[Captain Humble]

Great discussion guys.

I'll eventually upgrade my source so I have a great interest in everyone's input here.  The Mensa seems to have a great following but I keep hearing things like:

byteme said:

However, the finicky part wouldn’t be an issue if it were your primary DAC – although losing signal when changing CDs would be a problem.

For me, I think this would be a show stopper yet the only Mensa user I've seen address it was Marbles.  If I remember correctly he mentioned this issue in another thread and basically said it sounded so good he was willing to live with for awhile.

With all of the mods you guys are willing to spend money on, is there no fix for this issue?

[Juan R]

I had the same problem when I did audition the Mensa, but was not constant, just every other or more. Also I will like to make some coments about the audition. First I have VMPS r-40 with TRT, ampzillas, Kora eclipse with telefunken, Marantz 8260, Bolder cables type 2 , and the old Bolder speaker cables for mid and high, DIY 6g for bass.  I first start with the Bybees, before amp, before pre, before and after dac, with no improvement or change in sound, but I do not have any ground noise  problem. there is nothing to correct, I think, after that I plug the power cables, I know there is no scientific evidence on that , but using the nitro in my pre improved the bass, like a strong punch, no hear before. By the way I allready received one and very happy with. Audition of cables was very important because I have copper and will like to change to silver, but the m-80 are not for me, I prefer the sound of my Bolder type 2. m-80 was to bright , harsh, even changing the pots, also no difference bettween cryo and no cryo. About the Mensa, I am in the market for a DAC and the option  of  good one below $1,000. is not to bad . I dont know it is my system or my ears, but I did not hear a difference between the mensa and my 8260, I have  several inputs in my pre, I did connect the mensa to my video input and the 8260 to the cd input , was very easy to change with the remote.  changing  several time  without  difference, I am really want  to buy the Mensa but is not for my system. Maybe I will try the SW but the problem is that I like to listen SACD( I have around 25), and changing speaker polarity every time is not for me. The last comennt I will like to thank Wayne for the oportunity to audition.

[Jay S]

Juan,

Is your video input as well broken in as your other input?  I ask because I tried to switch my Mensa to the Line Direct input of my Joule, which bypasses the selector switch and, theoretically, should sound better.  Well, I have not used this input in the 2 years that I've had the preamp and it sounded terrible!  It was veiled and dull.  I guess I should break in this input as I listen to the same source 99% of the time but I haven't gotten around to it.  

As for M80 vs Type 2, where were you using these interconnects?  I had compared the Nitro vs Type 2 between dac and pre and felt more comfortable with the sound of the Type 2, as it seemed to make the sound a bit edgy.  But, between pre and amp I preferred the Nitro.  

I've been thinking of trying a Nitro PC on my Cary or my Joule pre.  Right now I am using Type 1 power cords on them.  

Finally, the bybee inline filters don't have anything to do with good or bad AC power.  I'm curious why the bybees seem to help some systems and not others.

[Juan R]

I used IC between cd and pre only. I even interchange the cables(videoin from cd, audioin from mensa).

[MaxCast]

I'll chime in on a couple points.
I do not notice the need to reverse polarity with my TubeDac.  I have a phase switch on my Adcom and I can tell in and out of phase.  I leave it in the normal position.  The same position I used the MENSA.

I never had a problem with the MENSA losing sinc/signal, whatever.

I like the M-80 I/c's and the Nitro PC!!!

I'm not sure if I like not noticing a difference with the Bybees or not   Maybe my system is not "good" enough  or I can spend the money on other things .  I may get on the end of the audition list and try again with a different preamp.

I think many of the comments made are very true.  Those mentioning system composition and preferences.

[byteme]

Edited original post to reflect the listening test I just did to confirm that when the original listening was done both the Tubedac and the Mensa DIO were, in fact, IN PHASE.

I edited the original so that people don't have to read to the third page to get this question answered.

Juan and Captian - To me the signal loss and somewhat finicky nature of the DIO would weigh heavily in my decision to use it as a primary DAC.  It's not something I could live with.

Kishore, my wife is now convinced I'm nuts.  I just had her sitting and listening to test tones for phase verification.  She looked at the dog and said "I think all these guys in this business are crazy" - she was, of course, referring to us here on the Circle.  I could only agree with her!

Tyson - I am absolutely NOT challenging what you heard or what your father heard.  However, as I hinted in the original review, I feel it's important to get used to the NON-oversampled sound before comparing to oversampled.  While I wouldn't call it muffled it is different, quieter between notes, less high end "air" that is artificial.  

The important thing is that we all get to decide what sounds best for us in our own homes - how great is that!

[satfrat]

I'm not sure if I like not noticing a difference with the Bybees or not   Maybe my system is not "good" enough  or I can spend the money on oth ...

                                                                                Well, I`d sure as hell like it if I hadn`t heard a difference with the Bybee inlines, could have saved a bundle of money. I not only hear a difference with one Bybee inline on my digital coax but the dynamics go right thru the roof with 2 Bybee inlines in place. And this holds true for my subwoofer cable also. BUT it`s my analog interconnects where these inlines fail to impress for me. At least I`m able to save some money somewhere here. Regards, Robin

[Jay S]

In my (limited) experience, the DI/O has no problem maintaining sync with cd players (Cary, Sony XA777ES, Copland).  But, it will sometimes lose sync with DVD players (Pioneer 47Ai, Toshiba 2109) since dvd players cut the signal to their digital output when changing discs.  I have also found that it does a much better job of maintaining sync with dvd players if you turn off the video circuits (Pioneer 47Ai).

[Juan R]

I have  the Marantz 8260 SACD who also cut the output signal every time that you change the cd looking for a SACD. Maybe this is the reason of the sync loss.

[Captain Humble]

Is there a switch on the Mensa that changes polarity or does one actually have to swap cable connections?

[Marbles]

The Mensa is "in phase" so normally nothing needs to be done.
It does not have a switch.