Triangle Magellan Concerto 2< AQEverest< Vitus Audio SS-010 Mk2< AQDragon High Current< AQWELXLR< ChordQutestDAC w UpTone JS-2 & AQ Dragon Source < AQDiamond USB< InnuosPhoenix USBwAQ Dragon Source< AurenderN100H & AQ Dragon Source< NetGear GS105GESwitch w UpTone LPS1.2< Supra CAT8 Ethernet Too many amps> Too many headphones. I've sometimes heard people say that DAVE is too bright or analytical for them. What effect does reconstruction filter have? I may need to reset expectations a bit lower: This is an update to some old DAVE vibration control posts. I do however like the i2S connection better than any other Good points by all. The in-house discrete design is then constructed into its own shielded CNC pocket for optimal isolation. MQA decoding You are using an out of date browser. Sounds shrill on my workstation and work laptop. - Meat Loaf. I've had many world class DACS in my studio over the years and the Crane Song is as good as any no matter the cost. I cant help with comparisons of two of these DACs, but I did hear the Tambaqui up against the dCS Bartok and it was a pretty close call, but ultimately the dCS sounded more analogue and more immersive.However, this was at a time when both units were a similar price. Regular readers will appreciate all that is taken from the MSB website and I make no apologies for not really understanding the electronics. This would help to take your digital playback upa few levels. Copyright Hifi Pig and Hifi Pig Magazine, Big Pig Media LLP. But of course, I love window shopping and perusing top tier systems including illustrious more familiar gear like Lampi, TD, MSB, Ares Cerat, Aqua. Did I mention the remote is perfect? I'm looking for suggestions on DACs I should listen to as possible replacement of my Chord Dave. This ranking is just my subjective thinking. Search: Msb Discrete Dac Vs Chord Dave. Who knows ?! The LED display, slaved to the audio clock, is refreshed between data processing to drastically reduce electrical interference. I believe it comes down to personal preference." It could sound analytical or hot coupled with bright combination of speaker and amplifier. It is a manual step which I forgot. Mind you, I have chipless DSD with 1 bit processing, so the bar is set VERY high for me. I can see the problem with this unit. First let me preface my comments by stating that I have not heard a lot of high end DACs in my system. Thanks. It's better than the MSB Analog I listened to. Of the ones you mentioned I'd be most tempted by the Emm Labs DAC 2x though if you can get a used higher-end Esoteric, you should jump on it. Supported Formats (Depending on Input) 44.1 kHz to 3.072kHz PCM up to 32 bits 1xDSD, 2xDSD, 4xDSD, 8xDSD Accepts DSD via DoP on all inputs, Digital Inputs 1x RCA Coaxial 1x XLR 1x Word-Sync Out 2x Toslink 2x Isolated slots for optional modules, XLR Outputs Voltage: 3.57 Vrms Maximum Impedance 300 High Gain setting Impedance 150 Low Gain setting. November 11, 2020 in Digital Sources, DACs, and Computer Audio. Actual auditioning of the unit prior to purchase is paramount. It's just more financially viable to me for the performance and price ratio. Look, says I theres obviously a fault with this unit as its lighting up, I can see it on the network and I can send tunes to it via the Stack streamer and Roon! We went through everything and I was getting ready to pack it up and send it back when I reached around the back of one of the PSUs and switched it on MUSIC!!! With two prime DACs, the MSB Discrete yields an unprecedented level of detail that reproduces the musicality, soundstage and texture of an original performance, bringing the artist to you. Sent from my SM-G928V using Computer Audiophile mobile app. I had the DAVE for 3years, it is an amazing DAC. Moving away from the actual sound of the music, one of my main takeaways from listening to the Discrete was the sense of timing it brought to music. DAVE is perfect for headphone system because you can save space and money of headphone amplifier. Fixed. Stay updated on Bloom Audio at their. When connecting to the MScaler, Dual-BNC was used on the chord dacs with shawline digital BNC cables. Chord Dave Replacement. and as I said earlier there is no "best" when it comes to dacs or The good DS (delta sigma) dacs that aren't hard or harsh, are a bit of a yawn, and lack bringing out the life (boogie factor) of the music, but in a . For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Also, it is worth noting I heard the v1 DAC 2X, not the v2. How hot does the Chord DAC get? The Pro USB was developed to offer a multi part USB solution that features complete electrical isolation and all the performance of MSBs proprietary Pro ISL input. I believe it comes down to My first serious audio system was Garrard turntable, Fisher Int(SS), ADS bookspeaker bought on 1978. Thank me laterLoL. We can operate our current DAC modules at up