Extended, transparent and unforced sound. Punchy bass that is realistic and not too strong or artificial. Takes an organic quality that is without the typical digital or solid state glare. Perfect sense of musical timing. Stunning depth & dinamic expression that ultimately leads to greater listener involvement. This applies to all three formats i.e CD/SACD and DVDA. Fabulous customer service, all the way through, halfway across the World.

Non what so ever no matter how hard I've tried.

This is a follow up to my previous review of the Model 9 Signature, where I intended to purchase a DCS Elgar SACD/CD player, untill I heard that Muse was backing the new high resolution formats. I upgraded to the latest Model 11 and the extract of my mail to the Chairman, Mr Halverson, summs up my veiws. __________________________________________ Extract: During the time my Muse was away, a friend who is the owner of two source components very kindly offered me the use of his mid priced Sony SACD/CD player. I was eager, as it was my first taste of the format in my system. I was compelled to disconnect the unit in an hour or so, as it was unbearable. He then loaned me, the critically acclaimed Denon DVD 2900. I read Ken Kesslers report which described this product as "high end sound at an affordable price and 1 of 10 'must experience' products of 2003". Once again, it had me questioning my decision to invest in the new high resolution formats and the accuracy of these so called expert opinions. Subsequently, another colleague, who was going to be out of the country, loaned me his new Krell standard SACD/CD player which reassured me of the SACD format and my decision. Enter the Model 11, and to say that it far exceeded my expectations, is an understatement. Having put it through it's paces over the last eight days, here's my impression. To begin with, it has been trouble free since it was powered up with effortless and accurate disc recognition. Starting with CD, it is definitely an improvement from my Model 9 signature and more organic than the Krell player. As for SACD, once gain, it sounds really good, even though I believe the gap between well recorded CD and SACD to be marginal yet worthwhile. DVDA is also stunning. All in all, I am glad I postponed an initial decision to invest in a DCS Elgar SACD/CD machine, which was prior to my knowledge that you would be backing the new formats, some two years or so ago. Your team and you have out done yourselves yet again and reassured me of my decision of becoming a die hard Muse person. What I cant understand is the lack of publicity this product/all your products is/are receiving. Why don't you have a magazine such as Hi Fi News review?

Similar Products Used:

As mentioned above, non compares.

Sound is phenomenal.

The display is a bit dim and can be hard to read if your eyes are not that good (mine aren't).

This is a follow-up to my review of the Muse Model Ten (under the name Mike_in_NC). Longer listening has strengthened my opinion that the level of performance offered by the combination of the Muse Model Ten transport and Model One Ninety Two DAC is equalled only by the most expensive equipment I have heard. A remarkable achievement! The ticking noise I commented on in the previous review has proven to be audible only under the very quietest cconditions (and we live in an extremely quiet area, with no road noise). It is audible only if (1) the windows are closed, (2) no one else moving about in the house, (3) the HVAC system is not running, (4) no water is running in house, (5) there are no cicadas, spring peepers, or crickets active outside, and (6) the music is in the very quietest passages of chamber music. I don't think it would be audible under any circumstances on video or pop music programs.

Very clean, natural, and focused sound. Great from deep bass to high treble. Excellent sound stage and timbre reproduction. (Can you tell I like it?) Also, I've found Muse's service to be excellent.

Only one weakness worth mentioning -- the transport mechanism makes a ticking sound that can be heard from my listening seat (seven feet away) during the quietest passages. This is particularly disappointing given the otherwise outstanding performance of this unit. If not for that noise, my rating would definitely be FIVE STARS, and I would wish SIX were available.

This is a review of the Muse Model Ten transport. I am using it with the Muse Model One Ninety Two processor (connected by Muse's MapLink interface), and the audio is phenomenal -- as good as I've heard, with no trace of digititis. It is possible to tell a violin from a viola, and so on. Bass is stronger and treble is cleaner than with my previous (good) transport. Although the combination will also play DVD and DVD-A, my review reflects CD performance only, as I don't own any of the others yet.

