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DAC IV
plus
Users Manual
Rev 1 (12/2012)
Sign Magnitude Ladder daC SpeCifiCationS
inputS: BnC, CoaxiaL, toSLink, BaLanCed aeS/eBu, MSB pro i2S and a BaLanCed anaLog
input
rCa outputS: 2.62 V rMS (7 Vpp)
rCa output iMpedanCe: 53 ohMS without VoLuMe ControLS, 38 ohMS with VoLuMe ControLS
BaLanCed output: 5.23 V rMS (14 Vpp)
BaLanCed output iMpedanCe: 106 ohMS without VoLuMe ControLS, 76 ohMS with VoLuMe ControLS
VoLuMe ControL (optionaL): Signature: 1/4, 1/2 or 1 dB Stepped attenuator, (78, 156 or 312 StepS)
pLatinuM: 2 dB StepS
SaMpLing frequenCy: 32 khz to 384khz
Bit depth: 32 Bit
ModeLS: pLatinuM
Warning! The DAC IV uses a high current power connector that requires a two step plug in. Push the
connector firmly in about 1/4”, then push harder and it should snap in another 1/8”. When plugged in,
the connector housing extends into the metal back. Check both ends.
p
LuS
and Signature
p
LuS
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DAC IV
Unique Product - a Preamp or a DAC?
This product has the option to be a unique combination of a very high performance DAC and
the ultimate passive preamp. It is intended to be used as both for the best possible sound in your
system. Our preamp philosophy is based on the belief that from the moment analog audio is
created, every transition that is made degrades the quality. That means that an active preamp with
many stages if perfect would have no effect and any imperfection would result in degradation of
the music. That is why we offer a passive preamp within the DAC IV, to achieve the simplest,
shortest possible signal path, with the least possible degradation of the true music.
The Volume Control Upgrade
The DAC IV has one analog input with the option for a second, and many digital inputs. It is
designed to be the last component in your system before the ampliers. With its incredibly low
impedance, especially for a passive preamp, it can drive long interconnects and handle any type
of amplier input stage design with optimum performance.
Plus
Users Manual
CD, DVD-A
Transport
Phono
Preamp
Depending on how many analog sources you have in your system, you may be able to eliminate
your current preamp. If you currently have only CD and vinyl in your system, you would attach
your CD players digital output to the DAC IV and the output of your phono preamp to the analog
input. Your system is now complete, with the shortest possible signal path and the best sound
you can achieve. The same idea applies to use with an SACD or Universal player. The MSB
Universal Player provides the highest quality SACD playback via the MSB Network.
If you have a complex system with a preamp with many analog inputs, attach the outputs of your
preamp to the input on the DAC IV. Shift any digital sources over to digital inputs on the DAC
IV and again, you will achieve optimum results. Set your preamp to a volume that matches the
DAC IV output and use nothing but the DAC IV volume control in your system.
The volume control modules can be easily installed or removed by your dealer.
Setup and Quick Start
The front panel is quite simple with few user controls. Input source select
defaults to auto. On power up, the volume is reset to -30 dB. Turn the volume
knob up until you hear music.
Power - The Platinum comes with a range of outboard power supplies. The
supply automatically detects and switches between 240V and 120V. This is not
a switching supply that works at any voltage, but a linear supply with automatic
switching of the transformer leads. Always allow three to ve hours for the
Platinum to warm up and reach thermal equilibrium.
Inputs - The Platinum comes standard with one MSB PRO I2S (CAT6), AES/
EBU balanced, coaxial (RCA and BNC) and optical digital audio inputs, as
well as a balance analog input, ranked in order of performance. Connect any
digital input to any active digital audio source. The frequency and bit depth
of the incoming signal will be read out on the front panel and analog audio
will be found on both balanced and single-ended analog outputs.
Outputs
Connect the balanced or single-ended analog outputs to any amplier and audio
should be present. The output level is controlled with the knob or remote.
Digital
Digital
Universal Player
Analog
R/L
DAC IV
Analog
R/L
AMPs
SACD Player
Analog
R/L
DAC IV
Analog
R/L
AMPs
with XPORT
Upgrade
Burn-In
The concept of burn-in is little understood. Does it take your ears some time to get used to the
incredibly detailed and life-like sound of an MSB product or is something actually changing?
