T.H.E. Show Newport 2013

I still remember how much I enjoyed the sound of hi-rez files decoded by MSB’s DAC, when it resided briefly in my system after I performed the measurements to accompany Jon Iverson’s review last October. So MSB’s room at the Atrium was one of my first stops. A pair of YG Anat 3 Signature speakers with Billet-Core midrange units and woofers was being driven by MSB’s S200 200Wpc, zero-feedback, class-A amplifier ($17,995) and source was the Platinum Data CD IV transport. However, the bits were being converted to analog not with the Diamond DAC but MSB’s new “entry-level” Analog DAC ($6995 with standard outboard power supply, $9990 with upgraded Analog Power Supply, which shares the same form factor and is shown sitting underneath the DAC), which is said to offer “a generous percentage of MSB’s technology.”

The Analog DAC is an elegant black slab, with an inset volume control on the top right next to the alphanumeric display. The detail photo above confirms that data were being sent from the transport via MSB’s i²S link. MSB’s Vince Galbo, part-time hand model, played me a recording of a Swedish singer, Margreta Benjston, performing “I Get Along Without You Very Well.” Accompanied by piano and bass, the singer’s image hung between the speakers, solid and palpable. This was one of the best sounds I heard my first day at T.H.E. Show.