Billt1
Member
- Thread Author
- #1
MSB Reference DAC Mini Review
I like to buy new things - cars, motorcycles and Hi-Fi. Almost without exception (and no matter how much I yearned for the acquisition) once acquired I begin thinking “what’s next?” Not this time…
I really enjoyed owning the MSB Premier DAC and felt that it was at the top of my comfort level for expense. I did however find the move to the Reference was not as expensive as the list price represents, which I will explain later.
As I age, I want less complexity, less boxes, less things to go wrong, but I want to do it without sonic compromise. In an effort to do so I tried the MSB Premier DAC direct to my MSB S202 amp removing my beloved VAC Signature Mk II SE preamp. It sounded different, but I won’t say it sounded better and chose to leave the VAC preamp in place. The Premier features a volume control hybrid blend of analog and digital not a pure analog preamp with inputs and I really needed an additional input if I was to take the VAC preamp out, so it was an easy decision to leave it in at that time. Being a frequent visitor of my local Hi-Fi store and having been in homes where the MSB Select DAC was in use I knew the preamp module of the Reference / Select DAC had great promise, but I was not convinced the once $6,000.00 optional MSB module could compete with a $20,000.00 separate component. Having great faith from previous experience with MSB and my local dealer and hearing at length explanations for the advantages I would experience, I decided to pull the trigger. My hopes that everything they said about the preamp module would hold true in my home allowing me to remove and sell my VAC Preamp, expensive interconnects and power cord thereby somewhat mitigating the additional cost for the Reference DAC.
I didn’t write this review right away because I wanted to make sure that my out-of-the-box excitement was genuine but I did want to write because some of what I read here on Audio Shark helped shape my expectations.
After waiting several weeks for the Reference DAC to be built and shipped, my shiny (not really shiny but a matte black) new DAC and power supply arrived. The flight cases are no longer offered so after opening the cardboard boxes I was surprised at the heft of both the DAC and the power supply. The Premier DAC and power supply were beefy but these required another layer of effort to lift - I’d say a weight not common for most DACs. I pulled the MSB Renderer V2 out of the Premier DAC and installed it into the Reference. After placing the Reference DAC into my rack and powering it up, I expected at least some complication with operation, but no worries - everything was immediate…zero issues - in fact ROON saw it as the Renderer sitting in the Reference and it was immediately ready to play sweet music. I loved the MSB Premier DAC and frankly didn’t think any sonic improvement would that noticeable -that’s another misconception on my part. As I said in my opening comments, the main reason I was attracted to the upgrade was the potential to eliminate the extra box (preamp). The only way I could eliminate the external preamp was to have the preamp inputs and volume control built into the DAC, which the Premier did not have and in my application the additional inputs were needed for Home Theater Bypass.
Again, I was highly skeptical that bypass mode would be perfectly implemented as every other preamp I’ve owned had some compromise when used in that application. Some Preamps do better than others, my VAC being one of them - in 2 channel the VAC was dead quiet, but in Home Theater Bypass if you put your ear next to the speaker, it produced a slight level of noise that wasn’t there in stereo.
The Home Theater Bypass mode in the Reference was not only as quiet as the DAC being powered off, I swear the movies sound better. Maybe it’s a product of the background being absolute black? The Bypass mode also gets better as it is auto switching based on active source. When I stop playing ROON and turn on the video it automatically switches inputs and vice versa. I don’t know if I just got use to it or if the Reference user interface is easier to use but it really seems more intuitive than the Premier. The remote control being the same as the Premier is just nice to hold and works perfectly.
I had read that some Reference owners had jettisoned their uber expensive preamps once they tried the internal Reference preamp - again, I was highly skeptical. The MSB module was originally a $6,000.00 option, how could that possibly compete with dedicated preamps costing $20,000.00 or more? It did and it took me just 10 minutes to conclude the external preamp was to be sold. I sometimes listen early in the morning before my wife gets out of bed necessitating the need for low volume. The DAC/ Pre loses or gains nothing at any volume. No frequency is compromised. It just is louder or quieter. I’ve not quite ever experienced that level of consistency. My opening statement of “not as expensive as the list price represents” now unfolds as I will recover some of my expense by selling my preamp, interconnects and an expensive power cord. I didn’t speak much to how it sounded but I really can’t offer anything that hasn’t been written in professional reviews - it’s simply stunning. The modular design allows for the unknown future digital developments so yes, this is the last stop on my upgrade train (I’m not going to tell my wife about the need to upgrade my second system now – lol!).