The feedback we receive leads us to recommend at least 100 hours of burn-in on this DAC.
Customers generally recommend one month.
Warning: Please verify that the DAC IV you just purchased is covered under warranty. This
DAC was sold to the Distributor named on your box label and in the “about” section of your
setup screen. The country and date of manufacture is also specied. If the country and year
do not match your purchase location, your warranty may be invalid. Check with MSB.
MSB Network
DAC IV
Analog
R/L
AMPs
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The Signature Data CD is a great companion to
the DAC IV. It is shown here with the Signature
Transport Power Base in Satin Black.
Here is the complete MSB System, available in Matt White or Satin Black.
iLInk II Upgrade
This option adds an iPod dock to the cover of the DAC IV. There are no setup options or controls. Plug in the
iPod and press play. In addition, the square remote buttons can be used to control the iPod.
* The stop button actually turns off the
iLink. This releases the DAC input
when auto select is on. Play will turn the
iLink back on but be patient as it takes a
few seconds for the iPod to reconnect.
* Play / Pause starts and stops
playback.
* Forward and Back jump to the next
track in the playlist.
The iLink II will charge the iPod when
plugged in. It works well with all
Generation 6 or later models including
the classic, touch and nano models. It
also seems to work with the iPhone.
You may add this option any time by
swapping the cover.
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Unique Technology - the past and the future
In the 1980’s early DACs were all 16 bit ladder DACs, with a precision laser-trimmed resistor
creating the appropriate analog level for each of the bits. The DACs worked well and sounded
good. They were quite expensive as very accurate resistors were required. Then along came
the “single bit” DACs. Rather than using a resistor to create an analog level, pulse width
modulation was used. Basically each bit was created by turning a switch on and off for the
appropriate length of time. The resulting square wave pattern was ltered to create a smooth
output. The expensive resistors were gone, and so was the good performance. Next came
the Delta Sigma DAC. It used the same pulse width modulation but rather than creating a
single large pulse for each data point, the data point was created with many small pulses. This
allows the pulses to be smoothed with a less radical lter, and improves the sound. As you
can see, upsampling the input signal to a higher frequency reduces the ltering requirements
and thus improves the sound.
The DAC IV draws from the older, superior ladder technology, but with incredible
improvements. The Basic Platinum contains four 24 bit MSB DAC
modules (seen below). The Platinum is fully balanced so there is
a matched pair of 24 bit DAC modules for the inverted and noninverted signals on each of the right and left channels. Finally, each
DAC module contains one R2R ladder DAC with a 23 bit negative
sign and one R2R ladder DAC with a 23 bit positive sign. Together
this makes a true 24 bit DAC. This design allows the quieter moments
in your music to be true to the music, without the linearity errors
near zero that plague normal ladder and delta-sigma DAC designs.
With a dual 24 bits of combined resolution, a 24 bit source gives a
true 24 bit resolution without the losses and errors that make your
normal 16 or 24 bit DAC perform far less than their actual resolution
(normal 16 bit DACs only muster a meager 12 bits of resolution).
The DAC IV is carefully designed so as to require no DC correction
Second Generation Platinum DAC module - Smaller but mor bits!
in the output stage. This allows direct DC coupling on the output
stage for pure, uncolored sound -- with no output ltering to muck
up your high end or smear your bass attack.
Right Channel
MSB DAC Module (Non-inverted signal)
23 bit positive sign DAC
23 bit negative sign DAC
MSB DAC Module (Inverted signal)
23 bit positive sign DAC
23 bit negative sign DAC
BLoCk diagraM
Toggle Switch
Coaxial Out
Balanced Out
Another major difference in the DAC IV is the type of output.
Essentially all ladder DACs produce a current output. This is
converted to a voltage output with a current-to-voltage converter.
This problematic circuit colors the sound and introduces nonlinearity. The DAC IV is a true voltage DAC with a voltage output
right from the source. All ampliers have slew rates greater than
1000 Volts/microsecond. The output impedance of the DAC IV is
53 ohms.
Special Features
Original Platinum DAC module
The Dual Signature DACs
produce 25 bits of resolution,
twice the number of steps as
the 24 bit Platinum.