Similar Products Used:

I have auditioned or owned various Meridian, Proceed, Levinson, Theta, and Musical Fidelity digital front ends. Except for the ticking noise, this combo matches or beats any of them.

A high end 'analogue' sound. Excellent bass reproduction detail power and weight. Excelent transparency. Good soundstaging, through the mid and into the high frequency region, bringing out all the subtle details in the recording without digital harshness.

The display reads 'Welcome to DVD world' when switched on. More appropriate for a minicompo rather than a product of this stature and capability.

I am not one for posting reviews on any product despite being an avid reader. The simple reason, I havn't the gift of the scribe, however having read the review about the Model 9 Signature I felt obliged to share my experience with 'Muse'. After all, it would be a great pitty if this piece of equipmet should not get the recognition it so deserves. I purchased the product factory direct as there are no agents for Muse in this part of the world. I was dealt with by the companies president, Kevin Halverson. Contrary to the experience in the previous review, the service I recieved, far exceeded my expectations. I say this having reveled in the hi-fi market for almost a decade. Kevin responded to my numerous queries with lightenning speed and assited me through the purchase and followed through untill the product was at my door halfway across the World. In short 'Muse' has epitamised the phrase 'customer service'. I Settled upon the model 9. Signature, having auditioned the likes of Mark Levinson, Linn, Tag, Krell et al. Music is my priority with movies considered as a bonus. Used with the right equipment, cables, interconnects etc the Model 9 Signature is capable of producing sounds that can only be described as phenominal. The reproduction of music through the 'analog' output is delivered with subtlety and fenesse that has eluded some of the supossedly exotic names that I have listened to in the market. However the best judge is the individual listenner. Listen for your self and make your conclusion. I intend adding a dCS SACD player to my system in the future however my Muse stays. It's here for good. I hope whoever decides on giving this product a listen will enjoy it as much as I do. From my experience, I can only state that 'Muse' is a highly customer oriented company and I haven't quite been the easiest customer to deal with.

Similar Products Used:

As mentioned above

CD sound and DVD picture are good, but must play loudly to avoid hearing the player.

as before.

Purchased the Model 9 Signature used via Audiogon. Now I know why the owner wanted to dump it. Problem 1: very noisy transport. Easily audible in a quiet room. Ruins soft passages. Problem 2: noisy power supply. Can be heard as soon as the machine is activated. Problem 3: service. Returned the player to Muse. Upgraded power supply. They claimed they could not hear the transport. Right. No help. Advice: avoid the company for its poor customer service and poor product.

Similar Products Used:

I have never heard such a loud player.

I've had the Muse Model 8/296 CD/DVD transport/dac for 2 months now and could not be happier. I expected the DVD Audio performance to be very good, and it is, but I am also totally impressed with the performance with standard CDs. There is a very high level of fine detail from top to bottom. Details I've not heard before in my CDs are now present with the sound being incredibly easy and natural. If this combo was CD only it would still be an unmatched high end value. The fact that it is also an unbeatable DVD Video and DVD Audio player also makes it even more awesome. I can hear the shape of the instruments in space with the 'vibration' of voices and strings touching me viscerally unlike I've experienced before. Even lower quality CDs that are either badly mastered or are from old analog source are enjoyable to listen to. It's like getting a whole new collection. There's a lot more to describe so I suggest reading the April '99 Stereophile review, where I heard about the 8/296 and after owning totally agree with, which conveys the sonics more aptly than I am able.
Regarding DVD Video, the Model 8 now has component video outputs. In my system with s-video, DVD Video picture is very good. Since my surround processor is only prologic a good feature of the 296 is it converts 5.1 Dolby Digital to proLogic surround via the 296 analog outputs. This allows me to continue use of my Acurus Act I, with top notch sound quality, albeit prologic, due to the high quality 296 DACs, leaving more to spend on the stereo portion of my system. BTW, the Model 8 has a digital out for those with a 5.1 Dolby Digital processor. The DVD video and sonics of the CAL CL-20 CD/DVD player I auditioned do not compare with the Muse units and is even farther away on CD playback.