I like to buy new things - cars, motorcycles and Hi-Fi. Almost without exception (and no matter how much I yearned for the acquisition) once acquired I begin thinking “what’s next?” Not this time…
I really enjoyed owning the MSB Premier DAC and felt that it was at the top of my comfort level for expense. I did however find the move to the Reference was not as expensive as the list price represents, which I will explain later.
As I age, I want less complexity, less boxes, less things to go wrong, but I want to do it without sonic compromise. In an effort to do so I tried the MSB Premier DAC direct to my MSB S202 amp removing my beloved VAC Signature Mk II SE preamp. It sounded different, but I won’t say it sounded better and chose to leave the VAC preamp in place. The Premier features a volume control hybrid blend of analog and digital not a pure analog preamp with inputs and I really needed an additional input if I was to take the VAC preamp out, so it was an easy decision to leave it in at that time. Being a frequent visitor of my local Hi-Fi store and having been in homes where the MSB Select DAC was in use I knew the preamp module of the Reference / Select DAC had great promise, but I was not convinced the once $6,000.00 optional MSB module could compete with a $20,000.00 separate component. Having great faith from previous experience with MSB and my local dealer and hearing at length explanations for the advantages I would experience, I decided to pull the trigger. My hopes that everything they said about the preamp module would hold true in my home allowing me to remove and sell my VAC Preamp, expensive interconnects and power cord thereby somewhat mitigating the additional cost for the Reference DAC.
I didn’t write this review right away because I wanted to make sure that my out-of-the-box excitement was genuine but I did want to write because some of what I read here on Audio Shark helped shape my expectations.
After waiting several weeks for the Reference DAC to be built and shipped, my shiny (not really shiny but a matte black) new DAC and power supply arrived. The flight cases are no longer offered so after opening the cardboard boxes I was surprised at the heft of both the DAC and the power supply. The Premier DAC and power supply were beefy but these required another layer of effort to lift - I’d say a weight not common for most DACs. I pulled the MSB Renderer V2 out of the Premier DAC and installed it into the Reference. After placing the Reference DAC into my rack and powering it up, I expected at least some complication with operation, but no worries - everything was immediate…zero issues - in fact ROON saw it as the Renderer sitting in the Reference and it was immediately ready to play sweet music. I loved the MSB Premier DAC and frankly didn’t think any sonic improvement would that noticeable -that’s another misconception on my part. As I said in my opening comments, the main reason I was attracted to the upgrade was the potential to eliminate the extra box (preamp). The only way I could eliminate the external preamp was to have the preamp inputs and volume control built into the DAC, which the Premier did not have and in my application the additional inputs were needed for Home Theater Bypass.
Again, I was highly skeptical that bypass mode would be perfectly implemented as every other preamp I’ve owned had some compromise when used in that application. Some Preamps do better than others, my VAC being one of them - in 2 channel the VAC was dead quiet, but in Home Theater Bypass if you put your ear next to the speaker, it produced a slight level of noise that wasn’t there in stereo.
The Home Theater Bypass mode in the Reference was not only as quiet as the DAC being powered off, I swear the movies sound better. Maybe it’s a product of the background being absolute black? The Bypass mode also gets better as it is auto switching based on active source. When I stop playing ROON and turn on the video it automatically switches inputs and vice versa. I don’t know if I just got use to it or if the Reference user interface is easier to use but it really seems more intuitive than the Premier. The remote control being the same as the Premier is just nice to hold and works perfectly.
I had read that some Reference owners had jettisoned their uber expensive preamps once they tried the internal Reference preamp - again, I was highly skeptical. The MSB module was originally a $6,000.00 option, how could that possibly compete with dedicated preamps costing $20,000.00 or more? It did and it took me just 10 minutes to conclude the external preamp was to be sold. I sometimes listen early in the morning before my wife gets out of bed necessitating the need for low volume. The DAC/ Pre loses or gains nothing at any volume. No frequency is compromised. It just is louder or quieter. I’ve not quite ever experienced that level of consistency. My opening statement of “not as expensive as the list price represents” now unfolds as I will recover some of my expense by selling my preamp, interconnects and an expensive power cord. I didn’t speak much to how it sounded but I really can’t offer anything that hasn’t been written in professional reviews - it’s simply stunning. The modular design allows for the unknown future digital developments so yes, this is the last stop on my upgrade train (I’m not going to tell my wife about the need to upgrade my second system now – lol!).
