MSB Diamond IV Select dac

[audioblazer]

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Diamond V better than Select 2014. !!! . I took the liberty to add up almost all the options provided with diamond PSU & the new Diamond V version cost only about USD50k & some of us paid USd75k for it . Is this a new year marketing joke !

 

[mcduman]

View attachment 18421

Diamond V better than Select 2014. !!! . I took the liberty to add up almost all the options provided with diamond PSU & the new Diamond V version cost only about USD50k & some of us paid USd75k for it . Is this a new year marketing joke !

yes but you will have the Select 2015 for free, no?

 

[audioblazer]

Maybe I didn't make it very clear . MSB V which is claimed to be better will cost about USd47k based on my 2014 Select configuration . MSB Select 2014 cost USD75k. Difference in price USD28k for a product that is inferior to an upgraded version (MSB V ) which allow audio renderer to be added for about USd2k . In other words , u don't need MSB transport or Aurender in my case . So it's not a free upgrade . Rather advance fund for future upgrade

 

[edorr]

Maybe I didn't make it very clear . MSB V which is claimed to be better will cost about USd47k based on my 2014 Select configuration . MSB Select 2014 cost USD75k. Difference in price USD28k for a product that is inferior to an upgraded version (MSB V ) which allow audio renderer to be added for about USd2k . In other words , u don't need MSB transport or Aurender in my case . So it's not a free upgrade . Rather advance fund for future upgrade

So if you paid $75K for the IV select with the right to upgrade for free within a year and at cost difference after a year, and a new "V" comes out that is better costing $47K, what you need to do is this. Forgo the free upgrade, wait for a year, then do the upgrade to V and claim your $28K refund ($75K - $47K).

 

[audioblazer]

If can . That seems like a great idea

 

[audioblazer]

I just read the fine print of Select upgrade policy. 1st year free upgrade . Subsequent 9 years , pay the difference between the current price & your last paid upgrade. Assuming those who paid usd 60k for the Select 2014 beginning of the year , they would be able to upgrade just once ie model Select 2015 for free. However should there be a Select 2016 , say , costing USD 110k , they have to pay the difference ie USD50k . That is robbery to me.

Within a period of 1 year , there are already 2 upgrade to my DAC IV ( purchased 2014, 1 month before Select 2014 was launched & the dealer is not even aware of the development ) to Select 2014 & now a Dac V ? Sadly my audio buddy just bought the older model DAC IV a month ago & now his model is obsolete.

 

[still-one]

? Sadly my audio buddy just bought the older model DAC IV a month ago & now his model is obsolete.

It is far from obsolete. It doesn't sound any worse. It just isn't MSB's top of the line product.

That said, I would be frustrated too "if" the newer product was still within my price range.

 

[edorr]

I just read the fine print of Select upgrade policy. 1st year free upgrade . Subsequent 9 years , pay the difference between the current price & your last paid upgrade. Assuming those who paid usd 60k for the Select 2014 beginning of the year , they would be able to upgrade just once ie model Select 2015 for free. However should there be a Select 2016 , say , costing USD 110k , they have to pay the difference ie USD50k . That is robbery to me.

Within a period of 1 year , there are already 2 upgrade to my DAC IV ( purchased 2014, 1 month before Select 2014 was launched & the dealer is not even aware of the development ) to Select 2014 & now a Dac V ? Sadly my audio buddy just bought the older model DAC IV a month ago & now his model is obsolete.

Too much innovation going on in digital technology. I got out of the ultra expensive DAC business for precisely this reason, sold my MSB and settled for the PS Audio Directstream. Can't afford to take 5 figure depreciation hits once a year.

 

[Priaptor]

It is far from obsolete. It doesn't sound any worse. It just isn't MSB's top of the line product.

That said, I would be frustrated too "if" the newer product was still within my price range.

WAIT!

As you know, I have been one of the biggest bashers of MSB on this site, HOWEVER, they are providing an upgrade path to those with older versions. For example my upgrade would cost 6.9K "list" to go from my DAC IV Diamond Plus to the new DAC V Diamond. What did DCS do for those who bought the Scarlatti?

I can't speak to all the nuances of the Select model as I have no clue what that really represents or is.

As edorr states, he got out of the "high priced" DAC market because he was tired with "obsolescence". However, assuming the MSB DAC V is not just a IV Diamond Plus with new heatsinks and it represents a truly worthy upgrade at 7K, to bring a DAC of this caliber to the next level (assuming the upgrade is a real one) the price is reasonable and not absurd and I bet cheaper than churning DACs via the edorr method. Of course the big question remains what the V represents relative to the IV.

Of course the devil is in the details.

In summary, I think MSB actually has or started this "upgradeable" quest with decent reasoning, just their implementation kind of sucks. Does Berkeley, DCS, LightHarmonics, etc provide an upgrade path and if so is more than 15% of the list price of the original product you bought??

 

[audioblazer]

It is far from obsolete. It doesn't sound any worse. It just isn't MSB's top of the line product.

That said, I would be frustrated too "if" the newer product was still within my price range.

Not obsolete when u can have a newer better model for a few thousand more including Noise Isolator & Network Renderer which allow music to be stream from NAS without having to buy pricey Aurender that cost USD16800 within 1 month of the purchase ? That is a joke

 

[audioblazer]

WAIT!

