Playback Designs MPD-3

I have the MPS 3 if you want one excellent condition and good sound

Drikus said:

I'm interested in a second hand Playback Designs MPD-3 for sale. The unit is 4 years old. Can the MPD-3 still compete with today's flooded market of DSD dac's or is there something better out now in this price range like a fully balanced Lampizator Model 7 Lite DSD for instance?

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Not too long ago I got to compare the DAC I owned at the time to a friend’s MPD-3. My DAC was a Chord Mojo, retailing for roughly a tenth of the MPD-3.

The MPD-3 easily beat the Mojo when it came to frequency domain performance. The tone from the MPD-3 was gorgeous. It was rich with deeply saturated tone colors.

To my suprise, the Mojo easily beat the MPD-3 when it came to time domain performance. Music was enfused with life and energy due to better rhythmic flow. The MPD-3 seemed to slow things down - it was profound - I had never heard such a vast difference in PRAT between two components. I found myself unable to enjoy the MPD-3. As a drummer, how realistically drums and percussion are reproduced is a huge deal to me. Other listeners might not be so bothered.

I went on to purchase a Chord Hugo TT and could not be happier.

I guess I didn’t really answer your question directly as I think a listener’s preferences should factor into this. You’re looking for a DSD DAC as I presume DSD playback is important to you. Hopefully others can weigh in on that. Hope this helps nonetheless.