Digital sources: PS Audio Lambda II CD transport, Perpetual Technologies P-1A/ModWright P-3A digital processors.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Ultimate.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Acoustic Uno 3.0, PSB Stratus Silveri.
Cables: I2S: Mystic Reference. Digital: Illuminati Orchid AES/EBU. Interconnect: Nordost Valhalla & Nirvana S-L. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla. AC: PS Audio Lab Cable, Shunyata Research Taipan, TARA Labs Decade.
Accessories: Argent RoomLenses, Monolithic Sound P3 power supply, PS Audio P300 AC synthesizer (…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Audio Research SP16L preamplifier offered a moderate but in my view sensible maximum voltage gain of 11.5dB. The unity-gain setting of the volume control was with the "14" LED illuminated. The preamp didn't invert absolute polarity, and the input impedance was a moderately high 43k ohms over most of the band, this dropping to a still high 38k ohms at 20kHz.
The output impedance was a usefully low 262 ohms at mid and high frequencies, this rising to 549 ohms at 20Hz. As a result, the frequency response into a very low 600 ohm load (fig.1, bottom pair of…
Distortion levels depended on both frequency and the load impedance. From the 4 ohm tap into 8 ohms (fig.9, lower pair of traces), the THD+N figure hovered around 0.025% for much of the audioband, rising only at the frequency extremes. Halving the load (doubling the current) doubled the midband THD, while changing to the 8 ohm tap and keeping the output voltage the same (not shown) also increased the THD+N, from 0.025% to 0.035%, with similar but smaller rises seen below 100Hz and above 5kHz. Fig.10, however, shows that the spectrum of that distortion is heavily second-harmonic in nature,…
Recently, we've seen the digital "horsepower" race accelerate with the arrival of digital sources and devices with 24-bit and 96kHz sampling capability. Much of this has been spurred by the 24/96 labels emblazoned on the newer DVD players—and, within the purer confines of the audio community, by high-end DACs with this same ability. Indeed, it's possible that the dCS Elgar DAC, near and dear to John Atkinson's heart and a perennial Class A selection in Stereophile's "Recommended Components," performs so well with standard 16-bit/44.1kHz sources because its wider digital bandwidth permits…
Feeding the digital output of the Alpha 9 into the MSB Link resulted in the smallest of differences: the performance with the Link seemed to emulate that of the Arcam Ring-DAC. Listening to the last movement of Shostakovich's Concerto 1 for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings (Lisitsa, Caldwell, Ekaterinburg PO, Audiofon CD 72060), there was a slight reduction in bass potency and a barely discernible narrowing of the soundstage—two areas in which the Alpha 9 excels. Depth was slightly improved, but not to SFCD-1 (or Elgar) standards. HF detail, fore-and-aft placement of the soloists, and balance…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
MSB Link: Standalone 24-bit digital/analog converter. Sampling rates: 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz. Inputs: one pair analog bypass, two digital (coax, TosLink). Analog outputs: 2V RMS at 0dBFS. Frequency response: DC-20kHz, ±0.1dB. Dynamic range: >100dB. S/N: >100dB.
Dimensions: 17" W by 2.75" H by 14" D. Weight: 16 lbs net.
Serial number of unit reviewed: N0024.
Price: $349. Approximate number of dealers: 200.
Manufacturer: MSB Technology Corp., 14251 Pescadero Road, La Honda, CA 94020. Tel: (650) 747-0400. Fax: (650) 747-0405. Web: www.msbtech.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Despite the temptation to find optimum mating components for each of these devices, I felt it was necessary to confine these auditions to a fixed context: Beyond the source components that are the topic of this review, everything in the system was held constant.
The balanced outputs of a Sim Moon P-5 preamp were connected to the balanced inputs of a Sim Moon W-5 amp by 20' of JPS Balanced Conductors. The amp drove a pair of Genesis G-500 speakers via 6' of Straight Wire Maestro II cables. The players or DACs under test were connected by 1m of…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Most of the measurements of the MSB were performed using the Audio Precision System One's S/PDIF output set to a 44.1kHz sample rate. However, I also spotchecked the unit's behavior at the higher sample rates using a dCS 904 A/D converter to digitize the System One's analog output, and a Sonic Solutions Optical Converter to translate the dCS's AES/EBU electrical output to the double-speed TosLink S/PDIF format.
The maximum output level was 2.45V, 1.75dB above the standard 2V output. This was delivered from a moderate 215 ohm output impedance. The MSB's…
Note also that the stopband rejection above the Nyquist Frequency appears poor at the three lower sample rates. Examining the digital output of the ADC revealed that it plunged to Stygian depths above Nyquist, indicating that this stopband behavior is a characteristic of the Link. I have no idea what, if any, effect it will have on the unit's sound.
Fig.4 shows the waveform of a 1kHz squarewave sampled at 96kHz. As with the California Audio Labs CL-20, the ringing on the waveform tops is higher in frequency than with CD data. Note the slight leading-edge droop in this graph, which…
The MSB's linearity error was negligible down to a superb -110dBFS (fig.7), while its waveform reproduction of an undithered 1kHz sinewave at -90.31dBFS (fig.8) was well-nigh perfect. Simple distortion was just a hint of second-harmonic, even into a demanding 600 ohm load (fig.9), while any intermodulation (fig.10) was similarly low.
Fig.7 MSB Link, departure from linearity (2dB/vertical div., right channel dashed).
Fig.8 MSB Link, waveform of undithered 1kHz sinewave at -90.31dBFS, 600 ohms load.
Fig.9 MSB Link, spectrum, DC-1kHz, 50Hz at 0dBFS,…