I have had my Link DAC for about two months, and can't rave enough about it. Perhaps I had more to gain, as I use a HK FL8300 CD changer and Panasonic A110 DVD player -- both about $300 machines -- but I was absolutely blown away by the improvements clarity, soundstage, imaging and tone. I did the ABABAB ad nauseum, but couldn't stand to go back. (I can't disagree more with an earlier "audiophile" who said his FL8300 had a better DAC -- pure madness, I say...) Two particular things made me happy: first, my bass sounded a lot more full and realistic; second, my system lost a lot of brightness that was harsh at high levels.
Playing the DVD player using 24/96 DAD music (unfortunatley, 96kHz is downcoverted to 48kHz by the DVD), I almost choked on my own smile. I could practically hear Cannonball Adderly clearing his spit valve on my carpet. The difference in sound is truly amazing, far surpassing the Panasonic converters.

I confess to one problem, though. Early on the Link would sometimes get confused when I would switch between input sources (the link has one coax and one Toslink -- it autoselects the coax when both are on), and it would input lights would flutter and create static. That problem seems to have gone away.

Other pieces of my so-called system: HK AVR20II receiver, MSB digital coax cable, Kimber Hero cables, CSW Ensemble speakers.

easy set, well constructed & fantastic sound

manual & instructions of upgradability

I expected an improvement in sound, but this was an understatement. This MSB Link DAC III is a steal for the money. There are details that I hear that weren't there before. Bass is very well controlled and upper end sound controlled and layered with a very much improved soundstage.

Have a listed to Oscar Peterson's Live a the Blue note on Telarc. 20bit recording.

Associated equipment:
Musical Fidelity E61 CD Player
Radio Shack Gold interconnects (great product)
Infinity Compositions Overture 3's
HK AVR25MK II great receiver

Similar Products Used:

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On a whim I ordered one of these guys about 2 weeks ago for my DVD player. After reading numerous reviews I thought, what the hell, it is only $350 let me see how it sounds. Well I must say that I am so glad that I went out on a limb and ordered this DAC without auditioning it before-hand. I must admit that I was very sceptical about its performance relative to the reviews that it has received, but it sounds Unbelievable even through my Sony DVSP-7700 (DVD). I had no intention of using this combo to play audio, again, I bought it strictly for DVD, but after extensive listening, I can find no reason to spend another $2500 on a CDP. I have listened to the Naim 3.5, Classe .5, YBA unit (forgotten which one), Arcam 8SE and 9, and numerous others. The bottom line is that I would have never thought that this combo could compete, much less beat any of the CDPs that I have listened to, but believe it or not, it does. I must admit that I have contracted some audiophile snobbery in the past couple of years, and although I am somewhat loathe to admit it, this cheap combo, and particularly this DAC, is the real deal. Even if you are ready and willing to lay down considerably more money, like I was, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. If you do not like it, you can sell it for $300 on this website, and you are only out $50.
Assoc. Equip.
Speakers: Magnepan 3.6 - Just got them and they are Spectacular!
Source: Sony DVSP 7700 into MSB Link DAC
Amp: Bryston 3-st
Pre: Audible Illusion Mod. 3A
Cable: Cardas Cross speaker and interconnect, and Ultra Link b/t DVD and MSB

I do not yet consider myself an audiophile, but I've listened to music all of my life and am in the process of building a decent class "B" system. I just had to add to the raves this component has received. It has without question vastly improved the sound of my system. I was initially skeptical that any $350 component would make any noticeable difference in my setup; in fact I insisted on a money back guarantee from my dealer which he cheerfully gave...boy was I wrong! The Link made my system sound the way I thought a class "B" should sound! The highs were smoother with less grain and etch, the dynamics increased and the bass...whew!!! I was blown away!
Those 2 "audiophiles" who gave the Link 2 stars must be dealers who are kicking themselves for selling dac's at 10 times the price that sound almost as good as the Link.

5 stars all the way! Bravo MSB!

Details,Well-defined sound stage,Balance sound , cheap

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My exist system are Pioneer DVS-9 DVD, MSB Link DAC , Bryston BP25 preamp, Bryston 4B-ST, ATC SCM20T speaker.
Before I upgrade MSB Link to my system , I had consider changing the ATC speaker because of its low efficiency which is difficult to drive.As a result,the sound dull,thin lack of details and unclear soundstage.Luckily , I finally decided to add the MSB Link to increase the CD quality since many reviewer said DVD player has poor CD quality.I am absolutely satisfied the sound.I can't believe ATC SCM20T can be so clear,powerful,balance,good soundstage.The sound even better when I changed all the electrolistic capacitor to ENLA cerafine. MSB Link is a must audit for DVD user. I am highly recommend you try it.

