Monoriu

It doesn't help that half of my songs have Chinese or Japanese titles and information, and the official ipad streamer app can't handle them very well. Very often I just see a whole string of question marks in place of the song title.

Actually I also had the impression that the MSB Analog DAC does not accept DSD from a casual reading of the product page.

Nevermind. I have found the MSB Analog DAC user manual on the official site. It does accept 64 and 128 DSD.

Yeah the DSD point is a bit confusing. I can't find any description on the official site about whether the Analog DAC handles DSD. The audiostream website review of the product does state that it accepts 64 and 128 DSD. MSB Technology The Analog DAC | AudioStream It is still a review though, so not really official. This is one of the questions that I plan to ask the dealer before deciding to pay. I currently don't own any DSD files, but this may change in the next few years. I certainly want to futureproof the DAC, especially such an expensive one. I have considered buying the Platinum DAC, one level up. But US$9k for the base unit and US$3.5k for the power base is simply outside my pay grade. The power base is essential for the Platinum DAC, not optional, right? If so that is a deal breaker.

I have no idea that it is called Champagne Accuphase in the US. Here in Hong Kong they are called the "golden songbird". Agree that it would look awesome if the DAC also has champagne colour, but I still prefer to save that US$350. So it is decided then. No options. Just the US$6,995 basic unit. I will see if I can get the remote for free. If not I guess I can always buy it later. Would love to get the power supply upgrade, but I need that US$3k for a new CAPS computer. I will surely audition the MSB Analog DAC before spending that kind of money. But I am not sure if it will accomplish too much, because it will be tested with an unfamiliar system anyway. I've asked around in different places and read the online reviews. The positive feedback is almost universal. Wish me luck. I really don't want to spend US$7k only to discover that it sounds no different than the US$700 Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6.

I currently use an Accuphase E460 integrated amplifier. It is good enough for me, I guess. It is an integrated amp, so I have no choice but to plug the DAC into the amp, with or without the VC. I am very curious, what is the use of the analog input that comes with the volume control? Oh I hadn't thought of video. I thought the DAC is audio only. By upgraded remote, you mean the "multi-product" remote, right? If so that is US$85 and is doable. Nah, this hobby is getting too expensive and the last thing I want is to drop a few hundred US$ on a custom look. Thanks for the info though. I can live with a machine with the wrong colour scheme in my living room if that means saving a few hundred US$.

Thanks a lot. Then it means I don't really need the VC upgrade except for resale purpose. If I want to plug a CD transport into the MSB Analog DAC, I need to buy a digital input, which is US$1k each. I guess I can add that later.

Thanks for everybody's replies, which are very helpful. This gives me more confidence that this DAC is indeed the right choice. The only question left is whether I should buy the volume control upgrade. I accept that for resale purposes I should probably part with the US$1k. But since I plan to use this for 10 years or more, I'm not sure if the DAC will be worth anything in the secondary market when I sell it. One thing that helps me decide is the additional "coaxial analog input" that comes with the VC. My current CD player is a US$40 LG DVD/CD player, which is, for lack of a better word, crap. If I buy the MSB analog DAC, one possibility is to buy a better CD transport, and plug the transport into the MSB DAC. I have no idea what a "coaxial analog input" is, but can I use it for the future CD transport? If so, I will probably buy the VC upgrade. Or is it better for me to buy a CD player and connect it with the amplifier directly, bypassing the DAC? In this case I probably won't need the VC upgrade.

Thanks for the info. I don't quite understand the meaning of "single ended". Can you elaborate? I intend to connect the PC with the MSB Analog DAC using USB. How should I connect the DAC to the amplifier?

I already own a streamer. Perhaps it isn't a very good streamer but I must say that I am quite disappointed. Biggest problem is the software interface. The ipad app crashes every half hour, can't shuffle more than a thousand songs, displays duplicate copies of songs all the time, displays song A but plays song B, misses lots of songs in the directory, etc etc. In short, it is a pain to use and it is the reason why I have reverted to itunes on PC to play music. I am therefore a bit hesitant to try a streamer again.

It is best if I can buy from Small Green Computer. Does anyone know if they do international shipping?

Well, I'd love to get the power upgrade, but that's another US$3k. And it now looks like I need to spend money on a new computer. Given the choice, I probably need to pick the new computer instead of the power supply.

Thanks for all the replies. I am certainly intrigued. I am a computer and audio newbie, so I am asking, exactly how do I optimise the computer source? I presume an option is to walk into a computer shop and ask them to build a computer with the following specifications (the CAPS Zuma ones) - Fanless design · SOtM tX-USBexp precision oscillator USB card · SOtM SATA filter · Windows 8 Pro 64-bit · 8 - 32 GB memory · Intel i7 processor · SAMSUNG 840 Pro SSD drive · eSATA port for external SATA drive · H5 case Then install either Jplay or JRiver to this computer, and only use it for playing music. Anything else? How does NAS figure into this? Do I connect this computer to the DAC via USB cable? Are there other/better options? Advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks. I am currently using itunes on an ultrabook with SSD as the music source. I realise that is probably not optimal. I intend to fix both the DAC and the computer issues sooner or later. I've seen all sorts of recommendations on the music server and the best playback software, and I certainly want to learn more. One option is to download Jriver or Jplay to my current laptop but the conversion from itunes is probably going to be painful. I've tried using the Cambridge Audio Stream Magic to stream music from the laptop. First of all the software interface is a mess compared to itunes. Secondly I honestly can't tell any difference in sound quality. So far I have elected to keep using itunes because I think being able to listen to the songs that I want to listen is probably more important. What do you think about the MSB DAC?

Hi, this is my first post here. I currently connect my notebook to the Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6, which connects to an integrated amplifier. I am considering buying the MSB Analog DAC to replace the Stream Magic 6 in the hope of getting better sound. 1. Is it good? The price tag of US$7k is quite steep. Is it likely that I will hear the difference and get better sound? 2. The only upgrade/option that I will consider is the US$1k volume control. I already have an integrated amplifier, so the volume control is not really necessary. Is the display, input select button and coaxial input that come with the volume control option worth US$1k? 3. For US$7k, are there better alternatives? Thanks a lot.