In the rack and playing music:
http://www.monoandstereo.com/2016/05/msb-select-dac-story-and-insights.html
My Select II was delivered several weeks ago and, though listening time has been scant, it is living up to its promise. Pic attached is just an iPhone pic; apologies for quality. I have the "single" dual supply, not the two supplies Simon has. Femto 33, network renderer and USB input. Balanced out only.
Very superficial impressions so far:
CONs:
1. Lack of Roon capability on the network renderer is just frustrating, that's all there is to it. Once you find a UPnP/DLNA client that can locate the DAC on your network, you're set. Plays flawlessly up to the limits of the client. I use ArkMC Pro on an iPad Mini; ArkMC seems limited to DoubleDSD. The MSB manual spends pages telling you how to use the Auralic Lightning DS software as your UPnP client. Except........didn't work for me. I already had Lightning DS, because I already owned an Auralic Aries, so I know how it works and how to set it up. believe me, I wish it did. But.....it doesn't. Once one has used Roon, it is very hard to go back. So, while my rack-mount PC is in the shop getting a new motherboard, I set up a Mac mini with Roon Bridge, and connected it to the Select via—yuck—USB. Waiting on my PS Audio LANRover right now to create some electrical separation between the Mac's [or PC's] USB output, and to permit me to get the computer back off the display rack. Still, the MSB team needs to get Roon done.
2. Pong-like display. In this day and age of OLED displays, there really ought to be something more sophisticated here than a 1980s pixelated display.
3. On-unit controls somewhat difficult to identify in the matte black case finish, but small inconvenience given the remote and ease of use once you get the right software.
PROs:
1. Sound quality. Pretty amazing, really. No question that this is better than all my other DACs. And, of course, for this price, it should be. While waiting for the Select, I had been spending the most time listening to the DirectStream and Totaldac. With its latest software, the DS was my favorite for its balance of detail and neutrality. The Select detail level, its apparent soundstage accuracy [granted, this is on Stax SR-009, so the perception is different from my speaker setup], and its neutrality [not warm or harsh], are all superior. Because I have the Select connected to my [COLOR=555555]Mjölnir[/COLOR] Carbon CC, it is primary listening choice, even without full Roon functionality. And it is sublime.
2. Build quality. Built like the proverbial brick craphouse. Purportedly crafted from solid aluminum billets. Feels like aluminum; weighs like lead. Very solid. If you are maneuvering in close quarters when setting up, consider asking a second set of hands to help. These units are big, and somewhat difficult to wrestle into place. Gorgeous matte black finish.
3. Well-written manuals, professionally presented.
4. Shipped in incredibly robust, attractive flight cases but without handles! [Huh? These things weigh a ton. Should have handles.]
5. Good remote, with reasonably easy-to-learn commands.
beolab, at the risk of going off-topic, my DS is my all-around go-to DAC. If I could only have one DAC, it would probably be the DS. It would also leave me more beer money.Right now, the Select is getting most of my listening, because it is connected to my preferred amp and Stax, while the DS is connected to my KGHSVV [headinclouds very nice off-board build].
I don't know why the DS does not seem to get the respect around here that it does elsewhere. It is a top-tier DAC to my ears, playing well above its price range [especially with the frequent PSA incentives]. Things that I like about the DS [with "I-will-try-to-keep-within-sight-of-our-topic" references to the Select]:
1. Sound. It is superb. Now, I haven't heard every DAC; not sure anyone has. But I have heard a fair number. In my home right now, I have the DS, Lumin A1, Totaldac d-1 dual, Merging NADAC, and the Select. That's a pretty good comparison group. Of course, the Select costs more than all the others combined. Still, the DS probably resembles the Select most in its sound, with the Torreys update. I expected the Select and Totaldac to be more the fraternal twins due to some tech similarities, but it's the DS that comes closest to the Select for me. Totaldac seems just a touch warmer than both, and while pleasant, to my ears, that seems slightly less accurate. Interestingly, the Lumin sounds more "like" the Totaldac, though with less detail, air, and depth. Still, the Select is the best of the bunch, and not by razor-thin margin that one needs hours of listening to be certain. It's better, and others in my house who think I am crazy agreed.
2. Support. PS Audio sets the standard in customer support. They have community involvement and support that rivals Amazon, regular firmware updates that are very easy to implement, a founder and CEO who publishes to the community daily, customer-friendly trial and shipping policies. Excellent warranty support. A deep and wide beta program. Very capable team.
