McIntosh D1100 Digital Preamplifier DAC Review - Part One

joeinid

joeinid

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Welcome to the forum, thank you for joining.

Glad you love the D1100. I’d love to hear one.
 
Obviously I love McIntosh gear, growing up in the shadows of the factory in Binghamton. I am very curious why they choose to put old technology in their latest $7000 digital only DAC/Pre-amp? I mean the ESS 9018 chip was a fine DAC chip, and it performs well in my Pono portable music player and my Oppo CD/SACD, etc.

I have directly compared, unit for unit, another upstate New York company's DAC using the 9018 and the exact same unit using the new 9028 Pro. There was no contest, the new chips are night and day better. Also they have a higher model, the 9038 Pro, which I have also directly compared. This is night and day better then the 9028 Pro, let alone the older model.

So my point is this; I know that the DAC chip in and of itself does not determine the sound of any piece of equipment, however if you are releasing a new top of the line model why would you use the older model chip which is definitely inferior? The 9018 was a good chip in its day, but it was becoming very long in the tooth when it was replaced (prior to when the D1100 was released). It simply does not make any sense what so ever.

The unit looks very nice, but would be a ton better, especially at $7000 if it used the most up to date tech, and maybe if they put an analog input or two in it. Just my opinion, but certainly a reason I would never consider a McIntosh DAC :(...
 
I had the D150 and it was not a bad sounding dac for what I payed for it but when I traded it in for D1100 it was a huge upgrade. Had a huge sound stage and alot of depth. Lot of space and crystal clear detail. I'm sure you can spend more and get better but I'm loving my system . for what it worth.
 
godfatherpc said:
I had the D150 and it was not a bad sounding dac for what I payed for it but when I traded it in for D1100 it was a huge upgrade. Had a huge sound stage and alot of depth. Lot of space and crystal clear detail. I'm sure you can spend more and get better but I'm loving my system . for what it worth.
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That's awesome!

I loved the dac in my C52 when I had it. Actually, I loved the whole C52 package and that's one I should have kept.
 
godfatherpc said:
I had the D150 and it was not a bad sounding dac for what I payed for it but when I traded it in for D1100 it was a huge upgrade. Had a huge sound stage and alot of depth. Lot of space and crystal clear detail. I'm sure you can spend more and get better but I'm loving my system . for what it worth.
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And that is what it is all about. Mc gear is fantastic!
 
Bachtoven said:
Which one is considered to be the best between them?
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I can only make an assumption. Module vs: (from the McIntosh website)

"The D1100 Digital Preamplifier is a reference level stereo preamplifier and digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Its 8-channel, 32-bit DAC is used in Quad Balanced mode with half of it dedicated to the left audio channel and the other half to the right channel. It’s the most advanced DAC we’ve ever used and delivers an unprecedented level of performance so that all your digital music is reproduced with exceptional accuracy and authenticity."
 
Dizzie said:
I can only make an assumption. Module vs: (from the McIntosh website)

"The D1100 Digital Preamplifier is a reference level stereo preamplifier and digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Its 8-channel, 32-bit DAC is used in Quad Balanced mode with half of it dedicated to the left audio channel and the other half to the right channel. It’s the most advanced DAC we’ve ever used and delivers an unprecedented level of performance so that all your digital music is reproduced with exceptional accuracy and authenticity."
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Their description of the DA1 sounds similar: "The DA1 utilizes a powerful 8-channel, 32-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) used in Quad Balanced mode." Regardless, the DA1 sounds great.
 
I would guess it is the same. Sounds like they build their finest in the top of the line and offer it as an upgrade for people who have units with up-gradable DACs.
 
Randy Myers said:
I would guess it is the same. Sounds like they build their finest in the top of the line and offer it as an upgrade for people who have units with up-gradable DACs.
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That's what I'm counting on! I do get that tiny fade-in, but it doesn't seem to affect all recordings. I could do without it, but it isn't a deal breaker.
 
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