The units are solid with excellent build quality. My experience is Muse as a company is right up there with the best. Kevin and Greg at Muse were always helpful and friendly when I called to check out the company and ask questions. Kevin Halvorson is one of the leading designers in high end audio including digital.

For your reference, I'm using a Muse Model 3 preamp with external power supply and Muse 160 amp (based on my positive 8/296 experience am auditioning the pre & amp and will be placing an order), with Spendor SP1 speakers which in spite of their vintage are unable to hide the essential 8/296 qualities. The 8/296 front end, however, makes the limitations of the 15 year old Spendors more evident thus accelerating my plan to replace them possibly with Avalons or Dunlavys. Anyone with experience with Eclipse Classics or DAL SC/IVa's please feel free to email me with your impressions or any other recommendations.

Without a doubt the Models 8 and 296 are 5 stars all the way.

Amazing clarity and detail without being harsh or bright

Remote

Well I started some time ago with the Model 2, added a Model 5 CD player, graduated to a Model 296 DAC and now finally am able to join the big leagues replacing the 5 with the 8 and connecting them with the I2S interface.

Ever go to the eye doctor and get a new prescription? Your first impression is seeing all the little details clearly that you were missing before. This is the Muse 8 and 296!

"Hearing details you never heard before" is a pretty overused comment in reviews so I'm not going to say that.
Let's just suffice to say what I heard was the most incredible details and nuances in music I was already very familar with. I could not stop listening....

Then I made the mistake of trying Fleetwood Mac's Rumours on DVD-Audio... I was up way past midnight and enthralled.
This album never sounded like this after all these years, it was fresh and alive!

You can pick up the 296 and 8 combination on the used market for around $3000 and they will blow away ANYTHING out there. And I never plan on even using the video portion I just got it for the audio.

The ONLY thing to criticize is the remote for it too many buttons but I can easily live with it.

My system:
Bryston 4B-ST
Muse 3 Preamp
Muse 296 DAC
Muse 8 Player
Meadowlark Kestrel Hot Rod Speakers

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer PD-65, Nohr CD-1, Muse 5, Arcam CD-72

I had the opportunity to audition the Muse Model Eight transport fora two week period and came away with the impression that this transport is
an excellent "partner" to the Muse Model 296 (24bit/96Khz PCM) Digital to
Analogue converter. In comparison to my Theta Data Basic II transport, the
Muse Model Eight definitly is every bit a good sonically as the Theta. The
entire sonic picture is very, very detailed and "natural". Quality CDs played
through the Eight (with I2S (13W3)interface) were presented with an immediate
but again "natural" ease that I search for in synergy between components.
When I played DVD-A disks my jaw just DROPPED!... The reality of being in
the room at the original recording event was stunning! I just couldn't get enough of this Hi Resolution format magic! *** The only problem is that there are so few of these recordings out in quantity at the present time. Also, some of the older remasterings just didn't hold up to the quality of some of my
old "Red Book CD 16/44" CDs. In my opinion, the entire recording event/equiptment will have to be upgraded to fully exploit this new technology.

My only reservations on the Muse Model Eight is the ergonomics. The remote
is way too complicated and the transport lacks simple functions like "repeat".
That may not sound important, but to me, "ease of use" must be coupled with
the quality of the product. Furthermore, the infra red sensor has a very
narrow "angle of acceptance" and from my sitting position the Eight just
wouldn't accept the signal. Needless to say I was not totally satisfied with
the Eight in its use. The Muse Model 296, on the other hand, was an excellent
upgrade of my Model Two Plus DAC in CD playback, and in my opinion is an
excellent product for the price.

Overall, I give the Muse Model Eight 5 stars (*****) on sonics in playing
both CD and DVD-A, but only 3 stars (***) on ergonomics. Overall rating
I give the product is 4 stars (****).

Art