CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

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Author Topic: High-end DAC & All pretenders discussion  (Read 5583 times)

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romaz

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #10 on: September 14, 2015, 02:54:54 AM »
Quote (selected)
a. I can't believe I am hearing all these dead singers alive AND in my room
b. Do I really need to go to concerts anymore

You said it well.  That's what we all strive to achieve with our setups although sometimes the expected synergy isn't there and so nothing is a given.  Once you do find that magic combination, it's hard not to bite so I know what you're going through weighing that kind of cash outlay. The biggest challenge for those of us so invested in this hobby is that inevitably, the Signature VI will come out and curiosity will almost certainly get the best of us and once we realize the next version removes even more veils, then what?  Well, we all know what happens.  As long as there is money in the bank, the game continues. 
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Rotijon

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #11 on: September 14, 2015, 03:00:41 PM »
Quote from: Negura on September 13, 2015, 10:26:05 PM
Signature 5

The signature 5 you speak about, is it the Audionote Signature 5 or?
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frenchbat

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #12 on: September 14, 2015, 03:47:08 PM »
Quote from: Rotijon on September 14, 2015, 03:00:41 PM
The signature 5 you speak about, is it the Audionote Signature 5 or?

MSB stack
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Negura

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #13 on: September 14, 2015, 04:00:20 PM »
Yes, MSB. V for the Romans and marketing, or 5 for the rest of us.

When I get the devil's stack back, at a time when I have a working Wi-Fi module for the Analog so I can use the same settings on both DACs, I will compare both DACs fed by the Sig 5 stack PSU and Transport.

However so far I already have answered some questions for myself:
- the good news is there is some amazing DAC technology out there today, which produces staggeringly realistic results out of the same good old PCM digital content. Perhaps in a couple of years it will become more affordable on the used market.
- the bad news as usual there will be a newer generation out, but that's life

If the competition in the 10k range stiffens there is a chance they will trickle down a few more upgrades into their entry level DAC from the big-boy game. Just as there is also a chance they will release an entirely new entry-level DAC, but for now they had no plans to replace the Analog.

And yes the network renderer once finalized and working properly - I am 100% going to try it, because I know what the combination of a good streaming transport via I2s can do. That will be a good day to get rid of USB hopefully.



« Last Edit: September 14, 2015, 04:20:27 PM by Negura »
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Rotijon

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #14 on: September 14, 2015, 05:13:50 PM »
Ah the MSB.

Id listen to them at one point, but god i hate that company.

One would think that their TOTL, the Select DAC, would have everything included and be immune from their ferrari like addons, but noooo, add ons can bring it up from 90k to 136k.

Fucking POS's.
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joeexp

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #15 on: September 14, 2015, 06:21:10 PM »
Quote from: romaz on September 14, 2015, 02:54:54 AM
but oh boy the Signature 5 stack really is mind fucking. It is that cut-over point where you think:
a. I can't believe I am hearing all these dead singers alive AND in my room
b. Do I really need to go to concerts anymore

That's when the alarm bells start ringing and the BS-meter swings to 100.
I like your enthusiasm but  - please stop smoking that crap! lol
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If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got..

Negura

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #16 on: September 14, 2015, 06:31:40 PM »
Thanks for chiming in. To your previous comment before editting: I am honest about my experience, and I do not feel it is my responsibility how others feel about what I am saying. It is this kind of experience that makes this hobby so worth it, despite the outrageous costs, chasing unicorns and the rest of bs, and if it beats smoking crap, even better so for me. I will continue to share my impressions and I am happy we do not all have to agree.

Here's some more detail to it: It was with the Signature 5 stack one night with speakers, listening to Queen - A Night at the Opera. I am familiar with this album since I was a kid and have heard it on countless digital. Unfortunately I never had the chance to get anywhere near to hear the band in a live setting. Going to concerts is one thing, but nobody is ever going to get another chance of hearing Freddie Mercury live. I thought I knew it, but it was the Signature 5 stack that caught me out... it showcased exactly why he was such a HUGE musical talent, at a scale I never heard before, and the experience can make one feel very very humbled. Words fail me, and can do no justice.

The cost is outrageous and I am not going to purchase the Sig 5 stack in the foreseeable future, but despite this I am really happy I got to hear it. I also sympathise with the comments about pricing/policy and all that. I don't disagree with you guys.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2015, 10:58:23 PM by Negura »
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Marvey

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #17 on: September 14, 2015, 06:55:32 PM »
You guys should move on to a good quality vinyl setup. The VPI Classic + cart I picked up for the cost of an Yggy pretty much destroys Yggy. If the jump from a Gungnir to Yggy was 350%, the jump from Yggy to vinyl was 1000%.
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TMoney

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #18 on: September 14, 2015, 07:03:55 PM »
Quote from: joeexp on September 14, 2015, 06:21:10 PM
That's when the alarm bells start ringing and the BS-meter swings to 100.
I like your enthusiasm but  - please stop smoking that crap! lol

One indeed wonders how much you hear the price tag when listening to MSB DACs.
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Oppo BDP-105 -> KGSSHV -> Stax 009s

On Order:
EC Studio
Schiit Yggy

Negura

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Re: MSB and high-end DAC discussion.
« Reply #19 on: September 14, 2015, 07:09:31 PM »
Quote from: Marvey on September 14, 2015, 06:55:32 PM
You guys should move on to a good quality vinyl setup. The VPI Classic + cart I picked up for the cost of an Yggy pretty much destroys Yggy. If the jump from a Gungnir to Yggy was 350%, the jump from Yggy to vinyl was 1000%.

You know I am crazy enough I might just try it. And if only from shows I do have an idea what you are talking about. The only problem is that both myself and wife are a bit OCD about the vinyl pops that are bound to occur. I find it distracting, which is why I am stubborn on digital. My father had a large vinyl collection - it was such a relief to move to CDs from this one point of view.
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