Product Reviews

Here you can find reviews and trade show/expo highlights for most of the products that MSB has to offer. If there is no review listed below for a specific product, the review may either be unpublished on our site or no reviews exist for that product.

The Discrete DAC

Stuart Smith – Hifi Pig

MSB are an American brand headed up by the brothers Jonathan and Daniel Gullman and located in Silicon Valley, California where they design and build a range of amplifiers, transports, and DACs. It’s an interesting set up with everything from design through to milling the chassis to building the circuit boards being done in-house. This is a company that is “All American” and fiercely proud of that fact.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Dimitris Stamatakos – AVMENTOR.net

Gullman brothers’ MSB is one of those manufacturers whose name is often heard but not what we would call “famous”. Being already 36 years old, after its founding in 1986, the company from Silicon Valley has been very seriously involved in digital audio for a long time. And when we say “very seriously”, we mean at the level of basic technologies and not at the level of, well… just good impressions.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Werner Ero – Hifi.nl

The first three letters of this 25-year-old family business stand for ‘Most Significant Bit’ and the legendary MSB Reference and Select D / A converters prove how well this name fits their products.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Full Review (DUTCH)

Full Range

In January last year, MSB Technology announced two new models. Premier (Premier) DAC and Discrete (DAC) DAC. Personally, I attended the premier DAC demo at the importer ‘s GLV showroom at that time, and I could taste the sound.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Full Review (KOREAN)

Jason Kennedy – The Ear

It’s been a while since I lived with an MSB DAC, but I have very happy memories of those occasions when one was left in my care in the past. The company has always been at the leading edge of digital technology…

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Volker Frech – Lite Magazine

With the increasing digitization of music, it is becoming increasingly important: the converter, which transforms the zeros and ones back into sounds and sounds during playback.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Full Review (GERMAN)

Video (YOUTUBE)

U-Audio

The answer is very good, very natural and smooth, warm and comfortable, and very analogous. Moreover, this is only an entry-level product of MSB-Discrete DAC, which makes people can’t help feeling.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Full Review (CHINESE)

Audio Review – Italian

l primo contatto tra la nostra redazione ed un prodotto MSB risale al 2007, quando il modello iLink entusiasmò Marco Benedetti.

Full Review (ITALIAN)

Magazine (IMAGE)

The Premier DAC

Werner Ero – Music Emotion

Op het moment dat de broers Jonathan, een elektrotechnisch ingenieur en Daniel, een werktuigbouwkundig ingenieur, in 2016 het bedrijf overnamen van hun vader, sloeg MSB Technology, zoals het bedrijf voluit heet, een frisse en gedurfde nieuwe richting in. Eerst door de introductie van de ongeëvenaarde Select 2-DAC. Een prachtig apparaat dat minimalistische vormgeving en onberispelijke bouwkwaliteit combineert met een analoog voorversterkerge- deelte met constante impedantie. Met de vervolgens volledig nieuw ontwikkelde hybride ladder-DAC-modules, wisten de broers op dat moment een nieuwe standaard voor het leven- secht afspelen van digitale media neer te zetten.

Full Review (GERMAN)

Frank Lechtenberg – Fidelity 58

GRÖSSTMÖGLICHE PRÄZISION AUF DER EINEN UND HÖCHSTE MUSIKALITÄT AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE, DAS SIND DIE ZWEI POLE, ZWISCHEN DENEN SICH DIESER AUSSERGEWÖHNLICHE WANDLER BE- WEGT UND DIE MIR DEN KURS FÜR MEINE MUSIKALISCHE REISE MIT DEM MSB THE PREMIER DAC VORGEBEN. UND WENN ICH MIR DABEI DURCH DEN KOPF GEHEN LASSE, MIT WELCHEM AUFWAND HIER DIE SENSIBLEN DATEN IN DIE ANALOGE HÖRWELT ÜBERTRAGEN WERDEN, DANN SIND MEINE ERWARTUNGEN HOCH.

Full Review (GERMAN)

Jeff Fritz – Sound Stage Ultra

MSB Technology’s Discrete DAC was the best DAC I’d heard in my system—until the MSB Premier showed up. The Premier is a super-high-resolution, completely silent, utterly dynamic component that lets music flow through it less hindered than through anything else I’ve heard. In terms of sound quality, it’s the best digital front end I’ve had in my system.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Chen Mingsong – Audio Net

Indeed first place MSB The Premier DAC is only the third-ranked digital analog converter in his home, but in the process of listening to it, I often think that this is the performance of the top-level digital analog converter.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Full Review (CHINESE)

Hifi Club

All’epoca i modelli in prova batterono tutti i record del nostro laboratorio, ma quel che più conta a questi livelli di qualità è il risultato in sala d’ascolto, che definire estremamente convincente è un eufemismo.

Full Review (ITALIAN)

The Reference DAC

HIFI Statement

The happy owners of a Reference DAC don’t need to bother: they connect it to the power supply and to the power amplifier with two symmetrical cables, connect a digital source via USB or network according to their choice and enjoy music at the highest level. I am already looking forward to working with the MSB mono power amplifier. How nice that the Reference DAC has to stay in my listening room for so long.

Full Review (GERMAN)

Audio Gallery

Quando la passione è la musica e le elettroniche deputate alla sua riproduzione domestica, accade che certi prodotti High End possano sconvolgere la mente al punto di attribuire loro anima e vita propria.

