MSB Reference DAC

The Reference DAC
Establishing an industry reference for digital playback.

Four Hybrid DACs

With four Hybrid DACs, MSB yields an unmatched level of detail, reproducing the musicality, soundstage, and texture of an original performance, bringing the artist to you. A fully balanced, ultra-high precision, discrete ladder DAC architecture ensures each note tells a story. Additionally, MSB’s robust in-house design enables the finest quality playback of PCM and native DSD, while the low impedance circuitry drives your amplification directly without adding coloration or buffering noise. The end result is a digital experience defying expectations.

Femto 33 Clock.

MSB’s clock module architecture is built with the customer in mind— they’ve made the clock module user-upgradable, ensuring future updates are simple and streamlined. Each Reference DAC comes with the MSB’s most advanced Femto 33 Clock featuring a custom oven controlled dual crystal design.

A Display for the Listening Chair

Equipped with high-visibility and a wide viewing angle, the display is both easy-to-read and stunning, exhibiting MSB’s love for intuitive features. The LED display, slaved to the audio clock, is refreshed between data processing to drastically reduce electrical interference. The in-house discrete design is then constructed into its own shielded CNC pocket for optimal isolation. Sit back and be immersed.

The Reference Powerbase

You can’t underestimate the importance of a clean power supply. A re-imagined design paired with the DAC reduces the noise floor even further. MSB equipped the DAC with a single supply for the digital side of the DAC, along with an isolated supply for the analog side, yielding an unprecedented level of performance.

Headphones on the Highest Level

With careful consideration of the signal path, MSB were able to design bespoke amplifiers that leverage their  DACs ultra-low- noise outputs. Built entirely in-house, their headphone amplifiers easily outperform other amps that are built for universal applications. Similarly, MSB has dedicated output architecture for electrostatic and dynamic headphones to provide the best listening experience possible. An integrated bypass allows you to easily switch between your two channel system and headphones without moving cables.

Completely Modular

Paired with performance increases, MSB’s modular design ethos increases flexibility for future updates and product support, guaranteeing a long-term product investment. As you pursue higher levels of playback, an MSB upgrade path is always available to help drive your own desire for innovation. Whether it’s a software update or a leading-edge modular component, they are here to help the most valued aspect of MSB—their customers.

Engaging with the Future

MSB thrives off the innovation required to meet consumer demands. They are constantly improving digital input modules to stay at the forefront of the high-end audio industry, ensuring you’re always equipped with the most current digital file formats and interfaces. Focusing on the network renderer and USB input, your audio tech will be on the cutting edge. Put simply, your DAC is ready for the future.

A Better USB Solution

The Pro USB was developed to offer a multi part USB solution that features complete electrical isolation and all the performance of MSB’s proprietary Pro ISL input. The Pro USB is offered as a stand alone module for users who already have an MSB DAC that is equipped with a Pro ISL input as well as a starter kit with a Pro ISL input and everything you need to get up and running.

• Complete electrical isolation
• Up to 32 bit – 768kHz
• MQA decoding
• Up to 8X DSD
• Up to 1km lossless transmission

Superior Streaming

The MSB Renderer was developed using an in-house hardware design running an ultra low noise A5 processor for optimal audio playback performance. Over the air updates will ensure that your renderer always has the latest capabilities and ultimate convenience.

• Up to 32 bit – 768kHz
• MQA decoding
• Roon Endpoint
• Up to 4 X DSD
• UPnP Protocol
• DLNA Protocol

The Last Preamp You Will Ever Need
The Preamp Output Module will give you a cutting edge constant impedance passive volume control preamp. Using this remarkable preamp will reduce system complexity and ultimately improve the audio quality of your entire system. It’s a remarkable feat of electrical design that sets a new benchmark in the industry. The output modules are individually tuned for maximum quality balance or single-ended audio. With sideways expansion, the preamp can accommodate additional analog inputs, isolated sub outputs, and extra analog outputs.

CNC Billet Chassis

Starting with an 65lb plate of ‘Kaiser Select Precision Plate’, material is machined in MSB’s own in-house CNC shop. After more then four hours of machining, 60% of the aluminium is removed, resulting in a 18lb finished product. The integration of their CNC shop allows for design optimization to create the best possible product. MSB use the high quality premium ‘Select’ metal, giving them the best anodized finishes on the market.

The MSB Remote

When MSB set out to make the MSB remote, the design was built from the ground up. Stainless steel buttons arrayed around an elegant volume wheel to optimize performance and response. California crafted in-house from an aluminium billet, the enclosure feels solid yet refined. Tailored for both the transport and the DAC’s daily use, the remote brings you closer to the music you love.

Anodized Finishes

Elegant yet commanding, the finishes are available in a matte silver or matte black anodize. MSB’s products include their in- house designed viton feet, but any audiophile M6X1 foot can be installed to personalize your system. 

The Digital Director
Optimized Audio Processing. Superior Isolation.

The Digital Director enhances essential DAC functions, externally managing digital audio sources, noise isolation and processing. Using MSB’s proprietary ProISL laser fiber optic connection, the Digital Director eliminates noise coupling into the DAC from any digital source. Increased processing power ensures our digital filtering algorithms achieve a new level of realistic and accurate analog reproduction. The Digital Director levels up the performance of all digital audio.

Authentic Reconstruction

MSB’s Prime and Hybrid DAC modules signaled a gigantic leap forward in accurate and realistic audio reproduction. In order to push MSB’s audio technology even further, the Digital Director uses two high performance DSPs, each capable of sustaining 12 billion operations per second that work in tandem with two dedicated FPGAs. This is more than 4x the processing power currently available in the DACs onboard processors, extending the life of new and existing DACs well into the future. But that’s not all: advanced new digital filters, born from decades of research and development, ensure MSB’s DACs offer a superior authentic reconstruction of the original analog signal. This allows for a more expansive soundstage, and more beautiful textures from complex performances such as massed horns, vocals, close mic’d piano, large ensembles, and full orchestras. What emerges is the most natural and emotional presentation MSB has ever created.

Linear Power Supply

The Reference and Select Digital Directors include an upgraded low-noise linear power supply. Designed and built in-house, they feature the same custom isolated transformers found in MSB’s DAC powerbases. Reducing the noise in the system always results in improved performance— this is no exception.

Reference CNC Billet Chassis

Starting with a 65lb plate of ‘Kaiser Select Precision Plate’, the chassis is machined in MSB’ own in-house CNC shop. After more than six hours of machining, more than half of the aluminum is removed, resulting in a 23lb finished product. The integration of their CNC shop allows for design optimization, creating the best possible product. MSB uses premium ‘Select’ metal, giving them the highest quality anodized finishes on the market.

Anodized Finishes

Elegant yet commanding, these finishes are available in a matte silver or matte black anodize. MSB’s products include their in- house designed viton feet, but any audiophile M6X1 foot can be installed to personalize your system.

The Reference DAC

The Reference Digital Director