On Saturday afternoon, I hooked up the MSB Discrete in my system; connection via USB Pro also worked smoothly with my Innuos ZEN Nextgen.
I put on a Qobuz playlist, and the initial impression straight out of the box was actually a bit disappointing—it sounded fine, but a little flat with little dynamics.
So I left it running for 3–4 hours of streaming, and when I came back, everything was much better. It’s clear that both the power module and DAC need time to warm up to perform at their best; at least in my setup with Soulution and Marten, there was a major difference for the better.
The conclusion is that the MSB Discrete slides right into my system. It might not impress you right away, but it grows on you as you get used to it. It isn’t too cold nor too warm, and it doesn’t bombard you with so many sounds that it becomes overwhelming. Everything is very balanced and neutral—it doesn’t add or subtract anything from the mastering and recording.
An extremely low noise floor and a black background, combined with plenty of air and separation between instruments, mean you can place everything on the wall in front of you. Multiple layers—you can easily hear whether instruments and vocals are positioned far forward or back—plus lots of dynamics and rhythm.
Piano sounds very nice, with no tendency toward ringing or top-end sharpness on vocals.
I haven’t tested CD playback yet from my PS Audio Transport, but I’ll try to sit down for it tonight.
Compared to my PS Audio DAC MK2 , it is clearly better, but it’s not night and day and requires critical listening The MSB Discrete is like a precision instrument that does everything right and is technically a better DAC—and likely a DAC I can live with for years to come.
I have my MSB Discrete fed over ProUSB / ProISL from my Innuos Stream 3 from the standard DAC USB out without the PhoenixUSB Reclocker module, as that is unnecessary with the MSB ProUSB unit.
Welcome! Thanks for the support and feel free to reach out any time with questions. Lots of helpful people here on the Forum and MSB is always just a message away.
Congratulations on your purchase and thanks for the nice review. I’ve noticed as I’ve purchased more expensive components the jump in SQ is there but not proportional to cost. Clearly diminishing marginal returns. That said I’ve never regretted any of these purchases.
I already had the Innuos Zen Nextgen with the PhoenixUSB module before I bought the MSB Discrete PRO with Pro ISL USB. It’s possible that the PhoenixUSB module on the Innuos isn’t strictly necessary since you get 100% galvanic isolation with the fiber input on the MSB Discrete. However, I have never heard a Hi-Fi setup like mine where it is now completely silent with an infinitely dark background, an incredible sense of composure, and a fresh experience listening to recordings I’ve heard many times before.
The rest of the system consists of a Soulution 331 amplifier and Marten Parker Trio Diamond Edition speakers, with cabling mostly from Ansuz (C2/D2). I also use an Ansuz network switch and Mainz power distributor, which further contribute to the low noise floor and dynamics. I am simply blown away by how good the sound in my living room has become, and the MSB Discrete has elevated everything to a whole new level. All digital harshness is gone—now, pure music just flows from my speakers.
The MSB Discrete is like a precision instrument that does everything right and is technically a better DAC—and likely a DAC I can live with for years to come.