Full Review (ITALIAN)

Matej Isak – Mono and Stereo

Upon the release of the mighty (also my reference component) Select DAC II many owners of the Diamond DAC IV DAC were wondering, when the worthy successor, that will incorporate the trickled down technology from the flagship Select DAC…

Full Review (English)

Jonathan Valin – The Absolute Sound

Of course, the MSB Reference DAC and Reference Transport under review here aren’t gonna push my record players and tape deck off the equipment stand, but they will occupy a place of honor right beside them.

Full Review (English)

Danny Kaey

Elsewhere at the show, I cued myself in with MSB’s friendly face Vince Galbo and his demo of MSB’s latest and greatest, the Reference DAC, complete with M204 mono amplifiers leashing a pair of YG Sonja 1.2 (review forthcoming).

Full Review (English)

The Select DAC

Fernando Andrette – Audio Video Magazine

Muitas vezes achamos que receber um produto de alto nível será uma das experiências mais prazerosas que um articulista pode desejar. Mas, o que ocorre se o produto em questão reposiciona todo seu padrão de referência…

Full Review (Portuguese)

Simon Kern – Mono and Stereo

Its always reviving to receive letters like this one from Simon. His conclusions about MSB Select DAC II are mirroring my experiences so far. I did hear SELECT II with two power supplies, but this will be summed up in the upcoming review.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Matej Isak – Mono and Stereo

“Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.” Johannes Brahms … Before even getting into the whole “hot” topic of vultures dealings let me refer to other Über products, industries and most importantly followers.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Ates Berberoglu – Headphone Guru

MSB Technology Corporation has been in the industry since 1986. They produce high-end items including dacs, power units, and amps. The line-up seems to be in the highest end class regarding the pricing policy.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Mohammed Samji – Part Time Audiophile

Little did I know that I was in for a real treat again @ T.H.E. Show 2016, as MSB sets the bar higher again with their new reference – the MSB Select DAC II. Before we press play, let’s take a minute to appreciate the look of this lovely piece…

Full Review (ENGLISH)

John H Darko – Darko Audio

Making its worldwide debut down under this week is MSB Technology’s new statement D/A converter, the Select DAC II. From MSB Technology’s website: “The SELECT DAC is more or less like a blend of the best of…

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Jon Iverson – Stereophile

CES being quite hectic and hotel rooms being what they are, I try not to do too much listening on the 29th and 30th floors of the Venetian (there are exceptions and the upper suites are a different story, sound-wise).

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Jacob Harris

MSB Technology’s flagship SELECT DAC II now available for demonstration in Melbourne through distributor Audio Fidelity. “It’s time to discover how much of your music you’ve been missing while using lesser devices,”…

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Robert Harris – The Absolute Sound

MSB Technology pulled out all the stops on its new $90,000 DAC called the Select 2. This modular design was created from a clean sheet of paper, rethinking everything MSB has learned about digital-to-analog conversion over…

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Digital Directors

Audionet – The Reference Digital Director

The strength of MSB, an audio manufacturer, is really unfathomable. Since its establishment in 1987, it has been leading the industry with its exclusive digital technology. There is a small DAC chip inside other people’s digital- to-analog converters, but the inside of his DAC is several large DAC modules.

Full Review (Taiwan)

Transports

Jonathan Valin – The Absolute Sound

Of course, the MSB Reference DAC and Reference Transport under review here aren’t gonna push my record players and tape deck off the equipment stand, but they will occupy a place of honor right beside them.

Full Review (English)

Brian Hunter – Audio Stream

The thing that makes an MSB room fun, if not down right entertaining, is that some of these barriers have been stripped away by (in the case of the flagship Select DAC) the $100,000 USD+ cost to play.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Amplifiers

Dirk Sommer – Hifi Statement

In the most impressive audio set up I have ever had the opportunity to listen to, two 1000-watt power amplifiers were taking care of the amplification. However, the most expensive and even several times more powerful power amps that I came to host in my listening room were rather a disappointment. And now MSB’s 1000-watt bolides have been bustling there for weeks. How much power does one actually need?

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Allo stato dell’arte

È ancora vivo in me, vivissimo, il ricordo dei finali mono M500 che provai per
mesi in piena pandemia due anni fa. A loro dedicai un AudioPreview sul numero
24 di questa rivista. Ora è la volta del finale stereo da essi derivato., an MSB DAC—the S202 can produce state-of-the-art sound. Full stop. Couple that sound with its jewel-like build quality….

Full Review (ITALIAN)

Jeff Fritz – Sound Stage Ultra

The MSB S202 is one of the finest electronic components I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear. Given the right circumstances and the right partnering gear—i.e., an MSB DAC—the S202 can produce state-of-the-art sound. Full stop. Couple that sound with its jewel-like build quality….

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Matej Isak – Mono & Stereo

When Daniel Gullman (MSB Technology co-owner and product designer) and Frank Vermeylen, EU Sales Manager at MSB Technology Corporation offered me unique opportunity to pair my MSB Select DAC II…

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Vlad Savov – The Verge

More than $130,000 of amazing audio engineering. US billionaire Warren Buffett likes to note how little advantage his considerable wealth secures him over the average person. The only thing, Buffett would argue, that distinguishes…

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Ates Berberoglu – Headphone Guru

MSB Technology Corporation has been in the industry since 1986. They produce high-end items including dacs, power units, and amps. The line-up seems to be in the highest end class regarding the pricing policy.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

Chris Martens – Hifi+

The SELECT amp (priced at USD$37,950) features balanced analogue input and output, provides two Stax-style five-pin output jacks, and is designed specifically for use with MSB’s flagship SELECT II DAC.

Full Review (ENGLISH)

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