Yes..the poison is only offered to and by close friends only in here..so it bears no bad intention at all.
MSB Select II arrival
- Thread starter Mike Lavigne
- Start date
not sure where to post this, but some recent whole system tweaks with the added Tripoint Elite two weeks ago, moving the Troy Sig to my amps just before that, an additional Thor SE ground cable a month ago, and then adding a ground cable from the Troy Sig to my passive main speaker towers last week, seem to have resulted in some sort of magical step forward with all my 2xdsd (128dsd) vinyl and tape rips. the last few days I noticed this, and I've been living in these files and there is a bit of a special leap in suspension of disbelief.
all files at all resolutions are better, but these analog based rips are just much more vinyl-like now. the MSB Select II and it's power supplies must like the Elite.
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now, trying to understand it. it's an added liquidity of some sort and the degrees of ease, nuance and presence have all jumped more than my other files, like hidden dormant seeds that the rain causes to bloom. possibly the Elite on the sources has finally fully settled and it's influence has resulted in this effect.
I've not before seen a particular type of files be uniquely boosted by tweaks.
or maybe i'm just crazy.
all files at all resolutions are better, but these analog based rips are just much more vinyl-like now. the MSB Select II and it's power supplies must like the Elite.
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now, trying to understand it. it's an added liquidity of some sort and the degrees of ease, nuance and presence have all jumped more than my other files, like hidden dormant seeds that the rain causes to bloom. possibly the Elite on the sources has finally fully settled and it's influence has resulted in this effect.
I've not before seen a particular type of files be uniquely boosted by tweaks.
or maybe i'm just crazy.
Mike,
Are you saying that there was a much larger step up with your rips than with DXD or other DSD files? That these improvements in digital were not accompanied by similar scale improvements in analog?
yes; exactly that.
all other media seem to be similarly impacted by these recent system boosts. as typical with system changes, overall the digital is 'apparently' impacted more than the vinyl or tape (since it has farther to travel). but within the digital, the 128dsd analog rips have somehow leaped further.
it may be that a critical degree of the analog goodness of these files was just below the threshold of perception, this boost has pushed it into view.......or something like that. i'm trying to get my mind around it......while I luxuriate in it.
+1.
we have to allow ourselves to get sucked into and be slaves to our perceptions......and not fight it. there is a time for critical listening, but hopefully not much.
Mike, it IS a crazy hobby.
Room, isolation platforms, upgraded power cords, audiophile fuses, and a couple of system tweaks (spkr cbls spades reversed polarity, one set of resonance management footers out), and my sound is something else, digital with real tone, texture, palpability, and tonal discrimination from one cd to the next. This is the preserve of good analog only, yes? Well, in my old room, but with the same gear, that was definitely the case.
Here? Digital right on analog's heels.
Room, isolation platforms, upgraded power cords, audiophile fuses, and a couple of system tweaks (spkr cbls spades reversed polarity, one set of resonance management footers out), and my sound is something else, digital with real tone, texture, palpability, and tonal discrimination from one cd to the next. This is the preserve of good analog only, yes? Well, in my old room, but with the same gear, that was definitely the case.
Here? Digital right on analog's heels.
maybe not right on the heels, but a step closer it seems for the moment in my situation.
the specter of the AS looms to reclaim the lost margin.
Mike, that's a heck of a spectre.
More accurate, the Second Coming.
Or "you'll think you died and went to Heaven" LOL.
Me? I'm just happy I'm achieving digital to analog convergence, all the while elevating to a level unheard in my old room. Ron's jubilant reaction here to his most despised format said it all.
For my part, I'm maxxing my analog out in small but important ways (well, AS a little out of my league) with bespoke psus, a new custom Al mount for my linear air arm, and of course the tender embrace of the Stacore Adv.
My new fave "just about" affordable/reasonably aspirational tt is the Spec Corp Jp GMP-8000, to see it is to love it.
16" oversized 16kg Gunmetal platter, torquey coreless ripple-free DC motor, Japanese artisan laminated Finnish birch plinth, 45 days to build just the one, it's a doozy!
V different from the AS, but a few things comprable, and a fascinating 70s design vibe to rival the "hewn from a mountainside" masterpiece that is the AS.
Let me know what you think of it.
More accurate, the Second Coming.
Or "you'll think you died and went to Heaven" LOL.
Me? I'm just happy I'm achieving digital to analog convergence, all the while elevating to a level unheard in my old room. Ron's jubilant reaction here to his most despised format said it all.
