Just thinking how cool it would be if MSB would complete the circle and come out with the MSB Ultimate Transport!
As a California Native, I would love nothing more than an all CA system! Come on guys!!!
I realize I let this post languish for a bit, sorry… but alas, no transport on the horizon. We are keeping a finger on the pulse for this segment, but the drive situation is still not great. Limited supplies and old designs. As a very small manufacturer, we prioritized DAC and Amps which both have longer lifespans than transports. I think the market at large will appreciate our work in those categories more than anywhere else.
This is why we have been working to support as many existing transports as possible. Especially with the new HDMI I2S module support SACD on those units. If and when CD’s have a resurgence similar to vinyl(General market, not just audiophile) and Sony releases the SACD licensing, perhaps then it will be a good time to give them another go.
Glad to see there are still a lot of options available out there in the meantime!
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Hey, actually when I say transport I actually meant a streaming device. No interest what so ever in any more spinning discs!
Just thought it would be cool to see you guys develop a quality streamer to marry with the DAC and the Director.
Ah, I see. I won’t say never, but unlikely for the foreseeable future. The programming and software support would require a doubling of our company size just for that one product. I was discussing with Innuos who, if I recall correctly, has 40+ programmers. We are just 15. If we farmed out the task, then it would be no different then buying someone else’s solution. So for now, we will continue to support other great sources.
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@Daniel_Francis if you’re ever considering something else to add to the lineup, perhaps a phono stage that aligned output/input voltage/impedance with your DACs would be awesome. Far less software engineering for sure. A 4th layer to the Cascade form factor? Just saying I know someone who’d buy one 
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Noted!
Kinda’ long but sometimes I get carried away…
Since we are speculating about an MSB phono stage let me drop in my 2 cents, which might sound like heresy, but I think MSB is, possibly, the only company that could pull it off… and even Paul Klipsch thought a little Heresy was OK.
One of the issues I, and I think almost everyone runus into, is that the preamp ends up near a speaker. But I don’t like having a turntable near a speaker, which means i end up with a long cable from the phono stage to the pre-amp.
I would like to see an MSB phono stage that has a digital fiber out that connects to an MSB ISL module. That is a digital phono stage. Before you storm me with pitchforks and torches…
This has so many advantages, the bigest being virtually total isolation and elimination of cable noise and degradation. It would be as though your cartridge was inside the DAC.
Also you can put the tuntable where every you want, even next to your listening chair (where is should be) even if it take a hundred feet of fiber to snake it to the Digital Director.
But wouldn’t this corrupt the analog signal? Wrong question… Would it corrupt the analog signal more than the cable, connections, and stage driver circutrey, EMI, and cable capacitively coupling to the floor, is a better question.
But, no one would do such a crazy thing, Linn does as a digital option for the hallowed LP12. And it makes sense there because they distribute a digital signal to the speaker, plus all the other reasons a digital signal from a turntable makes sense.
MSB would be in the unique position of controlling both the ADC and DAC. The would be no question of a perfect match between them.
Think about classic analog music production. A session is recorded on tape, run though a mixing board, maybe more than once, (lot’s of electronics there), then though a tape player, then an amplifier to drive a lathe head, to make some wiggles in some shellac! But the engineers control every piece of equipment in that chain and and make sure that all the equipment plays nice together.
And now days virually all sessions are recorded, or converted to, digital even for vinyl.
So I think, with MSB’s attention to the details of electronic design and sound, they could make a better than analog, totally blow your mind, phono stage that would put them beyond the edge of vinyl playback.
Dan
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18 foot set of XLR interconnects between my phono stage and pre-amp.
I don’t see how a fiber cable would work without first digitizing the signal. Also needed would be cartridge loading and RIAA filtering prior to sending on to a DAC. The cartridge loading would need to be before the digitizing, while the filter could be done in the analog portion and then be digitized, or handled in the digital domain prior to sending off to the receiver.
There are a bunch of phono pre-amps out there with digital out functions (SPDIF primarily) currently. TOSLink connection to phono pre is already available, but I won’t be swapping either of my phono pre-amps for one.
Hi Micheal,
Yes, it would be digitized. RIAA (and LP, or Columbia, or whatever) could be done in the digital domain. Linn turntables do does this.
MSB would be able to closely match the ADC to their DAC
Dan
Something like that would obviate the need for the pre-amp in my system. The Premier does not have analog inputs. And, i do like the tube influence, in my system.
I can always dream of getting a Cascade one day, with MSB amps, but am extremely pleased with my Premier.
Ya know, you really hit the nail on the head with this. It is absolutely a consideration we have put forth before. It simplifies the system and DAC, generally should be a superior solution. The biggest issue though:
Not to mention if the source is being digitized, why not store the files on a server for playback at will? If not, the targeted consumer then becomes a vary narrow group that wants the Vinyl experience but doesn’t hold to the need for a complete analog chain. Intellectual and emotional decisions being mixed up usually results in an unfocused product that only a few people would buy. Those people, probably including you, would love the hell out of it though!
It would be a really big project that would surely never recoup the time put into it. Alas. And currently, our time is very focused on some really fun projects.
And as always, happy to hear your thoughts @Dan . Never hold back!
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Same!
I completely understand that it isn’t a practical product, but would be a tour de force if you did it.
It wouldn’t work for Linn if they didn’t offer completely digital systems, including powered speakers that have a digital input.