Hello Daniel,
the new forum is a good thing and I have a question and a suggestion:
Why doesn’t MSB have a dedicated upsampler in its range?
Unfortunately MSB no longer has a universal drive. I’m very sorry about that and I’m probably not the only one. OPPO may have failed, but MSB can certainly develop its own solution. The skills and abilities to do so are there. I still see a universal drive as important today. Other competitors meet this very understandable wish. But even if you don’t listen to music on different CD formats, you still can’t avoid using mobile data storage in the form of a USB stick or SD card. I would like to suggest providing a USB slot and an SD card slot directly on the DAC, ideally hidden behind a small flap on the front, so that you can also listen to music comfortably using external storage media.
Good luck and best wishes from Germany.
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Couldn’t agree more.
I’d like a transport with Pro ISL connection able to play also SACDs in a small form factor single chassis, not a Reference or Select Transport upgrade but a more modern, affordable and little companion device that can play CDs for the years to come. Something useful and practical specifically designed for MSB DACs.
What Transport do MSB members use currently? I wouldn’t buy a Reference Transport for instance: it’s discontinued, rare to find on the used market, still expensive and requires large spaces on the the rack. Any idea, suggestion, experience?
Hello and welcome! The reason we do not have a dedicated upsampler, is all of our DAC’s are capable of all the required processing and filtering. To us, the upsampling and digital filtering are no longer two separate functions/products. Our goal is the best possible conversion and since we do all in house programming, we don’t need separate upsamplers.
Now, the bigger discussion is transports. Here, in our own forum, we can be a bit more transparent on the situation. @Jonathan_Gullman has been working on this for a few years now. The issue is Sony licensing and drive manufacturing are at an end. Most of these products are based on current inventory of a few large manufacturers and they have confirmed that when stock is gone, they will be done. This is a dwindling market and the manufacturing side of it is at an end 
I just read the DCS press release for their new flagship model and immediately noticed it will not be coming with a transport this time around.
However, we do have some early hopeful news. We do have a potential lead with a partnering brand to work on creating a SACD source transport. We will only be providing the input module that will work with their transport, but this could be a solution for many of our customers. While supplies last of course! More on that later this year. @Jonathan_Gullman might be able to share some more here if possible.
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Great news, Daniel. Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait! Hope your partner can provide different lines of transports: flagship line for purists and more affordable/ practical units for general CD/SACDs lovers.
For instance I’m using PS Audio PST which is able to play SACD but only via proprietary I2S connection (due to Sony license I suppose), and it sounds great but I’d like a little brother like Audio Analogue or Pro-Ject box with a direct Pro ISL module (that helps keeping the source on a different rack, too).
So “we” can have top notch products on one hand like Gryphon Ethos, MBL, Esoteric, Wadax, Jay’s Audio, CEC, etc etc and small chassis products on the other hand. In that way “we” could also cover a larger portion of customers from Discrete to Sentinel, so to speak.
I think many audiophiles still love playing their CD/SACDs collection even if sometimes just as an option to complete their digital rig. It’s always a good thing having more choices available. I also know audiophiles that are selecting DACs based on the capabilities to better match their transport/players needs due to large collections of silver discs (often hundreds of them collected years after years). I’m speaking from a marketing point of you…
Heh, imagine if that PS Audio I2S connection worked with an MSB DAC with SACD? That would be pretty cool 
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Don’t tell me that… don’t tell me that… I shouldn’t have sold my costly HDMI cable!
And most of all that I could need now another HDMI cable 7 meters long. Or that I will have one more reason to add a DD to the equation, to be placed 7 meters far away from the DAC on the side wall close to the other sources…
In any case an expensive solution (for me)… in any case congrats: a very clever and desirable solution (for all MSB customers)…
I’d like that module immensely!
Hahahaha, well, at least you didn’t sell your PS Audio 
I am still working on locating a refurbished DD for you. Hope to have one soon.
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Thanks, Daniel! So much appreciated. Take your time, in the meantime I’m going to collect the needed funds! Luca (the other one) will be happy in any case!
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