hands
over our ears is rated highly.
Switch to the Musik System. I hear all the punch and dynamism of LP.
The tonal qualities sound more correct too. The brass has a bite
which the Theta tended to round off. Now I am totally confused. Is
the Musik System really better or are we just hearing the edginess of
CD?
Only one way to tell. Compare both d/a's with an LP. I chose the
song "Sonho Meu" from David Byrne's compilation of Brazilian music.
The song begins with soft acoustic guitar - a test of the d/a's
all-important low-level capabilities. A male voice begins, followed
by a female. Drums enter, then bass. The guitar continues all the
while. i.e. full band music. The two voices sing a duet.
Sometimes the voices soar, then again they hush.
The Theta did not sound anything like the LP. All the peaks of the
LP sound were levelled off. Switch to the Musik System.
Yes, it was better than the Theta and not because of
edginess. Surprise of surprises, it sounded better than the LP too.
The same wonderful musicality in the voices, but now with an added
solidity to the bass which the LP did not have. To my ears, the
Musik System sounded like the LP but with better bass.
OK, OK, it was strictly mid-fi LP: Technics SL1600 II with Grace Ruby
cartridge (a cartridge which Absolute Sound considered outdated
way back in 83). Nevertheless this LP system had hitherto been able
to beat out any CD contender. Naturally, the next question is: "How
does the Musik System compare with a *really* good LP setup?". Well
if Mr. Weisfield would ever finish delivering the parts of my TNT
maybe I'll be able to report back to you.
The order for the Theta was cancelled. I have since listened extensively
with the Musik System and my regard for this unit has
solidified over a period of about a month. On jazz, classical, and
rock this unit performs. Because of a change in wiring and subsequent
wait for new wires I did most of this auditioning through Stax headphones.
The output of the Musik System was plugged in directly to the Stax
(via Temporal Continuum interconnects). No pre-amp intervening.
I had never thought I would call the Stax warm-sounding with CD but
that's how they came to sound. Switching to Cardas Hexlink
"Golden" and Tice Power Block added even more warmth. The only CD
which did not work well was Byrne's other compilation "O Samba".
The sibilants made this CD unbearable. However, on speakers this
problem doesn't occur - something about this CD doesn't agree with
the Stax.
Techie Corner:
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Nothing about the Musik System's specs would lead you to expect
anything extraordinary. 8 times oversampling with Burr-Brown chips.
Ho-hum. None of the excitement of Wadia and Krell's 64 times
oversampling here. Nor the pizazz of Theta's use of the
state-of-the-art Motorola DSP chip. Nor for that matter, Stax and VTL's
use of a custom d/a chip. The system does come in two units of
the same size. One unit contains the power supply and all DSP functions.
The other contains the d/a and analog circuits. The company claims
that separting DSP from analog improves the sound.
There are multiple power supplies inside - but the Theta has that too.
They do use long-grain silver wire throughout (whatever long-grain
is. I thought that was a term reserved for rice.)
CAVEAT:
------
I listened to both Musik System and Theta cold. David
Robinson tells me the Theta doesn't start sounding really good until
it's had several hours to warm up. Personally, units that require
hours of warm-up have no appeal for me. My system is in the bedroom
and I shut everthing down at night so the voltage regulator will
cease its infernal humming. Otherwise the noise would keep me awake.
Tantalizing Tidbit:
------------------
This is in the way of a small reward for those of you who have stuck
with me thus far through this long post. Gentle reader, I called it
the "full bore" review in jest. I hope my little joke didn't turn
into reality. Anyway, on with the tidbit.
I have it on the most reliable rumor that Phillips and Sony
are in active negotiations about the next CD standard.
How will they explain the need for a new digital standard
after all that marketing gibberish about "Perfect sound - Forever"?
I'll make this suggestion for free: "All digital is perfect but
some digital is more perfect than others".
Source of rumor: heard on Peter Sudheim's show, "Infidelity".
(Sorry, this is *NOT* another racy talk show but a sober, considered
weekly rumination on hi-fi). This rumor was corroborated
by guest Jim Boyk.
System details:
--------------
Source: Track 2 of David Byrne's compilation of Brazilian music
"Beleza Tropical". The song's name is "Sonho Meu".
Available in LP and CD. The CD number is Sire 25805-2.
LP: Technics SL-1600 II with Grace Ruby cartridge
Transport: Euphonic Technolgy (modified Phillips)
Digital cable: Straightwire Video (as supplied with the Theta)
d/a: either (1) Musik System One
or (2) Theta Generation II Pro. *NOT* the cheaper Basic model.
Interconnect to pre-amp: 3m of Cardas Hexlink 5 "Golden"
Pre-amp: VTL Deluxe
Interconnect to amp: 3m of Tara Labs Temporal Continuum
Amps: VTL Ichiban
Speaker cable: 1m of Tara Labs Temporal Continuum.
Speakers: B+W 801 in bi-wire mode. I had the Temporal Controller on
the speaker cables set to 7 for the midrange/tweeter and 5 on the
bass.
-- ray