to 6 MHz for PCM and up to 50 MHz for DSD. Fair enough if you know some of the posters here and their listening preferences. Thank you all for your answers. comes down to knowing what you are actually trying to achieve in a high end In my listening tests, I could detect no attribute that made it sound special. Everyone hears differentlyI heard the Dave with the Blu and I prefer it without it. The USB module is completely electrically isolated and is again a standalone module capable of 32 bit#768kHz, MQA decoding and 8X DSD. Chord Dave vs Mola Mola Makua/Tambaqui vs Emm Labs Dac2x vs Rockna Wavedream IGNORED Chord Dave vs Mola Mola Makua/Tambaqui vs Emm Labs Dac2x vs Rockna Wavedream . There are a lot of people that absolutely love the M-scaler. The only true way for the end user to know what they prefer is through listening in their own system.. See what the reviews are saying. Complete electrical isolation Tailored for both the transport and the DACs daily use, our remote brings you closer to the music you love. Once complete there are measurements and functional tests before the final products are inspected, cleaned, and packed up ready to be shipped, but not before a white glove inspection by either Jonathan or Daniel. And now that my system is much more resolving, it's possible that the differences could be larger and my preferences could change. I could easily live with any of these. But even with great preamps, a great DAC in a low noise environment, will produce a more transparent sound going direct to the amps than through the preamp. Was it a speaker setup or headphone setup? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I can leave my hand on it as long as I want to. I suppose that the vast majority of people who listen for pleasure at home are looking for a balance between the two, and whilst I still maintain we are most likely to hear the biggest effect in a system by changing transducers, every element in the chain of sound will affect the final sound and, in a digital system, I think the DAC you choose can have a huge effect on the final sound. Stainless steel buttons arrayed around an elegant volume wheel to optimize performance and response. The SQ is amazingly good. Can it output a Low or High Voltage on a single pin in a bitstream? The sonic signature is detailed and yet easy to listen to, with the Discrete bringing a sense of the recordings scale (big or small) to the listening experience. The DAVE DAC does not perform anywhere near where it should. dCS Bartok>Chord DAVE>MSB discrete discreteR2R R2R DAVE BartokdCSBartok We have what I consider to be a pretty resolving system, but we also listen to music a fair old bit for pure pleasure and so theres a valve amp currently feeding our chosen reference loudspeakers though thats not to say this system isnt highly resolving in its own right. When we set out to make the MSB remote, the design was built from the ground up. What makes you want to upgrade from DAVE? retail client forgets that most audio stores and audio distribution companies and this is borne out in the sound that this DAC brings to the party. Digital Audio Forum: DAC, Transports, Digital Processing Forum, 4x20A circuits | Audioquest Niagara 3000 | Paul Hynes SR4T + HDPlex HD500 PSUs -> Music PC w/JCAT XE nic, HQPlayer, Roon, Tidal / Qobuz | HDPlex HD100 PSU -> OCX clock + EtherRegen | Aqua Acoustic Quality LinQ streamer | Aqua Acoustic Quality Formula xHD Rev. I called the distributor and we went through everything again. The end users ears are the only ears that count. Any owners around here? And this is where I had a problem with this DAC, though mostly the problem was of my own making. Stuart Smith finds out. Digital inputs : RCA coax, AES/EBU XLR, 2x Toslink optical, 2x module slots, word . The AC modules are fully balanced at every stage, have no buffers, IV converters, or transistors in the signal path, and have no active devices used in the conversion process at all. However, to get this level of separation and detail within the soundscape the DAC is clearly having a very important role to play. Whatever, the Discrete is a superb bit of kit that Id really love to take up residence in the system on a permanent basis, but thats not going to happen. I wired it all up and the unit lit up but I could get no sound out of it whatsoever. Euphony Summus, EtherRegen, MSB Discrete. You might want to consideradding oneof Chord's Upscalers, either HugoM scaler, or the Blu Mk. Right now my favorite DACs in my system are the Pacific Microsonics Model 2 (for PCM), Phasure NOS1a (for PCM), Meridian Ultra (for MQA), and the Playback Designs MPS5 (for DSD128). Like a true audiophile with "issues", I'm saying to myself, if at $8300 I mean is it audibly noticeable? Additionally, MSBs robust in-house design enables the finest quality playback of PCM and native DSD, while our low impedance circuitry drives your