Only formal review of the MSB Platinum DAC III was in Bound for Sound years ago. I know DIYers who could only dream of building a discrete DAC. Discrete resistor in the 0.001% tolerance is pretty remarkable. I think AMR is contemplating such a DAC but it's years away.
Most intriguing DAC?
There's always a lot of hoopla when a new DAC comes out like the ESS Sabre32 and AKM 32 bit DACs. But these are all on silicon.
Few manufacturers actually makes discrete DACs. In the past, I was only aware of one company, Meitner, (may be dCS?) that did this. Recently I came across MSB Technologies Platinum DAC III that use closely matched discrete resistors (0.1% tolerance for standard DAC, 0.01% for the Signature upgrade, and 0.001% for the Diamond upgrade). It is a variant of the older, but highly valued, ladder DAC. MSB is one of few DAC companies that offers a steady upgrade path. I really find this DAC intriguing. But why is this DAC hardly mentioned on audio discussion sites or in the press?
Few manufacturers actually makes discrete DACs. In the past, I was only aware of one company, Meitner, (may be dCS?) that did this. Recently I came across MSB Technologies Platinum DAC III that use closely matched discrete resistors (0.1% tolerance for standard DAC, 0.01% for the Signature upgrade, and 0.001% for the Diamond upgrade). It is a variant of the older, but highly valued, ladder DAC. MSB is one of few DAC companies that offers a steady upgrade path. I really find this DAC intriguing. But why is this DAC hardly mentioned on audio discussion sites or in the press?