The DAC IV has many special features. The following sections discuss these features and how they work. As MSB Technology has
developed, so has our DAC architecture. Our advanced digital lter now replaces the asynchronous upsampling of earlier models. The
32X Digital lter goes way beyond our older 16X lter and 4X upsampling. To play a 32 bit/384 kHz le the Platinum only needs to be
plugged into the MSB Data CD IV player and a DVD with a 32/384 .wav le needs to be played. The new reclocking feature dynamically
buffers and re-clocks all the data and clock signals to provide a virtually jitter-free source directly to the DACs.
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010010100011101000110110
THE DAC STORY
how daCS work
A DAC is a circuit that converts
digital measures of audio amplitude
in discrete steps into a continuous analog
electrical equivalent of the sound to be reproduced. The
amplitude is a digital number (like a 16 bit word) and the
steps occur based on the sampling rate (like 48,000 times per
second). This process is very much like an endless conveyer
belt with empty one gallon jugs on it, moving by a lling
station. The size of the jug is xed, the rate they pass by is
determined by the sampling rate. The goal of the DAC is to
ll each jug to exactly the right level specied by the music.
There are three techniques used to accomplish this; Delta
Sigma, Ladder, and the MSB Sign Magnitude Ladder.
Each sample or jug is
filled to the right level
with many measuring
cups, poured to reach
the target level.
Delta Sigma DaCS (Single Bit)
A “one bit” measuring cup is either
full or empty. With 64 times over-
sampling, the cup is only 1/64th
the volume of the jug. This rather
crude cup does not
come close to
being accurate
enough. The cup
would need to be
1/16,777,216th
the volume of the jug
to be accurate.
laDDer DaC
A ladder DAC is different
in that instead of a single
measuring cup (or bit), a
whole array of cups are
available, from very
small to very large.
what aBout Jitter?
Jitter is a variation in the speed of the conveyer belt.
With a Delta Sigma DAC, the quantity of water ending
up in the jug is dramatically affected by the speed
change because the whole cycle is occupied with
the application of many small scoops of water. With
either Ladder DAC method, all the water is placed in
the jug at the same time, and even if the jug is a little
ahead or behind in the conveyer belt, the quantity
is still accurate. That is why we never heard much
about jitter until the rst Delta Sigma DACs arrived
on the scene.
Any combination of cups
can be used to fill each jug
to exactly the right level.
No
filtering is
required but
the accuracy
is defined by
the cumulative
error of all
Because the jars are
typically 1/2 full when
finished, we start
with very accurately
1/2 filled containers
instead of empty ones.
From there, we again
use the wide range of
measuring cups to either add
or take away from each jar.
Line speed
is like Sampling
Rate (48,000 per
By keeping a running tally of the error and by going a little over
and a little under in many many samples, a very accurate average is
reached, but only with an aggressive filter applied to the output.
mSB Sign magnituDe laDDer DaC
The MSB Sign Magnitude
Ladder DAC is like a Ladder
DAC but refined in two ways.
Again each jar is filled exactly so no
filtering is needed, but because we only had to add or subtract a little bit
our accuracy is higher. Because our hearing is most sensitive to low level
sound (sound near the 1/2 full zero crossing) our DAC is most accurate
near 1/2 full where we use the smallest and most accurate measuring cups.
the MSB pLatinuM daC
No commercial DAC is available with the level of accuracy
we wanted without ltering, so we produce our own using
discrete logic and resistors in a DAC module. MSB is unique
in this respect. The result is a signal-to-noise rating of up to
140 db and THD+Noise ratings near the theoretical limit of
a 24 bit source.
what aBout upSaMpLing?
Synchronous Upsampling like MSB does just means adding more
jars between the existing jars and moving them faster down the line.
By looking at many jars before and after the new empty one, we
calculate how full to make it. The result is smaller steps as shown in
the waveform.
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The menu selectable digital lters (from the optional digital lter suite)
permits the user to choose the lter design they prefer. It allows for the
selection of a standard brick-wall lter or a slow roll-off lter, both at half the
sampling frequency. Each provide a distinct, glorious listening experience.