Similar Products Used:

The Parts Connection -Assemblage 2.6

More on the MSB Link DAC...It is far more than just a panacea for digital-itis. Listening this past weekend, I noticed the way that the Link DAC opened up the soundstage with each and every piece that I listened to. Instruments acquired a palpability and solidity. It was as if I were hearing the real thing. The difference between the sound of the Link DAC and ordinary CD was like the difference between a photograph and a cartoon. All the elements, the ingrediants, the colors, are the same, but the resulting images do not withstand comparison. In contrast to the sound of the MSB Link DAC, CD has always in the past had a color by numbers type of presentation. Instead of sounding realistic, CD sounds like it's internal micro-processor reads digital information and assigns an apporoximate value, a crude representation of an analog wave-form. To my ears, the micro-processor is unable to convincingly mimic the waveform. The resulting sound is brighter, simpler, and cruder, with tonal coloration that is slightly off. To me this is the characteristic sound of CD. I do not know how the MSB Link DAC achieves an improvement using standard 16-bit sources like CD, but it does. Instruments sound much closer to real instruments than digital approximations. For example, horns sound metallic and naturally clipped through the Link DAC. Through standard CD, that same sound is brighter, less indentifiably metallic, and lacking in the characteristic damping of the instrument. Stringed instruments sound more authentic as well. The MSB Link DAC is better able to recreate the resonance of the bow and the resonance of the wood structure of stringed instruments. Standard CD sounds harsher and cruder. The Link DAC sounds altogether more defined, relaxed, and natural.
The Link DAC images powerfully. Sections of the orchestra and individual instruments seem to leap forward and out (practically into your lap), while maintaining a strong sense of middle-ground and back-ground. The effect is like putting on a pair of acoustic 3-D glasses.

Theoretically, the extra resolution, the improved soundstaging and imaging, the improved sense of musical realism should not be possible through the Link DAC using a 16 bit source like CD. Yet, the improvement is plain as day, testament to the quality of the MSB Link DAC's analog section. The Link DAC sounds "right." I find it easy to trust in the DAC's abilities and immerse myself in music. I am very impressed. The MSB Link DAC is a steal!

Soundstaging *****

Tonal Color *****

Imaging *****

Authenticity of sound *****

Value *****

I have to agree with the previous posting-- the Link DAC is very smooth, "tubular" and analogue-like. Although I have not tried the MF X-10, I really think it would be over-kill to my ears and system. I found the Keller Quartet "Art of Fugue" recording unlistenable on the MF X-ACT driven by my Arcam Alpha one as transport-- the violins were like nails on a blackboard. The Link seems to have solved that problem, although I am also using the Van den Hul DB 102 interconnect, which is quite lush-- sometimes I wonder if it is too lush.
Before reading Chris's review, my advice to those seeking a more mellow sound would be not to spend money on an X-10 - just go for the Link. Also, I think you could forego an anti-jitter device with the Link -- I expect that my Arcam was producing a fair bit of jitter, and causing the glare I found with the X-ACT. No such complaint with the Link. I also find I am no longer using the Marigo LongBow CD Mat- it helped focus and bring out detail with the XACT, but does not seem to contribute much to the Link. I don't want to be too harsh on the XACT, as it was a huge improvement over the Arcam alone, and all it claims to do is to improve older, less expensive CD players. It does that. But the Link really is a quantum leap.

The Link, of course, does not have HDCD, but I really don't think I'm missing anything because of it. Although I have not been able to do a comparison in this regard, the audiophile press seems to prefer a well executed non-HCDC player over a poorly executed HDCD player (e.g., Arcam 8 v 8SE). The 24/96 really does seem to draw more information out of the 16 bits, and I expect challenges HDCD in that regard. I would be interested in hearing views on that issue, though.

I bought a used (!) MSB Link DAC from somebody who just flipped for the Gold version. I paid CAN $500 for it which is a fair price I guess considering the fact that the exchange rate is 1.50 :-((
I connected it to my AMC CD-9 player (coax output). No, I did not use a special digital interconnect, just a $10 cable.

The sound is nice but not as radically different from the one I get through the analog outputs of the CD-9 as I imagined (dreamt) it would be. Don't get me wrong: it _is_ different: deeper bass, more punch in the mids, a little "cleaner" sound. I did A/B comparisons so I'm sure.

One strange thing: it seems to go "out of synch" sometimes (but rarely) when there is no input signal to convert (when I switch off my CD player): all the LEDs start to flash randomly. It doesn't stop even if I switch my CD player on again and press play. The only way to "reset" the DAC is to unglug its power cord for 5 seconds and plug it back again. Works everytime. MSB should have put a reset switch; I don't like to unplug it brutally.

