The Digital Director - A new MSB product improving everything from the source to the output

[Young Skywalker]

Hello,
Does the new firmware for the Reference DAC even work without installing the Digital Director? Maybe the new firmware will deactivate the power supplies and the digital processing required for all the digital input modules which were supposed to be connected to the DAC?
If this new firmware works, is there any change in SQ?

DAC works just fine on the latest firmware in the absence of the Digital Director. No sonic change that I can detect

If we don't upgrade with the Digital Director, are we supposed to update the firmware for the Reference DAC?

It can’t do any harm, based on my experience.

 

[Armsan]

Hello,
Does the new firmware for the Reference DAC even work without installing the Digital Director? Maybe the new firmware will deactivate the power supplies and the digital processing required for all the digital input modules which were supposed to be connected to the DAC?
If this new firmware works, is there any change in SQ?

Yes.
Maybe, I only have the ISL modules installed , one for the Pro USB and other one for the Transport.
Yes, better SQ here, lower noise floor, even without the DD.

 

[Easy Gliders]

Yes.
Maybe, I only have the ISL modules installed , one for the Pro USB and other one for the Transport.
Yes, better SQ here, lower noise floor, even without the DD.

I only have the Pro ISL for Pro USB input. Is it recommended to update the Firmware without installing the Digital Director?

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...I just checked on the MSB site and I do not find any info providing guidance either way. Based on comments from others, the install appears to work without DD present.

That said, personally, absent specific guidance from MSB, I will hold on my existing software...but happy to learn if there is SQ to be harvested from latest update even without DD.

 

[Armsan]

I only have the Pro ISL for Pro USB input. Is it recommended to update the Firmware without installing the Digital Director?

Definitely. And I hope you’ll hear a better SQ. For instance, a test file that I used to play at volume 90, now I can play it, comfortably, at 92 or even 93. For me, that means that the noise is lower. Of course, the room acoustics must allow it.

 

[Armsan]

...I just checked on the MSB site and I do not find any info providing guidance either way. Based on comments from others, the install appears to work without DD present.

That said, personally, absent specific guidance from MSB, I will hold on my existing software...but happy to learn if there is SQ to be harvested from latest update even without DD.

Fear not, Markus. It works flawlessly.

 

[Easy Gliders]

Yes.
Maybe, I only have the ISL modules installed , one for the Pro USB and other one for the Transport.
Yes, better SQ here, lower noise floor, even without the DD.

Hi @Armsan,
Do you use your Select II dac to directly drive the Accuphase power amplifiers?

 

[Armsan]

Hi @Armsan,
Do you use your Select II dac to directly drive the Accuphase power amplifiers?

Yes, no preamp needed. But, the full benefit of the preamp DAC will only be achieved with a MSB amp. Then you can match the 75 ohm impedance at take the full advantage of the high current output of the DAC. Maybe one day…

 

[Vince Galbo]

Dear All,

The new firmware installs all of the necessary instructions to integrate the Director with the DAC. There is no specific content in the firmware that enhances the DAC’s performance if the Director is not installed. If the firmware is installed and the Director is not used, there is no harm done and there are no other changes to the DAC’s operation. Please be aware if you have previously changed any menu settings from the default, the DAC will go back to default after the firmware update so you will need to put your menu changes back in. Thanks!!

 

[Easy Gliders]

Yes, no preamp needed. But, the full benefit of the preamp DAC will only be achieved with a MSB amp. Then you can match the 75 ohm impedance at take the full advantage of the high current output of the DAC. Maybe one day…

If you are able to use volume levels of 90 to 95 on your Select II Preamp, basically it is near the full high-power output of the DAC. At volume level of 98, it is the full output volume of 3.57 Vrms. Have you set the gain selection of your Accuphase power amplifiers to a low gain of -12 dB?

 

[Armsan]

If you are able to use volume levels of 90 to 95 on your Select II Preamp, basically it is near the full high-power output of the DAC. At volume level of 98, it is the full output volume of 3.57 Vrms. Have you set the gain selection of your Accuphase power amplifiers to a low gain of -12 dB?

Indeed, amps set at -12db, where they have the best S/N relation and to use the less attenuation possible of the preamp.
98 is the output volume that MSB advice when you use an external active preamp.
Although I have files from Opus 3, recorded very low, which I listen with the volume set at 102. Again, the room and it’s acoustic manages the levels we are able to set.

 

[Young Skywalker]

The first Reference Digital Director in Australia is up and running in my system (which is built around the Reference DAC with Renderer V2 /Roon Nucleus Plus into SGR Audio active line level crossovers with six channels of amplification for the three way SGR Audio MT3F loudspeakers in a dedicated listening room).

