Higher End DACs

@ufguy73 - as far as sonic qualities for DCS...I've copied a couple sections from a review on the Bartok.

" This sounded amazing right out of the box but after a few days, a veil of fuzziness lifted from the Bartok DAC’s sound. It’s hard to describe but it just became more musical. it always had the resolution but everything became more round in a way that great audio offers...."So here’s what we hear: superb resolution of the recording details, a wide and deep soundstage, a gorgeous midrange."  Each step up the range builds on this.

To me DCS offers a very neutral, organic sound that is very musical in its presentation.  The background is dead black which allows you to hear levels of detail that you didn't know existed and the sound stage is great.  Live music feels live.  I'd suggest that you go have a listen as its the only real way to get a true feel for how your brain will hear the music.  If you are close to Dallas let me know and I'll send you the details of the local dealer here that I've worked with building my system.

regarding the MSB ’house sound’, i am only intimate with my Select II. which i compare every day with my 3 turntables and 3 reel to reel tape decks. and my view is that i can go back and forth between all those and expect that the MSB will render the music like those others. maybe short in degrees of suspension of disbelief to those highest level analog wonders.

the MSB is a ’truth’ machine. it gets out of the way of the original recording and allows it to be transparently related. and does this without tipping up or drying out the tonality, keeping it real, liquid and natural. the MSB has that micro-dynamic energy, and textural nuance that comes from not over-processing the musical message from the media. more math is not our friend as music lovers.

hear a piano, or violin, or massed strings with the MSB; things that digital really struggles with, and you can hear more of how they should sound.....to my ears. like how my analog does those things. past digital got relatively called out in comparison.

i hear these same things (in lesser degrees) in the Reference and Premier and their analog volume controls are very transparent, like the Select.

rgmd11.. in what manner did you compare the Bartok to the T&A? For instance did you use a good preamp with the Bartok? Just curious

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I connected directly to my ATC speakers (active) which are extremely revealing and the SDV 3100 HV just sounded so much more nuanced and natural and very very musical than the Bartok which was somewhat digital in comparison, don’t get me wrong the Bartok is a fine piece of kit, I had the Naim Nova before and the Bartok was clearly better than the Nova......

Guys, again many thanks!

these comparative thoughts are fantastic on giving me some indication of what’s out there.

i will keep everyone updated on tests/decisions/etc.

one additional nuance popped up to me - it seems the DCS top of the line is at a very different price point than MSB.  Might that have anything to do with the modular nature of MSB (and expected lifespan of the product).  I recognize DCS has software upgradability but, perhaps, the modular hardware on the MSB lines bring that to an even higher level of future proofing?

MSB, is a breed apart at the top of the line. and a price to match. build quality is on a different level with dual mono power supplies, and casework out of solid billet. the modular design is appropriate since digital interfaces seem to evolve. and MSB designs and builds everything in-house, including miniaturizing their modules. for myself, in my just over 2 years of owning the MSB i’ve had 3 new modules at very reasonable costs and zero cost firmware upgrades. great support from MSB.

their passive analog volume control is legendary and it takes a very spendy stand alone preamp to equal or surpass it. the dCS approach of multiple boxes requires multiple expensive signal cables and power cables. in some systems that alone could pay for the difference in cost.

10 year warranty and upgrades at the retail price difference included.

lots of real design and build value, beyond the performance aspects.