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Mousai MSD192 DAC
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Mousai MSD192 DAC
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Product Description
For casual music fans, the DAC in your computer or phone works just fine, but you need a quality digital-to-analog converter to squeeze the most out of your audio experience. With an advanced DAC chip to improve clarity and realism, the Mousai MSD192 DAC is a mighty combination of fine detail and uninhibited dynamics Read More
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Oroboros
24
Nov 25, 2014
I bought this unit during the last drop. So for those who are interested, here is my impression of it ...
First off, sound quality is excellent. I also own a Burson Conductor, with a SABRE32 ESS9018 DAC chip, touted in many places as being the premier "up to 192" DAC chip available in audiophiland, and frankly I cannot tell the difference between the Wolfson chip in this Mousai and the Sabre in the Burson. The rest of the unit, built around the Wolfson, is also well made. Questyle, the designer of the "parent" of this unit, is a top-notch builder of extremely high end audiophile equipment. This is indeed a well enough made component, for the price. Every unit even comes with its own test sheet and stats, completed by the sound engineer who vetting it, before sending it out the door.
Having said that, there is, as I see it, one flaw to this unit. While there are 16 and 24 bit sample rates at 44, 48, 88, 96, and 192, there is no 176 sample rate available. There is one listed at16 bit, but it doesn't work, and there is none listed at 24 bit. Now, if this doesn't matter to you - and for 95+% of you this might be the case - then never mind. But I happen to know that the Wolfson WM8741 chip is capable of 176, so it was left out *by design*. Which is a shame, because it's really the only flaw of this unit. While 192 is sexy and sells units, truth is almost all music out there is 44 based, not 48 based, and while you can cleanly 2X upsample (to 88) from your music source into this unit, you cannot cleanly 4X upsample (to 176) before sending it through.
Also, as others have mentioned, it does produce several seconds of static when sample rates are changed. Not something I do often, but it is true.
Finally, they had a website once (I saw it, I swear), but it has since gone down. Not sure how to interpret that.
Even so, if you want a superb DAC with possibly the second best non-DSD stereo audio chip currently produced, and for most people (myself included) effectively indistinguishable from the best, and have no need for 176, then this unit is at least worthy of consideration. Other than that one odd flaw, it's a very serviceable DAC for downstream pure amp units. I don't regret my purchase, and mine worked correctly out of the box.
It's just a shame ... so close ... so close ...
Addendum: http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/mousai-msd192-dac-wolfson-wm8741-dac-192-khz-16-24bit-2014-new.html
First off, sound quality is excellent. I also own a Burson Conductor, with a SABRE32 ESS9018 DAC chip, touted in many places as being the premier "up to 192" DAC chip available in audiophiland, and frankly I cannot tell the difference between the Wolfson chip in this Mousai and the Sabre in the Burson. The rest of the unit, built around the Wolfson, is also well made. Questyle, the designer of the "parent" of this unit, is a top-notch builder of extremely high end audiophile equipment. This is indeed a well enough made component, for the price. Every unit even comes with its own test sheet and stats, completed by the sound engineer who vetting it, before sending it out the door.
Having said that, there is, as I see it, one flaw to this unit. While there are 16 and 24 bit sample rates at 44, 48, 88, 96, and 192, there is no 176 sample rate available. There is one listed at16 bit, but it doesn't work, and there is none listed at 24 bit. Now, if this doesn't matter to you - and for 95+% of you this might be the case - then never mind. But I happen to know that the Wolfson WM8741 chip is capable of 176, so it was left out *by design*. Which is a shame, because it's really the only flaw of this unit. While 192 is sexy and sells units, truth is almost all music out there is 44 based, not 48 based, and while you can cleanly 2X upsample (to 88) from your music source into this unit, you cannot cleanly 4X upsample (to 176) before sending it through.
Also, as others have mentioned, it does produce several seconds of static when sample rates are changed. Not something I do often, but it is true.
Finally, they had a website once (I saw it, I swear), but it has since gone down. Not sure how to interpret that.
