MSB III vs. Soundstream DAC-1 by Krell

Please get your facts and history correct before you act like you know what you are talking about, Tk_109. The review of the first ever CD player by Stereophile (the Sony CDP-101) appeared in January, 1983(!) and I think first DAC's didn't come out until the late 1980's. If you had bothered to open the manual that came with the DAC-1, you would have noticed the it was printed in 1992. Okay, granted, that's still a pretty old design (I bet their current remaining stock has been sitting in the warehouse for years), but the sound is not really that bad, assuming you have a decent transport and digital cable. Granted, it's not state of the art, and won't be challenging the dCS Elgar or Wadia 270ix anytime soon, but for the price it's going at, it's not a bad deal. Personally, I use it to upgrade the sound of my PC soundcard to play some downloaded MP3's, and I could actually get through a whole MP3 file now without having to plug my ears. It's not my reference source for CD playback, for sure. However, apart from being a lacking in transparency and detail, and being a bit dull in the mids, it's not all that bad. The sound is actually pretty smooth and bearable. Remember, we are talking about 150 clams here. Whadda ya expect? I think the MSB would probably be better, though I haven't heard it, since the technology is at least 5 years newer and costs twice as much. Get the MSB if you can afford it, but remember to audition it first (always the first rule of audiophile acquistion)!

Correction: I was refering to the Wadia 27ix. The 270 is a transport.

You can get a Dac-in-the-box for $60. trust me it's way better hands down. And it's at least around 1995 digital technology. It would be great for your MP3's. very dynamic with allot of detail without being bright. And sorry your right I meant to say 1992.

The EVS Millenium DAC -1A is the way to go. I have owned an EVS DAC ($650) for about 8 months. The performance is great. Ric Shultz (of EVS) also modifies MSB DACs, but his own design is superior. Check the comments found in audioreview.com. For the price range, there is none better!

Check out the Perpetual Technology P-3A DAC. I have also been looking and currently am using a P.S. audio Ultralink which is a little long in the tooth. What I like MOST about the P-3A DAC is that it supposedly sounds better than the MSB Link 3 for starters (according to the dealer who is selling both) and the Bel Canto which I haven't heard; (140 db signal to noise). It also works in conjunction with their P-1A Digital Correction engine which performs multi-functions including jitter reduction, output a 24 bit from 16 bit CD, has software coming out that supposedly provided digital equaization for both room and loudspeakers. The P-1A cost 950.00 and the DAC unit is 699.00. I'm giving it a try and will let you know the results. I am really excited about the P-1A, almost sounds too good to be true. We shall see. Anyone that is familiar with these units I would be interested in their impressions. In any event I have 30 days trial period.