For my part, I'm maxxing my analog out in small but important ways (well, AS a little out of my league) with bespoke psus, a new custom Al mount for my linear air arm, and of course the tender embrace of the Stacore Adv.
My new fave "just about" affordable/reasonably aspirational tt is the Spec Corp Jp GMP-8000, to see it is to love it.
16" oversized 16kg Gunmetal platter, torquey coreless ripple-free DC motor, Japanese artisan laminated Finnish birch plinth, 45 days to build just the one, it's a doozy!
V different from the AS, but a few things comprable, and a fascinating 70s design vibe to rival the "hewn from a mountainside" masterpiece that is the AS.
Let me know what you think of it.
I heard the Spec Corp Jp GMP-8000 in the Devore room at RMAF. it did sound very good in that system as far as that can tell anything, and I loved it's look. very classy.
I would caution you that it's footprint is huge, so do your homework on what space it eats up.
maybe not right on the heels, but a step closer it seems for the moment in my situation.
the specter of the AS looms to reclaim the lost margin.
Until you make a few rips using a better ADC with the AS ... :b
A key question - do you feel that your DSD rips sound overall better the best DXD or DSD commercial recordings we can get?
you zinging me with that again was as predictable as the rain.....
what took you so long?
before I would have easily preferred the dxd and Quad files, but generally not the dsd64 commercial files although sometimes the music and recording trump all. and so many times I find dsd64 files are PCM sourced, I have those files, and they are best. it's such a mixed bag.
now I'm not so sure that these dsd128 rips are not generally my favorite digital. give me another week to 10 days to explore more.
some of my recent dxd and Quad dsd downloads are superb.
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you zinging me with that again was as predictable as the rain.....
what took you so long?
Because now it is relevant and IMHO you overlook the extreme importance of this aspect. I try to read posts analyzing what is intrinsic to the system and owner preference and what refers to the equipment characteristics and properties, that I can add to my audio baggage or apply to my system.
The fact that these recordings have the DNA of your analog system and survive the limitations of the digital converters, and these limitations can be overtaken by top equipment and what we call extreme tweaks is really an interesting topic. But it is a Pandora box, as it can also suggest that these tweaks can be strictly personnel and system related, as most of the high-end!
Although I appreciate the few DXD I own, mostly recommended by WBF members as being the best, I have "luxuriated" (using you own word) a lot more with some SACD's than with them.
not all Korg's are created equal. some are 'improved'. my understanding is that the Korg used for most of my rips is not the standard fare. I don't know the details of it. in any case, assumptions about my rips are just that, assumptions. and I do respect that without the issue being nailed down my feedback is less useful. so be it. with almost 900 of these rips they are what they are.
we will just have to view this issue differently.
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hi Ken,
it was fun connecting with you and hanging with you at RMAF. I enjoyed the insights you shared with me in the rooms we visited together, and i think we have a similar sonic viewpoint. lets try to do it again next year.
regarding the MSB Select II; honestly it is a dream to live with and sounding remarkable. I could post about it every day as it never gets old sitting down to listen. the changes to my system from a few weeks ago from the new Tripoint Elite grounding (and related changes) have settled in and taken everything up a few notches, and the words that keeps coming to mind are 'tube like' and 'breath of life'. there is liquidity, texture, tone and this bloom and dimensionality to the presentation that i'm in love with. specifically the Tripoint Elite is connected to the Select II power supplies with the Thor SE Master Reference ground cable. but more I think, is that the other things i've done for 'whole system' performance boost (Elite + moving the Troy Sig to the amps + grounding the passive main speaker towers) are more at play.
so these last weeks i've transitioned from a gear focus to a music focus. a few weeks back I ordered and downloaded 30 or so dxd and quad dsd files which have been great fun on the MSB Select II. next I ordered 15 or so new vinyl pressings from Acoustic Sounds which arrived Friday and i've been enjoying them. and my vinyl with the recent system progress is at a new higher level. that has got me very excited. so excited i'm now reconsidering my decision to sell my NVS tt to make way for the new American Sound. I might just keep the NVS. it is so good.....and would provide me an 'in system' reference for the new beast.
and finally I did receive my CD of Julie London "Julie is Her Name, Vol 1 and Vol 2 (EMI 0777-7-99804-2 0) that I fell in love with that you brought and played in the MSB room at RMAF. that CD is fantastic and has just superb sound on the MSB Select II and the SGM server. it's been a frequent guilty pleasure recently. many thanks for the recommendation. the vocal quality of this now 50+ year old recording on a CD is a joy. and I had not been able to rip discs for the last months as my old server I had set up for that broke. I have now set up another laptop for that duty so i'm good to go on disc ripping again.
