Eric

I am pondering the idea of an MSB select II as well. We will see if it's in my future. As of now, leaving towards Constellation Centaur II monos to pair it with. I will be curious to hear your comments down the line as to how your system sound once the DAC is broken in.

I've got 100 plus hours on it now and all my initial impressions remain. Liquid sound unlike anything I've ever heard. Solid precise imaging. Surreal percussion instrument reproduction (marimbas, cymbals, bones). Startlingly realistic voices. Great dynamics even DAC to amp direct. Bad recordings are better than they were on my dCS Vivaldi but they are still bad compared to a really well recorded disk like Chesky, Mapleshade, Opus3, Telarc, Harmonia Mundi, RCA Living Stereo, et al.

Eric

I now have enough time on the DAC to declare it broken in. With my best files (Mapleshade primarily), the sound is beyond description. My dCS Vivaldi was an engineering tour de force but the Select II has taken it to a different level. The biggest improvement is in the saturation of the sound. It is full bodied and smooth like analog. The details stand out in three dimensions more definitively than with the Vivaldi. As I have said before, the effect I hear is what I would expect from a Reference level pre-amp in the system. I currently am going direct to the mono blocks from the Select II. When you consider what you are getting for the price, it's a little less eye watering (to me, not my wife). Because the number of interconnects required is less than for the Vivaldi, I'm going to upgrade both the XLRs and Speaker cables to Transparent Magnum Opus in the next year. At that point, I'll be done (or divorced).

Cincy

Magnum Opus eh?

that's quite the system you have built. incredible sounding i bet. Looks like your Momentum Amp's are now the weakest link in your system, especially when you get Magnum Opus to cable it through. Maybe it's time to step up to the relentless?

Just curious if you have tried a pre-amp on your system?
I don't know what the best pre-amp match would be for the M400, compared to driving it direct for the MSB, but I'd be curious to hear about your impressions (before adding Magnum Opus into the mix).
Thanks.

I have not tried my current system with a pre-amp in the loop. If I were going to do that, I would use the D'Agostino model.

Eric

Hi Eric,

My experience is that adding the preamp degrades the sound quality of the Select II DAC. That’s why I sold my wonderful ARC Reference 10. Have never regretted it though.

Best,
Ken

Hi Ken,
Did the pre degrade the sound quality in all aspects? I ask because I would trade some resolution for better flow and musicality that I feel my pre added after installation. If I add the select ii, I'll try it both ways. Kingsrule and I have the same amps and he chose the select ii without his HD pre. It would be nice to recoup some of the cost!!

Dave

Ummh... OK, I'll keep an eye on this thread in case you get a chance to try that.
Thanks.

I suppose something like this would be system dependent.
Thanks for sharing your experience.