MSB select II vs all dacs ?

"To be 100% honest we have A/B tested most of the dacs mentioned in this forum and they are all very good dacs. I believe it comes down to personal preference." I agree with your statement. I would just add budget and the other components in the system are major factors to consider. I submit dealers use the statement "component X competes against much more expensive components" far too often. The only true way for the end user to know what they prefer is through listening in their own system.  

“The only true way for the end user to know what they prefer is through listening in their own system.”

+1, @ricred1.

Your experience with Rockna coincide with mine. I had bought the Signature version and as good as this DAC is, it wasn’t the right ‘fit’ for my listening preferences and overall system synergy.

Hi ricred1,

 

I agree with what you are saying but "far too often" the retail client forgets that most audio stores and audio distribution companies have had the opportunity to A/B many more pieces of equipment than any consumer will every hear. Personally we have A/B 76 different digital front ends.

Truth is if you want to get the absolute ultimate out of a Rockna dac, you need to run it i2S connection into the Rockna Wavedream Net. Again I know it sounds like sales but the Rockna streamer is the perfect match to the Rockna dacs. Also your i2S cable and Ethernet cable going to the Rockna Wavedream Net are super important. Every little detail makes a big difference, just like setting up a table properly.

Cheers,

I understand that audio stores and distribution companies have the opportunity to A/B a significant amount of equipment. Unless they have the exact same components as the end user, it's impossible to tell that customer how component X will sound in their system. The other issue is preference. What ice cream do you prefer? No matter what ice cream you prefer, I prefer something else. This hobby is "highly subjective", influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions; therefore you can A/B a million different components and come to a completely different conclusion on how it sounds compared to another listener. I hate to repeat myself, but there are no absolutes in audio, only preferences. The end users ears are the only ears that count.