If i may make two comments to @mattmiller:
1. Actually, while one can spend a lot on a system and get poor results it is quite relevant if a user has a highly resolving system vs. less so. And $10k in a system by high end standards is -- choke -- not a lot. Some of these DACs cost that. and all systems are links in a chain.
2. I too have an old MSB gold nelson that i got from Mark 20 odd years ago. Its a pretty solid DAC even today. Mine has both re-designed and vastly better power supplies (my own) and a USB interface with isolation, independent power, and re-clocking (also my own). This steps it up several notches. yet it is still not the equal of my other, mostly newer DACs. but that is a story that i don’t have time to type at the moment.
But yea, Mark was way ahead for the money back then. His new R2R stuff, OTOH i believe starts at around $20k. Gulp.
and to @joey_v (apparently i got that wrong): I agree the EMM is excellent. I recently heard it in one of the best systems I’ve every heard. One of those systems that just vanished. No drama, not "impressive". I just listened to music. As i recall not cheap.
1. Actually, while one can spend a lot on a system and get poor results it is quite relevant if a user has a highly resolving system vs. less so. And $10k in a system by high end standards is -- choke -- not a lot. Some of these DACs cost that. and all systems are links in a chain.
2. I too have an old MSB gold nelson that i got from Mark 20 odd years ago. Its a pretty solid DAC even today. Mine has both re-designed and vastly better power supplies (my own) and a USB interface with isolation, independent power, and re-clocking (also my own). This steps it up several notches. yet it is still not the equal of my other, mostly newer DACs. but that is a story that i don’t have time to type at the moment.
But yea, Mark was way ahead for the money back then. His new R2R stuff, OTOH i believe starts at around $20k. Gulp.
and to @joey_v (apparently i got that wrong): I agree the EMM is excellent. I recently heard it in one of the best systems I’ve every heard. One of those systems that just vanished. No drama, not "impressive". I just listened to music. As i recall not cheap.