Looking at a four year old Premier. What changes, if any, have there been since then? Femto clock?
The current Premier includes the Femto 93 clock. If the Premier you are looking at had that upgraded, the performance will match the current production.
New Premier DAC’s also include a few more integrated SPDIF inputs than previously, but the performance remains the same.
Daniel,
Another used Premier seller wrote awhile back that the way to know the
state of a unit was to write you with serial numbers, so that you could
look up the history in your system (or files). That’s in part why I
provided those serial numbers of the current one for sale. Here they
are again:
- PD131831
- PPB139211
Thanks,
Gene Goldenfeld
Gene,
This Premier DAC was originally sold with a base clock and Discrete Power Supplies.
It appears it now has an upgraded Premier Powerbase, but I cannot tell if the clock is upgraded. If they provide a picture of the jackpanel, you can read the label of the installed clock to confirm.
Also, this DAC was manufactured 10/2018
Daniel,
Thanks! The one I’m looking at is says “Premier Audio Clock,” per the attached photo.
Gene
Got it, that is the included Premier Base Clock (similar to Discrete DAC Clock) and NOT the upgraded Femto 97 Clock that is now included with current production Premier DAC’s. If you get this DAC for a really good deal, you could upgrade the clock, we have stock of the Femto 97’s. Then it would be up to current performance standards.
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Thanks, Daniel.
The more I read, the more I’m thinking the Reference might be a truer upgrade relative to my current Lampi Golden Gate 3 dac.
My interest in MSB was instigated yesterday by an importer who suggested that if I want a warm sound to take a look at your dacs. I like a touch of warmth, definitely not what’s called neutral. The difference for me is visceral: With a little warmth, or whatever it is, I can listen for hours and not notice the time pass; with neutral, I find myself listening to the hardware (sound effects), and usually my gut doesn’t feel right, like it wants to keep pushing the music over a line to warm, so I can relax. Which leads me to ask: the one thing I haven’t been able to find in my online searches of comments/reviews re MSB Premier and Reference is the word “warm.” Am I barking up the wrong tree?
Gene
System summary, leaving out what comes before and accessories:
- SSD music files to beefed up digital only Oppo 203 (also CDs) → Lampi GG3 dac → VAC Master preamp → ATC 50 active floorstanders and JL Audio subs
Not at all, we aim for a very musical tone without adding any “syrup” to the playback. Where are you based? If North America, Vince would be a great resource to discuss this with. I am also processing a refurbished Reference DAC for him right now, it may become available soon unless he has someone lined up for it.
Bozeman, Montana
Great, reaching out to @Vince_Galbo will be your best bet!
His contact info can be found here:
femto 93 or femto 97??
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Femto 93! Yeah, I think I mixed wires with the Femto 77 
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