You may favor one or the other, or enjoy changing the lter response to suit
the music you listen to. Music with less high frequencies may benet from
the slow roll-off 16x lter.
To play all kinds of media such as BluRay or SACD, your player needs to
have an MSB Network or XPORT output. If your player does not have the
MSB Network output, it can be added.
Upsampling
Upsampling has been in and out of vogue for many years. Its benet has
been obvious in one DAC and nonexistent in another. Here is a simple
explanation of why MSB feels upsampling is important. Typically the most
processor intensive task in a DAC is the digital ltering. A digital lter
takes a look at a window of the music being played, and because that music
was received from a digital source, there are holes in it, between data bytes.
The lter looks at the shape of the signal in the window and tries to gure
out what the missing data is. The bigger
the window, the better a job it
does, and the bigger processor
is needed.
Well depending on the sample
frequency of the incoming
data, a different digital lter is
run. Each is a little different
and each may not sound the
same. As a result, CDs at 16
bit and 44.1 kHz might sound
better or worse than 24 bit 96
kHz les in a particular DAC.
But generally, the higher
upSaMpLing
effeCt
the sampling frequency,
the more processor power
can be applied to look at
a bigger window and the
better job the digital filter
can do. So we recommend
synchronous upsampling,
where the original data points
Sign waVe (0 dB, 19.95 khz teSt tone
SCope SettingS 2 V/diV, 10 uSeC/diV)
are preserved, but the spaces
between them are lled in.
Custom MSB Digital Filter
The DAC IV has a custom DSP based Digital lter. The sine x function is
the ideal shape to apply to the audio lter task, but unfortunately to work
perfectly it must sample an innite number of samples. Our 16x lter
contained 3200 taps, a very large sample and worked well. The 32x Filter
contains and amazing 6000 taps, and the increased size of the lter more
closely approximates the ideal lter. Immediately you can hear the increased
clarity of the music.
MSB has applied noise shaping technology, not directly to the audio as
SACD and Delta Sigma DACs do but to the actual digital lter. This novel
approach reduces that digital harshness without loss of detail or focus.
Just as glasses bring an image into focus for eyes that are not perfect, we
have applied a corrective algorithm to the slight imperfections specically
found in our DAC architecture. This new innovation focuses the instruments
more accurately on the soundstage.
MSB Digital Filter History and Detail
One of our primary goals at MSB is to provide the music
lover with the most accurate musical experience possible.
During years of careful design and improvement of our
custom discrete DACs, which form the heart of your
Platinum DAC, we realized that the Platinums sound
quality was no longer limited by them. We soon narrowed
the problem to the Digital Filter which was feeding our
DACs. While the excellent Burr-Brown (Now owned by
Texas Instruments) DF1704 Digital Filter had served us
well in the past, it had became the bottleneck once we
started using our new Second Generation DAC modules.
After a thorough search of all the available off the shelf
and custom DSP based Digital Filters we realized that
little improvement could be had from any of them. With
no other option in sight we decided to build our own
solution.
Converting the ones and zeros of Digital Audio into
music is an enormously delicate and critical process.
Each individual sample that makes up the audio stream
must be converted into the high resolution, continuous
analog voltage that can be transformed into the sound
that you hear. Any misstep can corrupt the nal result
ending with audio that does not sound anything like the
original recording. Errors in translation can make a harsh,
veiled, muddy, and/or tonally colored result. Minimizing
each potential problem allows the original recording to
shine through.
Audio reproduction starts when the DAC receives the
binary coded information from the source. The rst step
requires recovering the audio samples, which represent
the nal output voltages, and the timing, which tells the
DAC when to output those voltages. Next the sample
rate is raised and the data is digitally ltered. While it is
possible to feed the DAC with the original audio samples
thereby avoiding the use of a digital lter skipping this step
has many unintended consequences. After being digitally
ltered the digital stream is feed to the DAC. The DAC
receives the digital audio samples and converts them into
a continuous analog voltage. Our DACs instantly convert
the data into a precise continuous voltage waveform with
timing determined by the DACs conversion clock.
The digital lter is necessary because mirrored image
frequencies created during the conversion process must
be removed. If the DAC did not have a digital lter, an
analog lter with an aggressive response must remove
these image frequencies. These brick wall analog lters
seriously damage the signal by corrupting the original
phase of the sound and cannot fully remove the high
frequency images. This results in harsh or rolled off high
frequencies and poor soundstage focus.