amplification directly without adding coloration or buffering noise. The MSB simply offered more of everything and to my ears proved again that a true multi bit converter/ladder DAC is superior to delta/sigma or FPGA DACs. Going by the performance of the Mola Mola Makua (pre with dac module) it will be extremely good. What did you think with the Chord Dave vs Emm Labs Dac2x? If so I'd recommend the Aqua Formula xHD and the TotalDAC d1-Seven. So yes it's a question of being polite, but it's also about acknowledging the limitations inherent in making absolute pronouncements about differences between high performing components. The headamp is powerful but not involving. The video cannot be shown. this was how I originally decided to purchase the Select II as I was trying to hear another dac at shows that could do what I heard the Select II doing at a lower price. Only hifi shops and shows hear and there. One of the things I jotted down in my notes during this time was the sense of scale the Discrete brought to the music I was listening to big music sounded BIG and more intimate recordings had their own scale too. Check out our support page and technical specifications > Click Here, 10100007 - Discrete DAC with Supply- Gallery - 1200px, 10100007 - Discrete DAC with Supplies - Gallery - 1200px, 10100006 - Discrete DAC - Gallery - 1200px, 10100003 - Discrete DAC Badge - Gallery - 1200px, 10100005 - Discrete DAC MSB Logo - Gallery - 1200px, 10100004 - Discrete DAC Jack Panel - Gallery - 1200px, 10100008 - Discrete DAC Basemetal - Gallery - 1200px, 10100009 - Discrete Supply Options - Gallery - 1200px, 10100010 - Discrete Supply Cover - Gallery - 1200px. In that time, weve pushed the industry forward with each product weve built, redefining whats possible. There is scale on bigger productions and intimacy on smaller-scale recordings and pieces, It wont make a pigs ear into a sows purse, but its majestic on really good recordings, Its very detailed but not harshly so actually, its a very easy component to fit in a system and live with, Its not cheap and you will want both PSUs once you compare with just one, No analogue inputs to make it the heart of a full system, You know that MSB have stuff that is out of reach financially and potentially better, Price: 11,000 plus 1,650 for a second power supply. Pass Labs INT-60. home system and listening for that end result. Height with feet: 68 mm Weight: 8.2 kg, Accessories included: Manual Remote control Aluminum MSB USB charging cable 4 X Spikes and Cups 4 X plastic inserts Power connector splitter, MERASON FRROT DAC REVIEW The Merason Frrot DAC costing 995 isn't the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Switzerland. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-rothschild-70aab85/, Headphones and Personal Audio with Pitch Perfect Service. Elegant yet commanding, our finishes are available in a matte silver or matte black anodize. After a year of listening to various components I'm content. How r they comparing to the MSB Select 2 and Trinity? Since opening our doors in 1986, weve been driven by one goal: to craft an unrivaled listening experience for music lovers across the globe. DLNA Protocol. However, Id argue that there is sort of two trains of thought on this subject; one where theres absolute fidelity to the source material at all costs, and another that sounds great though to the listener but perhaps not absolutely true to the original source and I dont think its unfair to say that both these positions have their place in the world of playing tunes at home. The more observant of you will have read this and noticed that there is no mains inlet. By clicking links on our site, we may earn affiliate commission, but our editorial remains entirely independent and unbiased. It features the very best conversion technology available, using proprietary techniques never seen before, making DAVE the most advanced DAC/preamp amplifier in the world. Just go for an internal Asus card to fit in a PCI slot you should be able to get bit perfect optical output thanks for confirming suitability of current setup. Firstly, that was a very impressive list of high end components you have listened to. personal preference. Besides that the MSB looks so much better. Btw, my MSB friend and I used the internal analog preamp for MSB and built-in digital preamp for DAVE. connection to the dac chip. Do diamonds shine on the dark side of the moon? This is a company that is All American and fiercely proud of that fact. Strangely from this company is lack of any anti-aliasing on the text causing pixels to not be seen in the fonts chosen! Id imagine that upscaling refers to increasing bit-depth (like from 16 to 24 bits) which adds "vertical" resolution to the waveform in theory, improving amplitude resolution making subtle low-level detail more natural and audible (among other things) if done correctly.