The Playback Designs MPD-8 is a music-lover's DAC. It is forthe person who places priority on musical enjoyment with excellent sonics. Thisis because the MPD-8 works very hard to make every digital file as listenableand enjoyable as possible by eliminating ugly digital artifacts. It helps makelower resolution digital music listenable, so that many standard resolution CDsbecome very listenable. Indeed, this is it "super power."
But don't confuse this with glossing over detail or simplycreating warm lush sounds. No, indeed. The MPD-8 is incredibly resolving. Itdelivers the detail and transparency that allows us to easily differentiateamong instruments, to hear the rosin on the bow, to hear the vibration on theskins of the timpani, to hear deeply into the inner detail of an orchestralrecording. And it's ability to reproduce dynamic swings is tremendous—not justthe ability to play loud, but the more important ability to react quickly withthe micro-dynamic changes that grants the similitude of life to recorded music.
Ann and I have consistently been struck by how organically"right" the MPD-8 sounds. It operates at the level of the best analogsound we've ever experienced. With the best source material the MPD-8 is simplya transportive listening experience.
