IanB52
100+ Head-Fier
I did have an MSB Discrete next to my EMM Labs DA2, and the EMM was the better DAC and more to my tastes personally. The Premier is probably more on par, but MSB is a warmer, chunkier, and "gooer" sound. The DSD DACs tend to be more fast and fluid, and smoother, but less warm. The DA2 was much more fast, detailed and spacious, but less rich. And the other DACs like DCS and Chord are sharper and brighter.still leaning mpd8....r2r dacs might be a little warm. nothing wrong with that tho.
Still, I'd love to own an MSB DAC at least at the Premier level.
One thing to be mindful of with headphone amps is the DAC output voltage. My HM1+Susvara had a really hard time with MSB's 3.5v, does well with EMM Labs 7v, and LOVES my Mytek at 10v. On the other hand, some amps like Pathos Inpol Ear overload above 4v! So you do have to match these. I dont think MSB is hot enough for the HM1, but might be perfect for others.
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