Traditional digital lter designs consist of cascaded FIR
(Finite Impulse Response) lters, each of which raise
the sample rate by two. The intermediate data between
the lters is usually stored at less than 40 bit resolution.
Since the next lter works with previously computed
data the resolution decreases with each lter pass. This
limits higher quality digital lters to a low oversampling
rate (usually 8x) before the output starts to deteriorate.
The loss in resolution is typically not apparent when
using the best conventional digital lters with standard
DAC chips, but in combination with our high resolution
DACs the problem is very apparent. The sound becomes
muddy, veiled and un-involving when using any off the
shelf digital lter. To counter this problem the MSB Digital
Filter does it’s ltering in one lter stage that raises the
sampling rate by 32.
FIR lters operate by multiplying each sample in the data
by a set of lter coefcients and then summing the result.
Most digital lters round the result of each addition before
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the adding next sample. This repeated roundoff results in a
similar problem to the cascaded 2x lter approach, muddy
sound. MSBs digital lter uses bit perfect accumulation in an
80 bit accumulator completely eliminating these debilitating
roundoff errors. Only as the last step do we carefully convert
the audio to the 24 or 26 bits our DACs require. The high
sampling rate of the output allows us to include advanced
ultrasonic dither and noise shaping techniques in this step
to achieve greater than 24 bit effective resolution.
Through extensive listening tests we have found that the
choice of lter coefcients has a great impact on the tone of
the music. We have found that steep, phase perfect “Brick
Wall” lters tend to sound the most neutral but are also the
most difcult to implement without problems. Improvements
we have made in our digital lter, with its single stage design
and 80 bit computation, allow us to use very steep lters
with no compromises.
Custom Filter Options
We recognize that different people often have very different
taste in their music. For those who do not like the standard
choice of lter, or require a different lter response, we
have provided a very easy method for customizing your
MSB Digital Filter. By playing a standard CD containing a
custom lter algorithm you can temporarily change the lter
inside your Digital Filter. This CD lter loading allows you
to load almost any FIR lter quickly and easily. You may
also upgrade your MSB Digital Filter with the latest custom
software just by playing a special Firmware Upgrade CD.
The timing of the DACs conversion clock also has a large
impact on sound quality. Any periodic frequency change
or “jitter” causes a loss of focus in the reproduced audio.
The high power and large memory space of the SHARC
DSP we use allows us to offer a unique Ultra Clock to your
MSB Digital Filter. The Ultra Clock adds two ultra precision,
ultra low jitter TCXO oscillators and custom clock handling
circuitry to your board. This custom circuitry allows us to
do much more than simply reclock the data, as other jitter
reduction boxes do, but completely replace the incoming
clock!
Most jitter reduction schemes rely on Phase Locked
Loops or Asynchronous Sample Rate Converters. The
Phase Locked Loop is able to reduce jitter to a signicant
degree but not eliminate it because the output clock must
be related to the input clock. The Asynchronous Sample
Rate Converter, which completely replaces the data and
clock, seems ideal until you realize that the complex
computation involved harms the data by permanently
imbedding a portion of the clock jitter into the data. Sample
Rate conversion is also detrimental to the sound due to the
complex and sub optimal digital lters involved, which must
change their lter response to track minute changes in the
input to output clock ratio.
The Ultra Clock sidesteps both of these problems by storing
the incoming data in an extremely large buffer (1/2 second
of audio.) The on-board clock then reads out the data
without jitter. The on-board clocks are totally independent
from the input clock so that no jitter is transferred to the
output. True absolute digital silences such as a track skips
are selectively shortened or lengthened by the DSP to
keep the buffer synchronized. This process is carried out
seamlessly by the DSP to assure that all compatible sample
rates have their clocks properly replaced. Compatible
sample rates are 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz,
192 kHz, 352.8 kHz, and 384 kHz. Other sample rates
automatically use the recovered clock from the transport
without user intervention. The large delay caused by the
buffer with 48 kHz sample rate audio from a DVD movie
may cause the audio to be unsynchronized. You can turn
this feature off with the remote.