Of course it is also a 24/96 DAC so I can't wait for my Toshiba SD-3109 DVD player to arrive... :-)))))

I was wondering if somebody had tried the Virtual 3D option. If you have please email me or post your impressions here. There are also rumours of a HDCD decoder option board for the Link DAC in the works at MSB. If you are interested in such an option tell them; they are very interested in our comments and feedback.

In a nutshell: I like it very much. Nice sound. Nice construction. Nice options coming up. My rating: *****

Nemo.

listened to the link dac a few months ago and was really impressed. made a decision this week to purchase one, here is the problem. the whole world is out of stock. msb has not even returned my e-mail i sent last sunday. yesterday i talked to a dealer who carries the link, he states dealers will start receiving shipments after easter. he further stated that why msb is out of stock is because the new shipments will be UPDATED VERSION OF LINK, MEANING A FEW CHANGES INTERNALLY. CAN'T WAIT TO GET ONE. if anyone knows anything about the changes please post. thank you for all the very useful reveiws.

The MSB Link DAC, a 96/24 compatible digital to analog converter containing a 24 bit chipset, is priced inexpensively at $350.00. I have had the MSB Link DAC for only two weeks now, but I have much to say about it.
First off, the Link DAC does not sound like any digital device that I have ever heard. I was puzzled by the sound for the first couple of days. I kept asking myself, "is it rolled off in the treble?" "Why does it sound so smooth?" The Link DAC does not sound like digital sound (or what I have come to think of as "digital" sound) at all. I struggled the first week to identify the sound.

I used orchestral pieces by Schubert as my first test. Using my B&W P4 speakers fed by a Sony CDP XE500 CD player, these pieces sound dry, scratchy, and unnatural. When I first connected in the MSB Link DAC (using the Sony as transport), the sound altered radically. I was at a loss at first to quantify the changes, but I concentrated my attention formost on the quality of the strings. They were still unsatisfactory. Still dry and scratchy. Then, I added in a Musical Fidelity X-10D line stage buffer and that seemed to do the trick. The edge and fatigue in the sound disappeared. String tone acquired the final 10% of naturalness. The entire sound was transformed. Let me point out that the Musical Fidelity X-10D never accomplished this alone. The MSB Link DAC was the deciding factor.

The "digital" quality of the sound was no longer evident. The strings sounded smoother & sweeter. Brass instruments sounded far closer to real brass than the digital approximations that I am used to. Was this still CD? The sound was extremely analog-like. If I did not know that I was listening to CD, I would say that I was listening to vinyl. Vinyl. That was it. Finally, an explanation. I had not heard the sound of vinyl in twelve years and it took a while to recognize it.

Yet, I was afraid that the sound was too smooth. I became alarmed. I even considered returning the MSB Link DAC. It seemed that the extreme treble was being rolled off. To test this theory, I just switched back and forth between the Sony/DAC combo and a Technics changer. Two very different sounds, but I did not detect any treble roll-off in direct comparison. The way the Sony/DAC combo presented treble just seemed different, far less brightly lit, less glare, a rounder sound. Listening to the combo makes me realize how cartoonish CD sounds and how much more realistic analog sound can be. Mind you, this is analog as it never was in the past, without wow and flutter, without annoying clicks and pops. I am really warming to this type of presentation.

The MSB Link DAC is a well built piece of equipment. It is full size with a full compliment of digital (optical and electrical) and analog inputs and outputs. The DAC has no front panel controls, only lights indicating power on, which digital input is active, and the sampling rate. Furthermore, the Link DAC weighs almost twenty pounds and feels far more solid than most CD players. The out-board power supply is neat too.

I have not yet tried the MSB Link DAC with 24/96 sources, but I am looking forward to it. My only caveat, if I can call it that, concerning the MSB Link DAC is that it's sound is totally and completely analog-like. This product is not a fence sitter. It really does not sound like CD at all. If you like the sound of vinyl, go for it. Moreover, the sound of the Link DAC seems most suitable for classical music. The DAC enhances bass, which can be overpowering with rock and dance, but really brings out the power of orchestral timpani. The Link DAC makes the perfect CD upgrade for vinyl afficionados or for anyone suffering from the brightness and harshness of most digital sources. The MSB Link DAC has quite transformed my B&W P4 speakers, which to their credit are able to reflect the new, smoother, rounder sound.

Sound (if you like vinyl) *****

Build Quality *****

Ease of Use *****

Upgradeability *****