To follow up on the previous locked-down discussion:
I was able to compare the Premier (w/ upgraded clock, power base and Pro USB) to my Pacific.
The difference was pretty striking, for me, in favor of the Pacific.
While the MSB sounded very good with a full and rich tonality -- The Pacific, by comparison, sounded more "lit-up" and exciting, with greater delineation between notes and greater dynamics.
Relative to the Pacific, the MSB sounded thick and congested. The Pacific just seemed to open up the sonic space and give the music more room to vibrate through the speakers like the real instruments.
The difference was pronounced enough that I know I could tell them apart, blind, 100/100 times.
Of course, this is only in the context of my system, and
maybe the MSB Reference or Select would be a different story, but they are way outside my price range.
What I'm left curious about: what might be the technical explanation for the difference in sonics between these two high end dacs? What is causing one to sound more dynamic and one to sound relatively thick?
I was able to compare the Premier (w/ upgraded clock, power base and Pro USB) to my Pacific.
The difference was pretty striking, for me, in favor of the Pacific.
While the MSB sounded very good with a full and rich tonality -- The Pacific, by comparison, sounded more "lit-up" and exciting, with greater delineation between notes and greater dynamics.
Relative to the Pacific, the MSB sounded thick and congested. The Pacific just seemed to open up the sonic space and give the music more room to vibrate through the speakers like the real instruments.
The difference was pronounced enough that I know I could tell them apart, blind, 100/100 times.
Of course, this is only in the context of my system, and
maybe the MSB Reference or Select would be a different story, but they are way outside my price range.
What I'm left curious about: what might be the technical explanation for the difference in sonics between these two high end dacs? What is causing one to sound more dynamic and one to sound relatively thick?
Last edited: