jacktoz

HI John, I was emailing with Marco on another matter and he confirms he does not have an Australian importer. Marco says the New Zealand importer is the place to go if want to buy "local." I will say if the New Zealand guy is out of stock, buying directly from M2Tech is remarkably fast. I had my new Young about 7 days after ordering. Marco is also prompt with shipping and sending tracking numbers. BTW, I love the Lionel Richie meme with the LP afro. Brilliant and so is Mr. Richie. Best, Jack

I'm not sure, I'll check with Marco and see who he suggests. I believe you can also order on his website: https://www.m2tech.biz/?lang=en . I bought mine directly from him. It does mean shipping to Italy, in the event of service, but the components are small and cheap to ship. I once sent my Palmer to him for an upgrade and Marco had a quick turnaround. Best, Jack

I bought a new Young Mk IV to replace an original Young that was damaged because of a mains wiring issue. I was always delighted with the detail and tonal balance of the Young, but a change was now required. I should mention that I used an M2TECH Palmer power supply and a M2Tech Manunta EVO DDC3 for the USB interface. The EVO DDC3.1 allowed me to use a Siltech HF-9 AES/EBU cable that I always preferred with the Young. It sounded quite a bit better than the original Young’s USB input or S/PDIF inputs to my ear. When the Young MkIV arrived, there was a dramatic and immediate improvement in the following areas: bass attack and definition, image specificity, and detail. The only downsides I heard was a little bit of overall compressed sound and a slight smearing in the highs. After 100 hours of listening, the Young MkIV has opened up and is giving me a digital sound that for the first time has my digital sound equaling, and in some ways, bettering my vinyl sound. LPs are played on a Well Tempered Classic ‘table and arm with an AT-OC9XML though an Audio Research SP14. I worked in the high-end audio industry until my retirement four years ago and had access to some very fine gear. At one point, I brought home an Esoteric D5 and a G-02 Clock. My preamp was different at the time. It was a Cary SLP-98p with oil caps and the fabled Pope 6SN7 tubes. At that time, my analog sound was considerably more engaging, detailed and coherent than the Esoteric setup. Eventually, the slight tube euphony of the SLP98p was growing more apparent to my ears and I got the ARC. The ARC sounded more closed in, but it had a more precise image specificity and a more precise sound without losing the coherence I loved so much about the SLP-98p. I don’t think the ARC is actually closed in, my previous preamp was exaggerating that aspect of the sound. I don’t want to sound dismissive of the SLP-98p, it is incredibly engaging and definitely worth owning. When I listened, after break-in, to the Young MkIV, I realized I finally had a digital sound that was different, but no less engaging than good vinyl. There is simply greater clarity to the sound of my digital rig. I’m hearing separate echo trails on various instruments and mixing changes on recordings I know well. After my critical listening, I started listening for fun, that’s what it’s all about, after all. I was listening to Steely Dan’s Aja track from the album and was hearing into the mix with greater access than I have ever heard before. At one point during the sound, there was an obvious change to the compression rate. The sound clamped down for the rest of the track. I never heard that before. I have to suspect that two different mixdowns were combined to make the final track. I’m guessing, but that’s what it sounded like. AJA was an absurdly popular album in hifi stores and I couldn’t listen to it for years after its popularity died down. The greatness of the album finally overcame my Steely Dan ear fatigue. I will say that my vinyl set-up is still a little more relaxed sounding than digital, but I’m coming to believe that is because of a slight softening of transients on analog. However, the surface noise of vinyl can be disconcerting and I’ve always been bothered by the reduction of high-end detail and the compression introduced by the squeezed tracks at the end of a vinyl album side. I should mention that using the M2Tech Manunta DDC3 allows the use of the PS Audio format I2S format. I had a Kimber HD29 HDMI cable in the larder and was astonished at how much better that sounded than my beloved Siltech HF-9 AES/EBU cable. My DDC3 has the TXCO clock that improves data stream timing on I2S. In summing up, a Young MkIV, a Vander Graff power supply, the Manunta DDC3, and associated cables is not a small investment, but I have not heard a more engaging or coherent digital set-up. Compared to what a premium DCS or Esoteric set-up would cost, this M2Tech stuff in a bargain. And no, I don’t work for M2Tech although I did sell their products until I retired four years ago. If you’re in the market for a new DAC and can give a listen to the M2Tech gear, I would strongly suggest giving it a try. Remember to enjoy listening to music. Jack

I'm in the process of buying a new Young MKIV and mentioned your situation to Marco. He also told me you and he have exchanged emails. I don't know how many people work for him, but I imagine he's on the road a lot with trade shows and visiting vendors. It's easy to lose an email under those circumstances; it's unfortunate, but it happens. I really love the sound of his products. Hope you get to enjoy your Nash soon. Jack

Greetings, I'm surprised Marco Manunta didn't respond from Italy. I've worked with him for years as a vendor, then as a private audiophile. I would suggest trying him again. Did you use info@m2tech.biz ? That's how I contact him. Good luck, Jack