getting back to moving forward with the MSB Select II; the new renderer is still likely after the 1st of the year, and then I will settle on a final USB or Ethernet cable. there will be an upgrade to the SGM also early in Q1 of 18'. and......I have the new fully tweaked Taiko Tana TS-150 with LPS incoming sometime in the next 30 days. I will move that around under the dart pre, the Select II dac, and the SGM......to see where it might deliver the best ROI. I suppose I will end up with at least 3 of those when all is said and done.
cheers,
Mike
Hello Mike, I just assumed that you would keep the NVS to compare to the American Sound after it arrives - as a reference, so to speak. This way you will be able to more clearly describe the differences to others and be confident about which qualities you like from each turntable. I presume you will prefer the AS, but who knows? It would be a shame to sell the NVS beforehand only to then miss it and even perhaps like it more than the AS in your particular system. I commend you for deciding to keep both, at least initially. What you do afterwards can be a slow and deliberate decision with no second guessing. You should be able to sell either easily when the time comes.
Mike,
Please link up with Bruce B. He is getting this as a tester from Lukasz, who is excited as hell at the quality of DSD128 vinyl rips from the remade Tascam. Maybe Bruce man make you a couple vinyl drop samplers to verify? Your opinion would be greatly appreciated by yours truly as a fellow DSD connaisseur who is also basically format agnostic. PS, it apparently does 24/192 superbly as well!
https://www.facebook.com/FikusLampi/videos/2044940989071162/
This may well be the world first Dsd professional recording machine with ZERO SILICON in the whole recording chain. Np opamps no resistors no compression no transistors. Just mike feed through one single ended triode to dsd adc engine. At dsd128 this sounds like ten million pound sterling. All wiring is silver. Outboard transformer. It took me a year to pull it through. Tonight recording vinyl
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I have been long planning the ADC lampization. The best recorder seems to be TASCAM thats why I bought it. Then another one bought my friend from a recording studio so I could start sniffing around the circuits and holding one "virgin" tascam as a reference . I managed to find hundreds of parts in the input stage before conversion which are unnecessary silicon ****. I removed them all and still got music. Eventually I managed to remove ALL 100% parts from analog section and replace them all with a tube section consisting of truly fully balanced 6N16P triodes - 4 triodes per input. They are connected to ADC chip and then fresh clean data goes to CF memory card. As simple as that. I am still learning how to make reference sample recordings and as soon as I can find time to make them - we will present 3 samples recorded on stock TASCAM and 3 samples from lampizator Tascam - same songs - same DSD128x - for everybody to compare. I will make them available on the website for free. Having said that I love PCM 24/192 on that machine with tubes installed.
ADC is fascinating process. Can you imagine vinyl to DSD with this level of purity ? Probably noone ever heard digital this good.
Hi Mike,
I really enjoyed hanging out together at RMAF too. We certainly heard some very fine rooms. I agree that we have a similar sonic perspective and taste in music. Hopefully, our paths will cross again at Axpona or RMAF next year. I’m so happy to hear that the Select II DAC continues to please. It is an extraordinary component. It sounds like all the experimentation with the the Tripoint Elite Grounding System has paid off and you’re now in a great spot sonically. I’m so glad to hear you like the Julie London disc, one of my absolute favorites.
All the best,
Ken
I really enjoyed hanging out together at RMAF too. We certainly heard some very fine rooms. I agree that we have a similar sonic perspective and taste in music. Hopefully, our paths will cross again at Axpona or RMAF next year. I’m so happy to hear that the Select II DAC continues to please. It is an extraordinary component. It sounds like all the experimentation with the the Tripoint Elite Grounding System has paid off and you’re now in a great spot sonically. I’m so glad to hear you like the Julie London disc, one of my absolute favorites.
All the best,
Ken
I was fortunate enough to get an fraction of a glimpse of what Mike is experiencing there, as today I installed an MSB SELECT II, paired with a darTZeel NHB-108 and Evolution Acoustics MMthree speakers.
I've heard the 108/MMthree combo many times, and I know what it can do. But what I heard today was next level up. It was surreal. It actually reminded me of that notorious session with the Zeppelin tape!
Since no preamp was available, we went direct, and the Zeel inputs (using BNC/RCA adapters) were actually slightly better too!
I've heard the 108/MMthree combo many times, and I know what it can do. But what I heard today was next level up. It was surreal. It actually reminded me of that notorious session with the Zeppelin tape!
Since no preamp was available, we went direct, and the Zeel inputs (using BNC/RCA adapters) were actually slightly better too!
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