Even so, if you want a superb DAC with possibly the second best non-DSD stereo audio chip currently produced, and for most people (myself included) effectively indistinguishable from the best, and have no need for 176, then this unit is at least worthy of consideration. Other than that one odd flaw, it's a very serviceable DAC for downstream pure amp units. I don't regret my purchase, and mine worked correctly out of the box.
It's just a shame ... so close ... so close ...
Addendum: http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/mousai-msd192-dac-wolfson-wm8741-dac-192-khz-16-24bit-2014-new.html
Boogiemouse
9
Oct 2, 2014
Sampling and frequency are not the same. For instance, since your ears can hear up to 18k or 20k, you might think that digital sampling at that rate would suffice. However, you would then be trying to produce a rounded analogue 20k frequency wave...with a single square digital bit. This can get ''edgy" to the point of headaches, and inability to decide if it's a cymbal or a snare hit. Actually, even 192 is a bit jaggy in it's attempt to reproduce an analogue wave form.
There are many, many articles on this, and even many demos online from the HiRez download sites.
A common comment regarding higher KHz is that the music is more "involving"...and not just "there".
famish99
18
Oct 2, 2014
BoogiemouseThis comment makes my brain hurt... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyquist_rate
As long as you know what frequencies you want to capture, you can very easily pick the appropriate sampling rate.
As long as you know what frequencies you want to capture, you can very easily pick the appropriate sampling rate.
gaze
20
Oct 8, 2014
BoogiemouseA one bit on, one bit off wave is not "edgy" at all in your hearing range. It's a square wave, which may be decomposed as a harmonic series as a perfect sine wave at say 20KHz, and then the next higher harmonic and all higher get filtered off by the low pass filter on the DAC's output stage. It'll be a perfect sine wave at 20 KHz, plus a perfect sine wave at a third the amplitude at 60 KHz, plus a sine wave at a fifth the amplitude at 100 KHz, and so forth. Notice that the first harmonic is WELL outside the human hearing range.
J_December_why
481
Aug 14, 2021
this is ridiculous, no warranty, no website to contact Mousai, wherever that is or if it exists at all?!?!
hp4fun
32
Aug 14, 2021
J_December_whyThis dac design is 7 yo. This drop is probably the leftover before they shut down the product line. Wolfson chip is no longer popular in 2021 so this is actually a plus. The dac looks nicely built with quality components. Not a bad deal at this price point.
CubeMammal
47
Nov 30, 2014
BoggeMD needs to work on their script. It all sounds the same, and sounds like it was written by somebody who has no idea what they're writing about.
beatstreet
9
Mar 21, 2016
I've owned this DAC for nearly a year. If you purchase it. Copy the CD immediately and backup in 3 different digital places/physical places, you'll never be able to get the DAC driver elsewhere if something happens to that CD, now that this Mousai company pulled their Mousai website belly up.
This DAC also makes a good secondary use as an excellent USB to Coax interface.
This DAC has a smooth neutral DAC sound and is an amazing deal for under $300 rivals DACs many $$$ more.
This DAC has a smooth neutral DAC sound and is an amazing deal for under $300 rivals DACs many $$$ more.
sosya2000
6
Aug 16, 2021
I have a very important question.
Can this DAC be used normally in Windows10?
If you know well, please reply.
Flesh_Merchant
2
Aug 17, 2021
sosya2000Windows 10 support isn't listed in details. Haven't done this before, but compatibility
mode is worth a try.
https://www.techsupportall.com/how-to-run-older-programs-in-windows-10/
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-install-devices-software-from-older-windows/c19bee9c-431f-46e2-85f1-6ab90304d278
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-install-devices-software-from-older-windows/c19bee9c-431f-46e2-85f1-6ab90304d278
sosya2000
6
Aug 17, 2021
Flesh_MerchantThanks for pointing out a suitable alternative.
And I learned an important fact.
I realized I had to annoy Drop.com for not providing accurate information while selling stuff.
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