First impressions…

Playing non-audiophile recordings and I can perceive more weight in the bottom end and less digital harshness in the mids and highs. More perceived spatial resolution and image separation/body/dimensionality, presumably because the noise floor is lower, allowing the ladder DAC modules to show their true strengths/capabilities.

Would the same sonic benefits be as apparent for those running fancy music servers with MSB’s ProUSB module? I will leave that for others to determine and report.

My economic rationalisation around the Digital Director was that it costs less than a Taiko in Australia and makes my DAC investment more future proof (new digital filters and optimised noise floor for ALL digital sources).

 

[Young Skywalker]

Here is a quick photo of the MSB Technology Reference DAC, Digital Director and Powerbase in situ.

 

[Armsan]

Here is a quick photo of the MSB Technology Reference DAC, Digital Director and Powerbase in situ.

Beautiful! Congrats and enjoy.

 

[Germanboxers]

The first Reference Digital Director in Australia is up and running in my system (which is built around the Reference DAC with Renderer V2 /Roon Nucleus Plus into SGR Audio active line level crossovers with six channels of amplification for the three way SGR Audio MT3F loudspeakers in a dedicated listening room).

First impressions…

Playing non-audiophile recordings and I can perceive more weight in the bottom end and less digital harshness in the mids and highs. More perceived spatial resolution and image separation/body/dimensionality, presumably because the noise floor is lower, allowing the ladder DAC modules to show their true strengths/capabilities.

Would the same sonic benefits be as apparent for those running fancy music servers with MSB’s ProUSB module? I will leave that for others to determine and report.

My economic rationalisation around the Digital Director was that it costs less than a Taiko in Australia and makes my DAC investment more future proof (new digital filters and optimised noise floor for ALL digital sources).

Thanks for sharing Skywalker. I’m upgrading my Reference to SelectII and adding the Digital Director too. Should get the Select II in a couple of weeks and expecting the Digital Director in February so I should be able to evaluate the incremental improvements from both. Would have loved to seriously compare the Ref+DD to Select II and Select II + DD, but unfortunately have to return the Ref before I get the Select II.

 

[Erikl]

Would the same sonic benefits be as apparent for those running fancy music servers with MSB’s ProUSB module? I will leave that for others to determine and report.

I have the Select DAC with Pro USB connected to the Taiko Extreme with the extreme USB output and the MSB M500s.

When I connected the DAC to my new Select Director (which now has been burning in for a week), I immediately felt that a part of the sound was missing but soon realised that the "missing" part was noise that I had become used to. The Director provides a material uptick in SQ well worth the investment. The noise floor has been reduced drastically and the presentation seems significantly more true the source, less processed and more analogue-like with less digital artifacts.

It is impossible to unring the bell and I would have had a hard time going back to the the Select without the Director. In short, I regard the Director as a major step forward in the processing of digital sound.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

Hey @Erikl thank you for your reportage on the DD. I feel I had a bit of that effect with XDMS over TAS, which I switched to about two week ago. I still have to work out details to demo the DD in the near future, as they become available here. Thanks again. Very helpful.

 

[Armsan]

I have the Select DAC with Pro USB connected to the Taiko Extreme with the extreme USB output and the MSB M500s.

When I connected the DAC to my new Select Director (which now has been burning in for a week), I immediately felt that a part of the sound was missing but soon realised that the "missing" part was noise that I had become used to. The Director provides a material uptick in SQ well worth the investment. The noise floor has been reduced drastically and the presentation seems significantly more true the source, less processed and more analogue-like with less digital artifacts.

It is impossible to unring the bell and I would have had a hard time going back to the the Select without the Director. In short, I regard the Director as a major step forward in the processing of digital sound.

Thanks for sharing. Sounds promising, specially from someone with such a dream system. Still waiting for mine…

 

[Erikl]

Hey @Erikl thank you for your reportage on the DD. I feel I had a bit of that effect with XDMS over TAS, which I switched to about two week ago. I still have to work out details to demo the DD in the near future, as they become available here. Thanks again. Very helpful.

Yes, the effect is similar to that of going from Roon or TAS to the latest version of XDMS on the Taiko, including the backend patch released earlier this month. Just when I believed that the noise floor with XDMS was reduced to a "minimum", I was pleasantly surprised that the Director was able to reduce it by an even larger margin than XDMS did. MSB and Taiko seem to be an excellent match.

 

[tomas329]

Yes, the effect is similar to that of going from Roon or TAS to the latest version of XDMS on the Taiko, including the backend patch released earlier this month. Just when I believed that the noise floor with XDMS was reduced to a "minimum", I was pleasantly surprised that the Director was able to reduce it by an even larger margin than XDMS did. MSB and Taiko seem to be an excellent match.

Hello,

Have you had the chance to compare the DD without the taiko in the mix? So DD + roon vs DD + taiko running roon. Do you have an opinion where the greatest return on investment is between the DD and the taiko.

thanks