Definite improvement. Bass smoothed out, highs extended. Great for cheaper CD players, probably not necessary for true hi-end stuff though. It's cheap enough.

Like to share with all the Cambridge Audio owners that are thinking of upgrading. I have Cambridge Audio CD4SE and A3i, these are very well reviewed here with a Gale 4i speakers. I have gone auditioned for a newer speakers such and settled for the Mission 773e. Gorgeous speakers but need time to run in.. during the run-in I noticed everything seemed to be harsh and bright. Took away all the music I enjoyed. Then it started to settle in. During this time I was introduced to "Musical Fidelity X-10D" which the salesman said will definitely take away all the hardhness and brightness. To cut the story short, the X-10D really change the sound of my whole system to better. After couple of weeks and tried an A/B , with and without the X-10D, and the difference is significant. Without the X-10D everything sound so thin, with them , you have soundstage, smoothness and body in the music (the tube sound). The salesman guaranteed the improvement of money back guarantee ( which is not practice in my country).

For those that want a better sound but limited budget, go ahead and get the X-10D , you can hear the difference, of course on my humble system that has been highly rated here.
Get them fast coz MF are no longer manufacturing them.

OK, I've been cautiously waiting to see how I feel about this product, having ordered up a demo unit from the Audio Advisor in a last-ditch attempt to fix a problem in my 8-track studio monitoring system that has plagued me for nearly 7 years--namely, a fatiguing quality that caused the system to be unlistenable after some variable length of time. It is comprised of a Tascam 388 reel-to-reel 8-track/mixer console, an AGI 511A "high-speed" preamp, a Hafler 500 power amp, (formerly) an Alesis third-octave "room EQ", and JBL 4312 speakers. I always suspected the JBL's, and would EQ the shit out of them to get it close. I contemplated modifying the 500, replacing the AGI with a less slew-rate-oriented switching center/preamp (or even bypassing it altogether). Normally, I would just go board to amp, but I have a Sony consumer DAT (DTE-700S?), a Sony consumer 5-disk changer (CDP-245?), and a Sony consumer cassette (TCK-651?), which I dub to/from, and compare results to, so I need the switching.
So I think--idiot--try an X-10D between the preamp and the amp--maybe that will do it. Well, it helped--a little. I also replaced all the 10-year-old gold-end highend-ish (at the time) cabling with RS Gold (not bad), and contemplated returning the X-10D and sought literature from Frank Van Alstine, thinking Omega III-EC preamp, and Musical Concepts, thinking Hafler 500 mods.

Then, being a recent double-lung transplant and being up on steroids a lot recently (see my website at http://www.voicenet.com/~rstevens), I read the original literature for the AGI 511A, and it describes the "dubbing" switch--it also has what we now call an EPL, which the dubbing switch effectively puts in the middle of the circuit at all times, so all taped input gets the EPL device, whatever it is. What it was was the Alesis EQ. What it is now is the X-10D.

Idiot! Why didn't I try this before, I say? Perfect. Fixes the harsh, congested quality I attributed to the JBLs, fixes the strident high-end I attributed to the Sony CD player, opens up the mids, extends the bass, and just sweetens up the sound, completely eliminating the fatigue factor. Am I a happy guy? Major happy.

So I am sold on this Musical Fidelity stuff. Now I'd like to try one of their integrated amps upstairs on my PSB Century 400i's and Alpha-1 subwoofer system in the computer room. The old Kenwood receiver is showing its limitations. Or maybe a Jolida SJ-302A with an MF X-LP perhaps.

Call me crazy--the X-10D is the fix--it is placement-critical, circuit-wise, and probably, as some have said, interconnect-critical (although at the moment, it is still on a couple of pair of those old cable sets). And the Alesis EQ is gone, baby, gone. And I can turn the midrange driver level control on the JBLs up to dead center for the first time--it used to have to live down at the 9:00 setting. The tweeter is also at 12:00 high.

That's it--and the physical quality of the demo from AA was undistinguishable from new, for what it's worth.

Remember--be a tissue and organ donor, and inform your family of your decision.
Don't take your body parts to heaven--you won't need them there.

