Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC

Review organized by Marc Loubeau / Prestige Audio Diffusion
Review sample provided by Prestige Audio Diffusion
Retail prices including VAT:
MPD-8: 30.990 euro (as reviewed)
MPD-8-AI (analog inputs): 35.990 euro
MPT-8: 23.990 euro
MPT-8 with Stream-X2 option: 27.580 euro (as reviewed)
USB X4 Interface (converts USB to PLINK): 3.990 euro

This review will focus on the MPD-8 Dream DAC in combination with a range of sources, one of which will be the MPT-8 Transport with the Stream-X2 option and PLINK interface.

About Playback Designs

For detailed information about founders Andreas Koch and Bert Vogt, the origin of Playback Designs, and the Edelweiss design philosophy, please see my earlier Playback Designs MPS-X review.

Dream Series Design Philosophy

The from-ground-up new architecture is the result of multiple prototype generations over two years where the experience of digital and analog algorithms and circuit designs from Andreas Koch’s and Bert Vogt’s expertise, refined over many decades, has been combined and perfected to create a genuinely no-compromise, flexible, and programmable product platform that can deliver ultimate performance and can grow for many years as technology keeps evolving.

Expandability

Playback Designs products are known for their expandable architecture. For instance, the MPS-5 SACD player received 20 free software and one hardware upgrade over its lifetime of ten years. The Dream Series has been architected with the same philosophy in mind: Software upgrades for performance improvements and also new features can be installed by the end user at no cost.

MPD-8 Description

Part of Playback Design’s Dream Series, the MPD-8, along with the MPD-8AI (with analog inputs), are the company’s highest-tier DACs. The DAC-8’s architecture is specifically designed to eliminate and isolate anything that might hurt its analog performance. For instance, left and right output channels are built on separate circuit boards powered by completely separate power supplies. For the audio sample clock, Playback Designs uses a proprietary generator designed to eliminate any correlated jitter that can negatively impact the sonic performance. All digital input signals are filtered, cleaned, and processed with Playback Designs’ proprietary algorithms to keep any negative influences away from the hyper-sensitive DAC. Special care has been given to the design of the clock generator to make sure it is not exposed to any potentially harmful influences from external sources.

The DAC features a Discrete architecture with Playback Designs’ proprietary digital algorithms. The analog outputs can be set to fixed values of -6db, -3db, 0db, +3db, +6db, or to variable for fully analog volume control.

Compared to the Edelweiss series MPD-6 DAC that I reviewed in 2023, the Dream Series MPD-8 DAC offers, among others, three regulated analog power supplies, each fed from its independent toroidal transformer, a separate power supply for the front panel display, a single clock source to drive every circuit from control processor, to signal processor, to digital input, to display, extensive mechanical shielding including with Mu-metal shielding, completely separated core D/A and associated analog output circuitry, and a Double-Differential Discrete DAC (two completely separate circuits for each channel, instead of “regular” differential).

The Dream Series DACs incorporate the same basic digital signal processing algorithms that already made Playback Designs’ earlier products famous and well-liked worldwide. New frequency and time-based filters are working in concert to optimize performance during transients in the music signal – and the music signal is generally full of such transient signals.

While the core DAC is built with discrete components (no off-the-shelf chip sets), just like all previous products by Playback Designs, the Dream Series DAC section is built with a much more elaborate architecture and layout, more precise and powerful components, and with strict separation between sensitive circuits and anything that could impact its performance negatively.

The analog output stage of the DAC is designed with the finest components of 0.1% metal film resistors and film capacitors combined with the lowest noise precision impedance converters. This new design features a true double differential structure, which means that one audio channel is actually built out of four fully differential digital signals that are driven by a FPGA dedicated to the analog section only. Further, the data transfer from the digital board to this FPGA is also differential, without any galvanic ground connections.

The Dream Series incorporates a very high-quality analog volume control developed and refined over many years. Even the volume control is laid out differentially.

When looking at the inside photos, it is evident that the designers have not simply enclosed the MPD-6 electronics with minor changes in a more elaborate enclosure. Instead, the circuitry is entirely different and occupies nearly all available space. Due to the new layout, it was not possible to add the Stream-X2 board. Naturally, this board can be added to other components, the MPT-8 being the prime example.

Chock-full: MPD-8 Dream DAC:

Room to spare: Edelweiss MPD-6 DAC:

The MPD-8 is equipped with a range of digital inputs to serve as a stand-alone DAC with any digital source. These inputs are automatically switched off internally if not selected to prevent any adverse effect of asynchronous data streams from reaching the DAC. Additionally, the user may deactivate any inputs that are not used to shorten the list of selectable inputs.

Optional Analog Inputs

The MPD-8 can also be ordered as an MPD-8 AI version with analog inputs to complete its fully analog preamplifier functionality. Please note that upgrading an MPD-8 to an MPD-8AI is not possible as there are significant differences in the chassis between these two products.

The MPD-8 AI is the same MPD-8 Dream DAC but with the addition of two analog inputs, one balanced and one single-ended. The MPD-8 AI helps to simplify the system setup as no external pre-amp is necessary. Any analog sources can be connected to the analog inputs of the MPD-8AI, which is then connected directly to the power amp. The MPD-8AI then handles volume control for all analog and digital sources in the system.

Updated Analog Output Stage

Recently, the analog output stage for the MPD-8 and MPD-8AI has been upgraded with a selection of new components. The design is otherwise unchanged, and although the change results in a worthwhile improvement, the designers did not feel the change was significant enough to change the product to a Mk2 version. According to the manufacturer:

“The overall performance has improved audibly. Higher volume listening is cleaner, the dynamics are punchier, and the sound stage seems even livelier than with the original MPD-8”.

In short, the consensus is that if one likes the original, one will enjoy the updated version even more.

Due to high demand by reviewers, the demo sample was not yet equipped with this new board, but any MPD-8 or MPD-8 AI delivered since September 2024 has been fitted with the upgraded analog output stage.

Next: PLINK, and MPT-8 Description 

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