I think many of you have already riddled out what the new DAC is, but the official release will be next week.
Also updates to the Cascade and Sentinel DAC’s are rolling out towards the end of the month!
Who all will be making it to Vienna this year???
Hi Daniel, just want to find out if the Discrete is being discontinued and replaced? Hope not, as I’m a Discrete owner. Thanks.
This is not a Discrete or Premier replacement! We are evaluating the future of the Discrete and Premier currently, because materials cost have risen so much since they launched. But at this time, there is nothing in the works to replace either of those models. They are still the best MSB sound for the money 
Thank you Daniel so much. I’m relieved to hear that. I’m very happy with my Discrete, in terms also of what I can afford. Hope that at some stage I can upgrade to the Premier. Wishing MSB all the best with the new DAC endeavour. I’m sure it will be a superb DAC. Thank you also for the HiFi Five podcast which I keenly followed.
Glad to see them still there! Owning the Discrete is such a happy dilemma. On the one hand, it sounds so good. On the other hand, you love the sound so much that you always can’t help but wonder how even better it will sound if you upgrade…
So, is this considered the Reference DAC replacement? (Better performance than a Ref DAC w/ Dig Director?)
Does this have the same pass through capabilities of the Reference DAC?
Mike, this product falls into the same price range, but is not quite a Reference DAC replacement. It does not have the same analog input options available as the Reference DAC. Instead, the digital director has been integrated. Like there reference DAC it has 4x Hybrid DAC modules. As to the performance, it is better sounding than the current Cascade DAC (soon to be improved as well). We have a new video explaining more on the Palisade DAC since this video was posted.
Ahh @Daniel_Francis now you have opened pandoras box..
It’s better sounding than the current Cascade, hmm and after the FW upgrade which one do you like better, as us pure digital junkies have to have daydreams.
Cascade → Palisade (depending on your reply)
Cascade → Cascade (ie do nothing after the FW upgrade)
Cascade → Sentinel (but I will only use the digital inputs
Cascade → Guardian 
The Palisade would have been THE product I needed when I decided to buy a Cascade ( I just don’t use the analog inputs, having a preamp after the Cascade) ro replace my REF DAC +DD. But the Palisade wasn’t there yes so I bought a Cascade.
So my future is : Cascade → Cascade (ie do nothing after the FW upgrade)
The dilemme is now : when the FW will be available ? And what improvements will it bring ?
For my situation the Cascade has been the correct option as I still use my vinyl rig and run its phono pre through the Cascade’s volume control with great results. I continue to hang on to vinyl as I have many recordings that sound best on vinyl. I also run the Cascade directly into my Dagostino mono blocks again with great results thus don’t use a standalone preamplifier. If I were using a preamp I would be conflicted when buying a DAC with a built in preamp as I would be buying something I would not need. This, I’m sure, has to been a dilemma for manufacturers. I think the Palisade was a good compromise for MSB.
This is the same for me. Cycling through a few amps right now so we will see where we land for this edition of “Matt has an addiction problem”.
When I got the Cascade, I had the Boulder 1110 and 1160. Removing the preamp and using the Cascade directly was a significant improvement. I can’t see another preamp going back in the system. My phonostage has significant enough gain not to need a preamp.
Oh no! The Cascade DAC with the firmware updates is much better than the Palisade. You will hear that difference soon! The improvements are wonderful. 4 vs. 8 Hybrid DAC modules still has a big impact on the sound. The Palisade does still sound “like” the new Cascade sound, but there are certainly still differences between the two. And the price difference reflects that accordingly.
We are 2-3 weeks out on the Firmware release. You can expect better bass definition, vocal presence, less distortion, and overall more musicality and liveliness. The Sentinel DAC really paved the way for us to see this hardwares potential.
Hmmmm, we need to keep workshopping this name. Sentinel is for the Sentinel Mountains in California, although we loved the other definition of the name in this case. Same for Cascade mountains. Jonathan and I are big outdoors guys and the company rebrand is focused on California nature landmarks. When I get home from Vienna I will be immediately traveling to the Sierra Buttes for a 100 mile cycling gravel race. We discussed other name potentials last night and Butte made the list, but I think that would go poorly If anyone finds some good California names, let us know and we will add them to our names doc!
Definitely not Butte even if I agree it’s a fantastic area.
So you hike, dive, bike and love great sound @Daniel_Francis if you say you also like California red wine. I’m booking a flight to listen to the Sentinel system when the amp’s are available.
But all kidding aside the only reason for even considering a pure digital Sentinel to me would be functional or size the cost delta isn’t going to be a deciding factor at this level
The “liveliness” descriptor is intriguing. One of the things I notice about some digital recordings is at times they feel a bit lifeless or homogenous. I rarely notice this on vinyl. This will be a big plus.
Agreed. The MSB sound has been raised across the range. I hope you enjoy the update!
Alas, I am not drinking these days, but I know Jonathan and Karen enjoy a good time in Sonoma
Looks like you had a great show. All comments I read have been very positive; congrats and safe travels home.
Do you need my address for that Palisade? 
“Hmmmm, we need to keep workshopping this name. Sentinel is for the Sentinel Mountains in California, although we loved the other definition of the name in this case. Same for Cascade mountains. Jonathan and I are big outdoors guys and the company rebrand is focused on California nature landmarks. When I get home from Vienna I will be immediately traveling to the Sierra Buttes for a 100 mile cycling gravel race. We discussed other name potentials last night and Butte made the list, but I think that would go poorly If anyone finds some good California names, let us know and we will add them to our names doc!”
Not a mountain range name but very much a California landmark - “Tiburon”.
ok Hoodoo is out but it would be a fun one, same Skedaddle but Inyo as it works in many languages and isn’t already used in the music or audio context?