3. Build quality that rivals anyone. The Select is an aluminum billet beast, on a par with my Merrill Veritas blocks. The DS is equal to the NADAC in heft and solidity, but not quite the weight or density of the Select.
4. The DS has a pleasant and useful screen interface, that looks suitable to our millennium. It is also easy to use, and the info you need is readily available. The NADAC has same info, nested in slightly less accessible menus, and no cover art imagery. The Totaldac has some data available in its display, but no art, and I have not found a way to access the datas without the remote.The Lumin has a nice display actually, but less info and no art. The Select, well, the less said the better.
5. Roon & networking. All my DACs are on my wired network. All music is served from a Synology 2416+ NAS, running minimserver and RoonServer. After a rocky development period on its Bridge and Bridge II network devices, PSA seems to have gotten the networking "thing" down. Of all the DACs, the Lumin has easily been the most rock-solid networking device from Day 1, with a really good software interface and the most reliable firmware updating mechanism. But now the DS is just as steady, and it is Roon-capable. [Lumin is purportedly a Roon partner, but I haven't seen any confirmation or projection of Roon deployment.] As noted above, the Select Network Renderer, though quad DSD-capable, is still a generation behind in its networking support. I think a lot of UPnP/DLNA is pretty flaky, and that's proven when you set up the Select that way. I found it much more reliable with the Roon Bridge/USB setup.
There are many other factors that go into a purchase decision—especially associated equipment—but for my money, the DS would be the one to own if I could only own one. The Select is a no-holds-barred DAC, with a 10-year anti-obsolescence guarantee policy. It sounds amazing, but if I had never heard it, I would still be delighted with the others. Having heard it and now living with it day in and day out, I could still live without it if forced to surrender it, but only because the technology has gotten so good in general, that I think many DACs offer a good case for "no-need-to-mourn-vinyl."
Cheers!
My Select II was delivered several weeks ago and, though listening time has been scant, it is living up to its promise. Pic attached is just an iPhone pic; apologies for quality. I have the "single" dual supply, not the two supplies Simon has. Femto 33, network renderer and USB input. Balanced out only.
Very superficial impressions so far:
CONs:
1. Lack of Roon capability on the network renderer is just frustrating, that's all there is to it. Once you find a UPnP/DLNA client that can locate the DAC on your network, you're set. Plays flawlessly up to the limits of the client. I use ArkMC Pro on an iPad Mini; ArkMC seems limited to DoubleDSD. The MSB manual spends pages telling you how to use the Auralic Lightning DS software as your UPnP client. Except........didn't work for me. I already had Lightning DS, because I already owned an Auralic Aries, so I know how it works and how to set it up. believe me, I wish it did. But.....it doesn't. Once one has used Roon, it is very hard to go back. So, while my rack-mount PC is in the shop getting a new motherboard, I set up a Mac mini with Roon Bridge, and connected it to the Select via—yuck—USB. Waiting on my PS Audio LANRover right now to create some electrical separation between the Mac's [or PC's] USB output, and to permit me to get the computer back off the display rack. Still, the MSB team needs to get Roon done.
2. Pong-like display. In this day and age of OLED displays, there really ought to be something more sophisticated here than a 1980s pixelated display.
3. On-unit controls somewhat difficult to identify in the matte black case finish, but small inconvenience given the remote and ease of use once you get the right software.
PROs:
1. Sound quality. Pretty amazing, really. No question that this is better than all my other DACs. And, of course, for this price, it should be. While waiting for the Select, I had been spending the most time listening to the DirectStream and Totaldac. With its latest software, the DS was my favorite for its balance of detail and neutrality. The Select detail level, its apparent soundstage accuracy [granted, this is on Stax SR-009, so the perception is different from my speaker setup], and its neutrality [not warm or harsh], are all superior. Because I have the Select connected to my Mjölnir Carbon CC, it is primary listening choice, even without full Roon functionality. And it is sublime.
2. Build quality. Built like the proverbial brick craphouse. Purportedly crafted from solid aluminum billets. Feels like aluminum; weighs like lead. Very solid. If you are maneuvering in close quarters when setting up, consider asking a second set of hands to help. These units are big, and somewhat difficult to wrestle into place. Gorgeous matte black finish.
3. Well-written manuals, professionally presented.
4. Shipped in incredibly robust, attractive flight cases but without handles! [Huh? These things weigh a ton. Should have handles.]
5. Good remote, with reasonably easy-to-learn commands.
