Hello MSB enthusiasts. I'm taking the opportunity to jump in on this thread as a MSB dealer and the manufacturer of Blue Smoke Entertainment Systems Black Box music servers. I'm hoping that my announcement will be of particular interest to some of you.
Brief history: We were a retailer for MSB prior to beginning the development of our first music server in 2007. We then approached MSB to assist in the development of the proprietary sound card that we created for use in our original Black Box. This product debuted at CES 2009 and supported the MSB I2S network, as well as S/PDIF, AES/EBU and Toslink. Many of our customers were, or became, MSB DAC owners and enjoyed the sonic superiority of the I2S network.
At RMAF 2013, we introduced our next generation server as a two chassis design. This design shift resulted in the creation of the Black Box II on the PC side, and a stand-alone USB to 384/32 Digital Output unit (384/32 Digital Output). This is a USB to S/PDIF, AES/EBU AND MSB Pro I2S converter. It buffers and re-clocks the data, providing support for up to 384 kHz with 32-bit accuracy (driver, OS and software dependent) and DSD (128x). This unit is compatible with any Windows, Mac or Linux system via its asynchronous USB Audio input connection. Additional features include an external clock port for syncing to a master clock, complete ground isolation from the server, and an external power supply. Both the clock and power supply are upgradable.
For MSB DAC-IV and Analog DAC users - Via the Pro I2S connection, the 384/32 Digital Output is slaved to the clock in the DAC. While owners of non-MSB DACs should benefit from upgrading the clock in the 348/32 Digital Output, MSB DAC owners have no such need. Twelve-volt power can be sourced from the DAC, an external medical-grade supply, or from a MSB Signature or Diamond Transport Power Base.
If anyone plans to attend CES next month, please send me a PM and stop by room 34-208, where Blue Smoke will be providing the digital front-end for the TAD Reference system. Our current plan is to include upgrades to the clock (Femto 140) and PS (Signature Transport Power Base) for CES. We will be driving the DAC in the TAD D600 SACD Player via a Transparent AES/EBU cable.