As you know, I have been one of the biggest bashers of MSB on this site, HOWEVER, they are providing an upgrade path to those with older versions. For example my upgrade would cost 6.9K "list" to go from my DAC IV Diamond Plus to the new DAC V Diamond. What did DCS do for those who bought the Scarlatti?

I can't speak to all the nuances of the Select model as I have no clue what that really represents or is.

As edorr states, he got out of the "high priced" DAC market because he was tired with "obsolescence". However, assuming the MSB DAC V is not just a IV Diamond Plus with new heatsinks and it represents a truly worthy upgrade at 7K, to bring a DAC of this caliber to the next level (assuming the upgrade is a real one) the price is reasonable and not absurd and I bet cheaper than churning DACs via the edorr method. Of course the big question remains what the V represents relative to the IV.

Of course the devil is in the details.

In summary, I think MSB actually has or started this "upgradeable" quest with decent reasoning, just their implementation kind of sucks. Does Berkeley, DCS, LightHarmonics, etc provide an upgrade path and if so is more than 15% of the list price of the original product you bought??

Why would MSB ship a product to a customer when they knew that there is a new model without giving the client an option ? I m pretty sure MSB knew that the new model is coming out v soon before shipping the older model . I had my Dac IV about 1 month before Select was released. I dont think its an ethical practise but short term commercial comsideration obviously take precedence . By the way , It's not cheap to courier to & fro to USA from Malaysia

 

[still-one]

I don't understand either of your responses. (Priaptor & audioblazer) How is the unit obsolete?

 

[Priaptor]

I don't understand either of your responses. (Priaptor & audioblazer) How is the unit obsolete?

Did I say it was "obsolete"??

NO

What I am saying is for those of us who own units such a DAC IV Diamond Plus, assuming the DAC V is really an upgrade, a 7K list price to upgrade your DAC IV to the DAC V (again assuming it is really an upgrade) is reasonable and actually a policy better than any other manufacturer on the market; assuming it is really an upgrade and not just a new chassis.

 

[edorr]

Why would MSB ship a product to a customer when they knew that there is a new model without giving the client an option ? I m pretty sure MSB knew that the new model is coming out v soon before shipping the older model . I had my Dac IV about 1 month before Select was released. I dont think its an ethical practise but short term commercial comsideration obviously take precedence . By the way , It's not cheap to courier to & fro to USA from Malaysia

Unless they offer full upgrade to the new model for the price differential it is unethical. Considering shipping cost consideration, they should have also given you advanced notice before selling the old model, so you could decide for yourself whether to buy the old model and get it upgraded (if you so desired), or wait for the new model.

 

[still-one]

Did I say it was "obsolete"??

NO

What I am saying is for those of us who own units such a DAC IV Diamond Plus, assuming the DAC V is really an upgrade, a 7K list price to upgrade your DAC IV to the DAC V (again assuming it is really an upgrade) is reasonable and actually a policy better than any other manufacturer on the market; assuming it is really an upgrade and not just a new chassis.

So you quoted me, why?

 

[Priaptor]

So you quoted me, why?

I have no clue where this is going.

Explain to me what is your point. I didn't say it was obsolete as you claimed I did. What I did was qualify my statement by saying first, no one has been more hard on MSB than me then I went on to say that IF this is a true upgrade from a IV Diamond Plus to a DAC V then it is a reasonable price. Where did I say that the DAC IV is obsolete or any of there other products are obsolete.

I still don't understand the Select thing but that is a different issue that those willing to pay the price have to navigate.

 

[audioblazer]

Same opinion , different perception . Relax . Opinion freely given. No malice intended . Cheers

 

[still-one]

I have no clue where this is going.

Explain to me what is your point. I didn't say it was obsolete as you claimed I did. What I did was qualify my statement by saying first, no one has been more hard on MSB than me then I went on to say that IF this is a true upgrade from a IV Diamond Plus to a DAC V then it is a reasonable price. Where did I say that the DAC IV is obsolete or any of there other products are obsolete.

I still don't understand the Select thing but that is a different issue that those willing to pay the price have to navigate.

You are correct it is going nowhere. For some reason you felt the need to quote my reply (#67) to audioblazer who noted a friend now had a "obsolete" piece of gear, which I felt was incorrect. Just because a piece of gear is superseded in a product line does not make it obsolete.

 

[audioblazer]

All this is a matter of opinion . If I can afford to pay usd42k for a DAC IV & I can have a new & BETTER ( that's the key word) model DAC V costing usd47k released within 1 month of my purchased , it's obsolete in my mind . I wouldn't want the DAC IV knowing that DAC V is available for a few grands more. With discount it probably can't buy me enough pieces of Ultra 5 footers for the DAC

 

[Priaptor]

You are correct it is going nowhere. For some reason you felt the need to quote my reply (#67) to audioblazer who noted a friend now had a "obsolete" piece of gear, which I felt was incorrect. Just because a piece of gear is superseded in a product line does not make it obsolete.

HELLO, MCFLY, wake up.

I quoted YOU from post #72 which stated:

"I don't understand either of your responses. (Priaptor & audioblazer) How is the unit obsolete?"

YOU NOT ME, in your post 72 claimed I with audioblazer made some statement about some product (enlighten me) was obsolete.

I did not quote you from your post 67 I quoted YOUR post 72