In a desperate frrot to stem acute digititis brought on by temporarily replacing my dearly beloved Jolida 502a (with hand matched pre-amp tubes)with an 100 /ch Onkyo integrated on loan from the dealer I installed the DX-10. Lo and behold the sundstage opened, dynamics were cleaner, and the mid range warmth I was missing was back. This thing worked wonders!!
The DX-10 did reveal the a mid-range grit in the Onkyo and did nothing to remove the glare or glaze around some of the background images. Note that my sustem is designed as an entry plus 1 high end system with a Cal Audio Icon mkII CD-player, Magneplaner 1.5's, and Tara Labs Master Generation 1 cabling throughout. The DX-10 made a huge positive difference in my hour of need.

Will update you when the Jolida returns next week. Go out and buy this thing!!

Associated equipment:
2 Channel System
NAD 502
Teac VRDS-T1
Audio Alchemy DTI v2.0
Audio Alchemy DDE v3.0
Cyrus III (with PSX-R power supply upgrade)
Krell KAV-300i
Infinity Compositions P-FR
Sunfire True Subwoofer

Home Theatre System
Nakamichi AV-1
Pioneer CLD-59
Definitive Technology BP-10
Boston 555X
Sound Dynamics R-65


When I first set up the X10-D in my two channel system, I immediately heard improvements in the two areas in which my Cyrus III integrated amp was lacking. There was an increase in the output of the lower bass region and things generally sounded richer and warmer. The Cyrus is a little thin in the bottom end and tends to sound somewhat aggressive.

However, after several days and weeks of careful auditioning, I discovered that these improvements were at the expense of a slight veiling of the midrange and a loss of soundstage depth. Female vocals like those of Holly Cole and Diana Krall sounded slightly soft and obscured. Classical recordings that previously had great depth collapsed into one plane stretched between the loudspeakers and hall ambience was greatly diminished. Although the lower bass was enhanced, it was slightly boomy and less defined.

Although removing the X10-D from the chain took away the warmth and richness that was added, the increase in soundstage depth and the unveiling of the midrange made me prefer the sound of the system without it. Replacing the Cyrus with the Krell KAV-300i only made me more aware of these degradations in sound quality with the more revealing and accurate Krell.

Using the X-10D with less expensive components and systems that tend towards brightness, gave much better results. The NAD 502 CD player sounded much smoother and satisfying with the X10-D, if somewhat less accurate and movie soundtracks became more "musical". In this context, the X10-D does improve the sound. However, don't expect to "bang this on" to high end systems and have it work wonders. After all, it's still just a $200 tubed output stage.

Some says good some says bad. It's always so when a hifi toy comes up. I am someone who really appreciate it, it works well on my system, mightbe not on urs.
6922 is a great tube when used properly, and MF knows how to make music first. It might not help when used between a really advanced amp and cd player, but will do a lot to help the cheap output stage( although they were claimed to be pure A, but ic will always be ic in this time stage.)
my setup is:
Sphinx myth3 passive amp.
Rotel 951 HDCD player
Minipods speakers
Totem speaker cables
Nordost SolarWind from cd to X-10d
Siltech ST18 G3 from X-10d to amp

none really.

muddies the sound of everything but the worst sources.

i have no idea what music fidelity was thinking when they developed this. i purchase it with the idea of "sweetening" the highs and mids with tubes; instead, it ruined it.

it's called "the missing link" by musical fidelity. this should be taken as meaning that it should definitely be missing from your system.

btw, don't take this as exemplary of musical fidelity products. i use a X-24 dac and x-as 100 power amp, and they perform wonderfully.

my x-10d now resides on my computer desk, helping out the lousy soundcard and feeding my el cheapo altec lansing sub-sat computer speaks!

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everything!

none at the moment

i was having problem trying to get the sound quality i want for my onkyo receiver and denon cd player. at first, i tried using different interconnects from the cheap to the more expensive one but still, there are sacrifices in bass or treble as i use different interconnects. maybe this is because of the interconnect property. one friend recommended using the x10D and ordinary cable. it sound muddy when i used it with a transparent cable (quite expensive too !) but if i use any cable without those odd looking box on each interconnect, the x10d proved a better bargain in upgrading sound quality of cd player. i also paired them with an ordinary xlink interconnect, also from musical fidelity. Now, im very satisfied with what the x10d did to my system. My personal opinion, its the perfect link !

Adds warmth, depth, greater pressence in vocals, valve-like qualities.

None at this price

If you wish to tame that bright sounding player of yours, and need more warmth in the sound, this is exactly what you need. I hooked this up with my Marantz CD-67MkIISE player, and almost immediately, there's an added valve-like quality...more warmth, more depth, richer bass, vocals sounds more lifelike and the highs are more natural. Highly recommended.

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