Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Regarding all of my DAC reviews and options I will restate over and over, as Wisonon very eloquently just did, that my opinions are just that. I chose what I like most in my room and my system. Pretty much every DAC I have heard can be the front end of a killer system with the right marching gear, right room and right ears.

Case in point is the differing of opinion on the gear I bring in with my friends who come to listen. I had someone else come over yesterday who much preferred the warmer sound of the MSB. This stuff is all SO DAMN GOOD that none of them are losers. It's all opinion, in this case my opinion.

I just try to report the differences so that others can use them to pick the voicing and qualities that they think would best match their system and their tastes. Consider it a community service blog. Lol.

I will say I have had universally positive responses with no negative comments regarding my Burnester gear (other then that my room is hot) and my Consequence Ultimates.

I'm sitting right now to listen for an hour or so to the MSB. Let's see how it sounds after running it nonstop for 3 days.

Thanks Mike. I have heard amazing things about the Trinity. I look forward to getting my hands on one.

I was surprised at Vince's choice of speaker at RMAF for such a sophisticated system, to be honest. But having the essentially same DAC in my home for about a week now I find its overal tone and texture to have been well represented on the Quads. I have been told that the faster clocks increase resolution and reduce noise and jitter resulting in an ever more analog sound overall. The "warmth" of the MSB is described as our brains interpretation of a lack of noise and jitter giving a sense of analog resolution more akin to LP. I see and hear that, I do.

At this level it's such personal preference and the way it melds into the system....

With an inherent level of "warmth" in my Burmesters I find the Emm to mate a tad better then the "analog resolution" that the MSB is providing. Maybe a faster clock would change that, maybe not. But I also think I haven't listened close to enough yet to really settle in to an opinion.

Your experience and input are greatly appreciated Mike. Thanks.

Matt, can the MSB DAC be tuned through upsampling settings and filters, or is it a "launch & forget" type?

Never read anything about poor Vapor quality? Oh my...

Matt,

I'm a solid state guy with my darTZeel, always aiming for natural neutrality and having a signal path that gets out of the way of the music. the Trinity is certainly that with ultimate transparency and linearity......along the lines of my analog gear both vinyl and RTR tape.

the Galaxy clock on that V Diamond is 77 femto. then there is a 33 femto clock from MSB for another $10K (which would push the MSB you are listening to from a $42k list to $52k).

the Trinity clocks are 28 femto.

I have no way of quantitating the sonic significance of clock speed. likely implementation is more the issue.

but something wonderful is happening with the Trinity and any idea of it somehow being tonally 'warm' is quite foreign to my sensibilities. having body and substance would be an operative descriptor.....like analog.

and as one's tastes develop over time these things become more and more important. I know how my body reacts to an extended listening session with the Trinity compared to previous extended listening with redbook. while it's intense I never get that 'wrung out' feeling I use to get.