MSB link III upsample upgrade worth it?

Hi: Upsampling in mSB Link brings more details, at least, for simple reason it reduces MEASURED noise. However, it changes tonal balance. Treble became unnaturally lean. The simple solution that Stan Warren arrived was to reduce this noise. He used filter he designed (similarto bessel 3d ordder)and he changed its cut-off frequency. These $200, cost of upsample module, would be much better spend on the upgrade of power supply/analog stage. Good luck

Go to the Soundstage! website and read the review by Srajan Ebean. Not only is he one of the best reviewers around, but he goes into some detail about the upsampling vs. Nelson upgrades. To summarize, he found the upsampling did very little compared to the better power supply options. I've heard from other DAC designers that upsampling is not that big a deal and can actually degrade the sound if not implemented well due to the added electronics involved in the design. I'd probably save the money and do the other Nelson upgrades and/or invest in a Perpetual Technology P1A that does actual interpolation to 24 bits, reduces jitter, and offers room correction(although I've heard room correction may not work well with electrostatics--see TacT website for details)--now we're talking serious improvement.

I have to say I'm a little surprised you find the Aerius to be harsh--in my limited experience they seem to be polite if anything so I'm wondering if one of your other components might be driving this. Especially since I've owned an MSB Link DAC and it too, at least in stock form, tends to smooth out the top octaves somewhat. Hope this was helpful and best of luck.

Tim

I've had the MSB Link DAC 3 w/ upsample for a month now. It brings more detail to the sound, you will hear things you did not notice in music you thought you knew. The price is worth the upgrade. Dont forget it takes about 100 hrs. to burn in.

Happynick, I bought the upsampling kit for the MSB III. I find no difference whatsoever. The kit comes with switch that allows you to switch between the two MHZ settings. I noticed no difference. It could be just me though. Also, perhaps the upsampled setting is less fatguing over longer listening periods. Personally, I'd spend my money elsewhere on your system. Good luck.