The PWD DAC was marketed on the basis that the Digital Lens cleaned up USB. That was 2013. Never having used SACD or I2S, I have no idea when it was implemented, but SACD output has to be proprietary.
I didnāt say different. I was just clarifying: The original use of I2S at PS Audio was not driven by the need for dealing with SACD. It predated that. For that matter the DS Mk I didnāt support DSD over I2S until PS Audio had a transport that could send it. It is the case that I2S is needed for SACD now.
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The dCS USB is isolated and is not something to be avoided. True, many like me use the internal bridge, but there are also many who use USB quite happily.
Itās a good review video from a reviewer who has been very complimentary of PS Audio in the past and is a dealer. And he said good things about Mk2, but he made it clear that MSB discrete in the basic form at $12.5k was not a little better, but substantially better when listened to back to back.
Thatās why itās so important to do direct compares. Any decent product will sound good in isolation, at least when the bugs are worked out. Itās when you listen back to back that the clear differences can emerge. No different than Paul saying only time he can tell that BHK is better than m1200 is when listening to them back to back.
So itās cool that comparisons are starting to come out. I suspect that if a direct compare between the hottest $5k dac of the day (whatever that is these days) with the mk2 would happen, theyād probably find the mk2 to be substantially better, just as they found the discrete substantially better than the mk2. There are a lot of good dacs in the $5-10k range. Thatās where the most interesting comparisons with mk2 will happen.
MSB is and has been one of the elite dac makers, so shouldnāt be a surprise to anyone, and it costs 50% more as well.
Direct comparisons with open minds are a good thing and one of the things I most enjoy about the hobby, not being predisposed to favoring any manufacturer, just looking for the best sound.
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The only thing that matters is what Jay says.
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That is why the reviewer above said the MSB is twice the price! It is important to compare apples to apples!
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I prefer what he doesnāt say. Itās so much more meaningful.
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dCS did not have usb out of their streamer. They now use it elsewhere?
When I first saw this I wanted to know price. When I went to site I swear to get DSD itās an add on module. But I could be wrong. Now if you donāt need DSD money saved.
That is true. But when comparing two units the capability to handle both PCM and DSD should be the same.
Well by that logic then they shouldnāt even be compared because discrete can do 8x dsd and mk2 cannot.
I donāt think anyone should be upset by the comparison. MSB should stomp it for the extra cost, unless you actually believed the statements that mk2 was the best dac that Paul has ever heard, but that was always just hyperbole. Discrete is the bottom of the MSB line - there are three models above it. Plus its just one personās opinion anyway.
Now if Holo Red is better than Airlens, then people should be upset about thatā¦
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Just to fill in a little context that kzk didnāt mention in his comments about the Audio Excellence comparison video. Itās important to recognize that Adrian from AE has produced a number of prior YT videos that extol the virtues of MSB DACs in comparison to a range of otherwise excellent DACs. So Adrian approaches the DS MK2 vs. MSB comparison with a significant pro-MSB bias, even though he is a dealer for both DACS.
Our forum friend Luca is also enjoying an even more expensive model of MSB DAC right now, so Iām not questioning the fact that MSB makes great DACs (at a substantially higher price, of course). Itās clear that there are many great DACs in the over $5K price range, and users may choose one over another based on price, sound quality, availability, and features. I think the MK2 sounds wonderful and is a great value, but others may have different opinions. Reviews are just a way to learn more about different options and to help decide which gear to try at home. Enjoying music in your own system is the only opinion that matters.
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Often dealers are much more dispassionate about particular brands than consumers are when they carry both under consideration. Heās done many videos but also many vids praising PSA products. And he said his expectation was that the MSB would not sound significantly better than the mk2, he said he expected only marginally better or a mix of better and worse. Thus I think itās more likely that he just genuinely thinks MSB dacs sound the best after comparing to others, rather than any preconceived favorite or bias.
Iāve watched a lot of his vids and he seems pretty genuine but Iāve never met him. Anyway, just one personās opinion and everyone likes different sound characteristics anyway.
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Or we could all say who cares and enjoy our MKII. I think that is what I am going to do. This hobby is very subjective and reviews like this should be viewed like that.
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Can we assume that if the MSB costs ~ twice as much, the dealer profit will be ~ twice as much?
Which would you push?
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I watched the video again, (and not just for the poetic reading of Stingās Fields of Gold). He mentioned greater micro and macro dynamics in the MSB.
What Iām wondering, that no one has seemed to address is the MSB output section. This seems like an active preamplifier section whereas would the MKIIās transformer be considered passive?
Is it possible that the MKIIās digital decoding is superior to the more traditional tech in the MSB, but itās the MSBās output that is making it more dynamic and lifelike?
There is a difference between being unable to play 8 times dsd and not playing dsd at all. So the statement that the msb costs twice holds true! Even to play PCM it costs 50% more. How much material out there is available at 8 times rate and who cares?
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From my understanding, 8X DSD isnāt any kind of production format. They take 4X DSD and upsample so that dacs can better deal with digital noise shaping. Since the MKII seems to do this already, 8X seems superfluous for DS owners.
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Itās in the DACās.