MSB Select II arrival

Mike Lavigne · Jun 23, 2017

microstrip said:
Do they have access to a Sellect II? Or are they just doing theoretical work?

the Select II is on and they have USB lock. but the Select II is not on the network so all they can see is the SGM side of things.

maybe there is more that they can see but if so that is below my radar.

I will be giving them feedback on their handiwork.

bonzo75 · Jun 25, 2017

Mike, the Ode to Joy from the Solti that we heard on the GFS. How does the MSB compare to the GFS, and to the Anna, on the ode to Joy?

Mike Lavigne · Jun 25, 2017

bonzo75 said:
Mike, the Ode to Joy from the Solti that we heard on the GFS. How does the MSB compare to the GFS, and to the Anna, on the ode to Joy?

I will listen to it after my hike later this morning.....I cannot off the top of my head comment.

oh darn, I'm going to have to listen to the Solti 9th a few times.

it will be a nice way to get my Sunday brain in the right place.

Mike Lavigne · Jun 25, 2017

Mike Lavigne said:
I will listen to it after my hike later this morning.....I cannot off the top of my head comment.

oh darn, I'm going ton have to listen to the Solti 9th a few times.

it will be a nice way to get my Sunday brain in the right place.

just got back from an early morning hike with my daughter to Rattlesnake Ledge, which I see about 2 miles away from my kitchen window.....

which infuses me with that touch with nature and humanity that Beethoven seems to draw on with his music.

turns out I do not have the Solti 9th on silver disc (I have 10-15 CD versions but not that one....and.....no disc player anyway.....but could rip it) or file; however, I did find it on Tidal in 16-44 and am listening to the 'Ode to Joy' now. pretty damn fine sounding. will report later.

Mike Lavigne · Jun 25, 2017

what a delicious exercise. I feel the glow of 2x 'Ode To Joy'.

first was the 16-44 off Tidal. no MQA or any other aid. just streaming. loved it. no sense of being processed or blunted. excellent pace and flow. very natural and nuanced. has the separation of musical themes this recording is known for; everything in it's proper place. wonderful authority and projects plenty of power. not a tiny bit of any feeling of being digital, or flat, or closed in. good scale and note decay. all the vocals were natural and had wonderful texture, ease and soaring power, and none of the edge or glassiness or glare this type music tends to have in redbook. overall a very involving, moving experience.

it was better than I expected it to be.

the Decca Lp resissue was next; and mostly it was, in degrees, a bigger, bolder, more driving and energetic version of the 16-44. of course; there was more difference than that. all the places where there are nuances, these nuances are more real, the vocals are a little bit more real and 'there' in space. there is more detail, but not as much more detail as I would have previously (to the Select II) expected. there is a little bit more tension and deeper sense of an ambient bed of air and space. the degree of majesty is higher. it takes you to a little higher place, but the same kind of place.

and then I made an interesting discovery. I went to turn off the tt and found i had turned on the Herzan TS-140 for the NVS tt, but had neglected to press the button for active isolation.

so now I re-cued the record and started to listen again.

ok now, we have a another level of difference.....or maybe x1.5 more difference now. just a level of emotional pull that the record brings that takes things to another place. everything that much more real and finely rendered. more ambient information, more separation. vocals more textured with greater flow and sweep. hard to put into words.

but to be completely fair to the Select II; while it is stacked on top of the dart pre + MSB power supply + Herzan TS-150, the SGM server is only on Wave Kinetics A10 U8's atop a granite shelf on the floor. and I know that if the Select II had it's own TS-150 that would matter. and Ed is telling me that the SGM get's more benefit from the TS-150 than the dacs do. so we will have to re-visit this issue later......and maybe not too much later.

bonzo75 · Jun 25, 2017

Mike there was a big difference in your Anna and GFS on this one. So it would be good to know where MSB stands on that plane

Mike Lavigne · Jun 25, 2017

bonzo75 said:
Mike there was a big difference in your Anna and GFS on this one.

agree, it was big.

So it would be good to know where MSB stands on that plane

so now you want me to listen to Ode to Joy again? with the MC Anna?

i'll come back to that later.

what I go through to make you happy!

just kidding.

PeterA · Jun 25, 2017

Thank you Mike. These are exactly the kind of written reports that are so interesting and helpful to these discussions. You are very specific in your descriptions and they are excellent. Keep them coming. Don't think they are just to make Ked happy. Others appreciate your efforts too.

Priaptor · Jun 25, 2017

PeterA said:
Thank you Mike. These are exactly the kind of written reports that are so interesting and helpful to these discussions. You are very specific in your descriptions and they are excellent. Keep them coming. Don't think they are just to make Ked happy. Others appreciate your efforts too.

While Mike will be giving his latest updates of comparison of this wonderful DAC I will continue to give my findings comparing different inputs from different devices and we are both looking forward to comparing the new renderer.

