Anyone have experience with MSB Technology products compared to dCS?

@woots 

If you go MSB, I believe you can purchase a renderer module for $2K USD. This would allow Roon integration. I can not comment on the ability to incorporate your NAS into the system. I like the convenience of what DCS offers, assuming you like the "house sound". Both brands differ greatly in presentation.

I have no experience with either DAC manufacturer, but I recommend you keep your Nucleus + and use the MSB or DCS DAC as a Roon endpoint.  The Roon interface is light years ahead of Aurender... it's not even close.

@pdreher i have no intention of getting rid of the Roon Nucleus+. Thanks for the feedback. 

A few years ago I happened to compare MSB Select II to a DCS flagship (Scarlatti?) -- i.e. not the models you are looking into. For what it's worth, I went with the Select and it was, subjectively, an easy choice. Not bashing the excellent DCS, I just liked the other one better.

Lower on the food chain, but I have a dCS Bartok and MSB Analog DAC. Comparing house sounds, they are both really great but different. I’ve heard the Vivaldi One + clock and used to have a Network Bridge + Paganini DAC. There is a common house sound. Haven’t heard the newer MSB stuff. I find dCS to sound more like live music and a little more detailed and dynamic, but MSB more cohesive and analog sounding (it’s in the name of my particular DAC, afterall). I find my listening habits with dCS are more analytical, picking out the sounds of individual performers, whereas with MSB I tend to get more lost in the music.

If you have a decent set of headphones I recommend checking out Jay’s Audio Lab MSB Reference vs. dCS Rossini shootout on Youtube to get some idea of their respective sound characteristics.

If you decide to go MSB, I just posted a Network Renderer module for sale here on Audiogon. I was going to look at getting a Discrete DAC to pit against the Bartok, but ultimately decided I’d like having some variety and I like the streaming options with dCS better. MSB doesn’t seem to care to support streaming services aside from Roon, but dCS updates its Mosaic platform occasionally. For example, in the last couple of months they added support for Tidal Connect. I like that business model and think it’s really important when it comes to streaming.