I guess I have never heard a good DAC. Funny thing is I have heard a good number. None of them come close to vinyl yet for showing character difference. I do not suspect it is important for most, but I enjoy it.
MSB Select II arrival
- Thread starter Mike Lavigne
- Start date
I guess I have never heard a good DAC. Funny thing is I have heard a good number. None of them come close to vinyl yet for showing character difference. I do not suspect it is important for most, but I enjoy it.
I do not see the point in trying to "convince" him or even debate digital vs vinyl in Mike's thread. Let the man now enjoy his new MSB gear (which I am sure is a superb digital rig) and sooner or later he will touch in this subject. When he knows his new rig better.
Vinyl has its strenghts for sure, but the best digital equipment today can give the listener tremendous joy. I know, I am enjoying an all digital system myself. Not missing my vinyl rig at all, but that's me.
JP
Vinyl has its strenghts for sure, but the best digital equipment today can give the listener tremendous joy. I know, I am enjoying an all digital system myself. Not missing my vinyl rig at all, but that's me.
JP
Mike himself brought up the vinyl comparison. I see nothing wrong with it. Perhaps just keep it relevant? I am curious if the DAC portrays a certain quality compared to vinyl. But it's probably just as much a difference in mastering to some degree... It's not like any of us expect to hear vinyl while listening to a DAC, but I think it's plenty fair to judge digital based on our emotional connection to it - which may involve a comparison with vinyl connection.
let's not get confused here.
I had no problem with Spirit's (Marc) comments or questions about comparison's to vinyl (or anyone's); the issue I had was that he stated this;
he made the case that to justify it's price the Select II had to more than get close to vinyl. I disagreed.
at no point did I ask him to not post about this or anything.
Ked took a normal 'Ked-Spirit' shot at him suggesting he take it to Micro's thread......but that's just forum noise and we all should automatically filter that out
.
let's not get confused here.
I had no problem with Spirit's (Marc) comments or questions about comparison's to vinyl (or anyone's); the issue I had was that he stated this;
he made the case that to justify it's price the Select II had to more than get close to vinyl. I disagreed.
at no point did I ask him to not post about this or anything.
Ked took a normal 'Ked-Spirit' shot at him suggesting he take it to Micro's thread......but that's just forum noise and we all should automatically filter that out
Maybe I should have asked him to mention it incessantly on Al's thread instead...
Ked, we're all friends here mainly, I'm sure any comments can be directed to any number of threads.
Mike's current thread is a particularly good one to go around in circles re analog v digital
We've been doing this since 1983, so nothing new here.
I'm sure Mike doesn't mind.
The moment he posts more on the Select II experience, I'm sure we'll all chip in
---
Mike, my big interest in yr experience w this Dac is whether it enhances the experience of a Classic Rock album like Tommy.
I have absolutely zero interest in audiophile native dsd etc, and 100% interest in albums like Tommy, Close To The Edge, Disraeli Gears, Miles Smiles, A Love Supreme.
It's standards like these I'd love to know how the Select II deals with.
Mike's current thread is a particularly good one to go around in circles re analog v digital
We've been doing this since 1983, so nothing new here.
I'm sure Mike doesn't mind.
The moment he posts more on the Select II experience, I'm sure we'll all chip in
---
Mike, my big interest in yr experience w this Dac is whether it enhances the experience of a Classic Rock album like Tommy.
I have absolutely zero interest in audiophile native dsd etc, and 100% interest in albums like Tommy, Close To The Edge, Disraeli Gears, Miles Smiles, A Love Supreme.
It's standards like these I'd love to know how the Select II deals with.
let's not get confused here.
I had no problem with Spirit's (Marc) comments or questions about comparison's to vinyl (or anyone's); the issue I had was that he stated this;
he made the case that to justify it's price the Select II had to more than get close to vinyl. I disagreed.
at no point did I ask him to not post about this or anything.
Ked took a normal 'Ked-Spirit' shot at him suggesting he take it to Micro's thread......but that's just forum noise and we all should automatically filter that out
Mike I was really referring to other people trying to steer the conversation. Sometimes that helps but not before the "cat is out of the bag" so to speak - someone on a long winded rant after rant with another person or two.
The funny thing is I don't know why anyone is going to get too up in arms about how much one person can enjoy digital. It's not like you posted "vinyl collection for sale" or anything like that! Also maybe we should be celebrating the differences between the two more? Maybe not. But I know numerous people that wouldn't ever conceive of ever going back to something that has ticks and pops.
The last time I heard the MSB Select II was in a hotel room. I think that was a bit unfair to it, but it has stayed in my mind as one of the best digital presentations I can recall. I do wonder a bit what it sounds like playing that DSD piano track you like. A bunch of DAC's sound a little too different between DSD and PCM, to me.
Not Mike, but let me interject. The benefit of an MSB SELECT (or Reference) is more clearly observed just on those "less than stellar" classic rock albums of the 60s/70s. Heck, I still remember one of the first things I played on the SELECT was an old 80s Ramones CD (rip), and it had all the punch, drive, dynamics, that I remembered from an LP, with zero glare, zero nasties, zero fatigue.
The other day, I played this live Rush album from the 80s. That was a pretty hard to listen to CD (most of Rush's catalog on digital is atrocious), but there it was, dated synths and Neil Peart's drum solo, in all their glory!
Instead of wondering forever how the MSB sounds, or how close it gets to vinyl, people should really take the time and listen to it. Our doors are open to whoever wants to check out the MSB Reference, and I heard Mike is quite the gracious host too
This is just not "good digital". This is just good music reproduction, period. (IMHO and all that).
cheers,
Alex
Never managed to get a decent digital version of Close To The Edge, older Genesis or any Rick Wakeman. Also IMHO most of us spent too many years long ago listening to these old albums and grew with their vinyl versions, creating our particular analog sound image of them. I have found that for me it is not possible to listen to the "Carpet Crawlers "without feeling the spinning black LP.
Hi Alex, you don't mean "Rush: A Show Of Hands", do you? I salute any guy who has the chutzpah to put their head over the parapet!
Yeah that one. Not the greatest of Rush's live albums, but for some reason (I blame Roon's discoverability) I ended up playing that, and it was way, way more engrossing that I ever remember that album being.
Micro, you're in luck.
Steve Wilson has remixed the classic Yes, Jethro Tull and King Crimson catalog.
You can now hear Close To The Edge and esp Aqualung in stunning clarity on cd (shocking, but true).
Steve Wilson has remixed the classic Yes, Jethro Tull and King Crimson catalog.
You can now hear Close To The Edge and esp Aqualung in stunning clarity on cd (shocking, but true).
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