On that note, on the microRendu, there is a "volume control" for Roon that is either "None", "Software" or "Hardware". The default is "None" but selecting "Hardware" makes a world of difference making the difference between HQPlayer and Roon Direct less of an issue. Still evaluating between this.

Will also be going to my CAPS3 with the new JCAT Femto clock to compare JRiver v Roon v HQPlayer.

Lastly I have definitely found on my system direct from the DAC to my amp the ARC GS150 is better than the using the REF10. That decision is OVER.

It's an awesome ride!

Howie

Priaptor · Jun 25, 2017

Mike Lavigne said:
just got back from an early morning hike with my daughter to Rattlesnake Ledge, which I see about 2 miles away from my kitchen window.....

which infuses me with that touch with nature and humanity that Beethoven seems to draw on with his music.

turns out I do not have the Solti 9th on silver disc (I have 10-15 CD versions but not that one....and.....no disc player anyway.....but could rip it) or file; however, I did find it on Tidal in 16-44 and am listening to the 'Ode to Joy' now. pretty damn fine sounding. will report later.

Mike

Absolutely stunning views. One of my goals when I get my hip fixed is to go to the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall. Unfortunately it ain't happening till I get my right hip replaced and definitely not happening with the wife.

I'm assuming EVERYTHING sounds better after a hike like that!

Howie

Mike Lavigne · Jun 25, 2017

Priaptor said:
Mike

Absolutely stunning views. One of my goals when I get my hip fixed is to go to the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall. Unfortunately it ain't happening till I get my right hip replaced and definitely not happening with the wife.

I'm assuming EVERYTHING sounds better after a hike like that!

Howie

no doubt, a hike like that is good for the soul, heightens the senses and clears the mind.

my home is just to the left of the direction of that view. that viewpoint from where the pic is taken is at about 2800 foot elevation. the 'Ledge' you can see in the middle of the pic is at 2200 foot, my house is at 1100 feet. my home looks at this ridge from our back yard. this hike is the most popular in the Seattle area. when we got to the bottom of the hike at 9:30am there were 200+ cars parked already. I go early to avoid the crowds.

to the right of the view is a watershed/wilderness area that goes on for many miles.

I don't hike enough myself; OTOH my daughter, Rebecca, is Trail Program Director for a non-profit that maintains the trails in the State of Washington. which means I always have a willing hiking partner if I need one.

my wife had hip replacement surgery on Feb 1st and is back about 80% now almost 5 months later. hopefully at some point she can hike again.

take care of the hip and get back out there when you can. I've not been in the Bob Marshall but have been to Yellowstone a few times. amazing country.

spiritofmusic · Jun 26, 2017

Mike and Priaptor, a big reason for us to move to the country was the chance of walking whenever we fancied it
So I'm breaking up marathon listening sessions with work around the chapel and in the garden, and at least a couple of days a week putting walking boots on and some serious miles in
I was planning to do this move in a decade when in our mid-60s, but as Ra said, why wait until prime hip replacement timing to do such a move?
Getting a stellar listening space, and musical performance unheard of in London is just the icing on the cake

Mike Lavigne · Jun 27, 2017

and it gets even better.....

today I received, in a care package, a loaner USB cable; the Light Harmonic Lightspeed USB Cable to try in place of the generic USB.

just inserted said cable....

this is the 'red one' with the dual parallel cables and the plastic spacers (live pic in system to follow when I can pry my ears away from the music).

stone cold, after an 8000 mile plane ride in last few few days, out of the box it is 'objectively'......more vivid, with slightly lower noise, and has subtly better leading edge definition and delicacy, and more micro detail and texture. subjectively it 'pops' more, it embraces you more emotionally and it draws you in with greater musical touch. there is better flow and musical cohesion. it's more real. and plays to the strengths of my system.

spooky vocals so far.

not sure the break-in/warm up/settle in of this cable.

Priaptor · Jun 27, 2017

Mike Lavigne said:
and it gets even better.....

today I received, in a care package, a loaner USB cable; the Light Harmonic Lightspeed USB Cable to try in place of the generic USB.

just inserted said cable....

this is the 'red one' with the dual parallel cables and the plastic spacers (live pic in system to follow when I can pry my ears away from the music).

stone cold, after an 8000 mile plane ride in last few few days, out of the box it is 'objectively'......more vivid, with slightly lower noise, and has subtly better leading edge definition and delicacy, and more micro detail and texture. subjectively it 'pops' more, it embraces you more emotionally and it draws you in with greater musical touch. there is better flow and musical cohesion. it's more real.

spooky vocals so far.

not sure the break-in/warm up/settle in of this cable.

We are definitely paralleling each other.

I have been using that cable for several years now. That cable more than most does require break in.

It's an outstanding cable which I have been using exclusively with my MSB IV AND v BUT I have to say about 4 months ago I purchased a Curious Cable based on a recommendation for my headphone T&A system and several days ago replace the LH with the Curious and was shocked.

I never expected the Curious to outperform the LH. I have been doing tons of comparisons with my server + JCAT with my Core Tech linear power supply compared to my microRendu with different cables with and without my Ref10 feel I have found the combination most pleasing to me which is the microRendu with Uptone LPS-1 power and the Curious cable. I LITERALLY just changed out the LH for the Curious Cable after trying to LH again to make sure. They are both excellent cables. If you like the LH right out of the box just wait a week. It improves tremendously.

This DAC is so revealing all things are readily appreciated for better or worse. I went back to my server and just couldn't really listen. It's obviously nothing like the SGM but I never really appreciated the difference between it and the microRendu until the Select.

Enjoy!

pjwd · Jun 27, 2017

Priaptor said:
We are definitely paralleling each other.

I have been using that cable for several years now. That cable more than most does require break in.

It's an outstanding cable which I have been using exclusively with my MSB IV AND v BUT I have to say about 4 months ago I purchased a Curious Cable based on a recommendation for my headphone T&A system and several days ago replace the LH with the Curious and was shocked.

I never expected the Curious to outperform the LH. I have been doing tons of comparisons with my server + JCAT with my Core Tech linear power supply compared to my microRendu with different cables with and without my Ref10 feel I have found the combination most pleasing to me which is the microRendu with Uptone LPS-1 power and the Curious cable. I LITERALLY just changed out the LH for the Curious Cable after trying to LH again to make sure. They are both excellent cables. If you like the LH right out of the box just wait a week. It improves tremendously.

This DAC is so revealing all things are readily appreciated for better or worse. I went back to my server and just couldn't really listen. It's obviously nothing like the SGM but I never really appreciated the difference between it and the microRendu until the Select.

Enjoy!

Priaptor - I concur - I found the curious to be quite a bit better than the lightspeed ( the total dac a distant last) - it is really quite a bargain in the world of cables

cheers,

Phil

Steve Williams · Jun 28, 2017

Too bad I can't convince you or Priaptor to try the MB ULTRA USB cable Mike because I know that cable will take your system ( any system for that matter) to a level you don't even know exists. If you have the Light Harmonic Lightspeed what a perfect opportunity to compare them.
You might find it revelatory Mike.

Mike Lavigne · Jun 28, 2017

Steve Williams said:
Too bad I can't convince you or Priaptor to try the MB ULTRA USB cable Mike because I know that cable will take your system ( any system for that matter) to a level you don't even know exists. If you have the Light Harmonic Lightspeed what a perfect opportunity to compare them.
You might find it revelatory Mike.

why not?

I see no problem if you or Leif would like to send me a MasterBuilt Ultra USB to try. understand it may be that I go the Ethernet renderer direction, but now that I've opened the damn cable door why not try the big gun?

I guess with Howie's and Phil's comments I'm curious about the 'Curious' too.

Steve Williams · Jun 28, 2017

Mike

Marty and I are in Italy now until July 3

When I get back I will get it arranged for you

However, be prepared is all I can say. Personally I haven't compared it to Ethernet as I have nom means to do that however I can tell you that I haven't listened to the digital side of my system unit Leif loaned me the cable. Since that time I have listened to digital in a whole new ballgame, so much so that TBH unless ethernet can trump the sound I hear using that cable I have no desire to go down that path.

As I said this was not evolutionary but rather revelatory

Once you get smitten perhaps you can then send it on to Priaptor as I believe you will be in for a whole new ride.

murphys33 · Jun 28, 2017

Priaptor said:
We are definitely paralleling each other.

I have been using that cable for several years now. That cable more than most does require break in.

It's an outstanding cable which I have been using exclusively with my MSB IV AND v BUT I have to say about 4 months ago I purchased a Curious Cable based on a recommendation for my headphone T&A system and several days ago replace the LH with the Curious and was shocked.

I never expected the Curious to outperform the LH. I have been doing tons of comparisons with my server + JCAT with my Core Tech linear power supply compared to my microRendu with different cables with and without my Ref10 feel I have found the combination most pleasing to me which is the microRendu with Uptone LPS-1 power and the Curious cable. I LITERALLY just changed out the LH for the Curious Cable after trying to LH again to make sure. They are both excellent cables. If you like the LH right out of the box just wait a week. It improves tremendously.

This DAC is so revealing all things are readily appreciated for better or worse. I went back to my server and just couldn't really listen. It's obviously nothing like the SGM but I never really appreciated the difference between it and the microRendu until the Select.

Enjoy!

Has anyone done a comparison between Kimber select 2436 usb cable agst the curious?

CKKeung · Jun 28, 2017

The Vertere HB V3 usb cable and Vertere HB ethernet cable are popular amongst CAS audiophiles in Hong Kong.
May not be widely available in N America though, but for those living in Europe, please give them a listen.
They have excellent agility, microdynamics and musicality.
My friends and I compared them against LH, Curious, Wireworld Platinum Starlight, AQ Diamond ... etc and eventually most of us settled down on the Verteres.

MSB Select II arrival

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