About the Clock / Jitter Control
Jitter control devices (and inputs on most DACs) normally reclock the input
signal in attempt to lessen the jitter of that incoming signal. The DAC IV
does no such re-clocking. We actually pay no attention to the clock on the
input signal. All internal clocks are generated by an extremely accurate plugin clock. Since the input clock is no longer related to the clock of the DAC
IV, an intelligent ½ second buffer is used to maintain data synchronization.
A clock header is a part of the DAC IV that will allow even more accurate
clocks to be installed as an upgrade as they become available. Clock jitter
seems to be the single biggest contributor to digital harshness. MSB clocks
are the lowest jitter audio clocks in the world. The DAC IV plus models
are supplied with the Femto 140 Clock with about 140 femtoseconds of
jitter. The Galaxy Femtosecond Clock is a great upgrade and offers about
77 picoseconds of jitter.
the feMtoSeCond gaLaxy CLoCk offerS the LoweSt Jitter in the
worLd and iS a great upgrade.
Custom Software and Temporary Filters
A custom digital lter will allow you to tailor the sound of your Platinum.
Any form of custom FIR lter may be loaded into the MSB Digital Filter.
You may select a custom lter from our library, you may have MSB design
a lter to your specications or you may send MSB a list of Fir Filter
coefcients that we can format into a CD loadable le for you. You cannot
permanently damage your DAC by loading a Temporary Custom Filter, it is
only active until you power down the Platinum. Contact MSB Technology
for details on custom lters.
Step One, Verify Your Equipment Compatibility - To successfully load your
custom lter you must have your Platinum connected to a transport that
will not change the Data. Almost all older CD players are acceptable,
however there are some important exceptions. Upsampling CD transports
will not work. The Upsampling drives are ne for playing audio after the
upload however. DVD players should work ne when they are congured
in a mode that does not affect the Data such as CD pass-through mode.
The iPod is an excellent way to play this le if you have the iLink upgrade.
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Step Two, Burn the CD - When burning a CD containing the custom lter you must burn the .wav audio le directly to a CD without rst
converting it to another audio format such as MP3. Converting the .wav le to another format will destroy the careful formatting which
allows the DSP to load lters directly from a CD. You may however burn other audio to the CD as separate tracks. This allows you to
create a CD with a custom sound that differs from the rest of your collection. A suggestion is to place a track containing the Custom
Filter on the CD as track 1 and place the Special Filter Cancellation Code as the last track. This will allow a CD to play through with a
custom lter leaving your Platinum in the normal lter mode at the end of the CD. With an iPod, these tracks can be included in a playlist.
Step Three, Play the CD or iPod - To ensure a proper load of the lter you must remember to disable any digital processing before the
Digital Filter. This includes turning off processing in DVD players, Upsampling in CD Players and Upsampling in the Platinum itself.
If the Filter Load Fails because the equipment is not compatible or the track is not played through the MSB Digital Filter the track
containing the Custom Filter will play a short tone followed by a Update Failed message. A successful load will just be a short tone
followed by a ve-second silence.
Step Four, Select the Filter - A custom loaded lter will remain the until the power is cycled. To use the lter, look in the setup menu
for the “temporary” lter and select it.
Loading New Firmware
Loading custom Digital Filter Firmware will permanently change the operation of your DSP. MSB Technology can congure custom
software for your DSP to meet virtually any requirement. Playing a CD track containing the new rmware will erase the current software
in your Digital Filter and replace it with the contents of the update le. This is just as safe as loading a Custom Digital Filter if one
precaution is faithfully observed. The rmware update process takes about 20-30 seconds and you MUST NOT INTERRUPT THE
POWER TO THE PLATINUM while the new rmware is loading. You must wait for the message after the Firmware Update before
interrupting your Platinum’s power. If the power to the Platinum is interrupted during a rmware update you will have to return the
DAC to MSB for reprogramming. MSB will charge you a small fee for this service. If you have accidentally loaded rmware that you
do not wish to have on your Platinum do not try to cancel it while it is loading, simply wait for the update to complete and then load the
rmware you do wish to have on your DAC.
Step One, Verify Your Equipment Compatibility - To successfully load your new rmware you must have your Platinum connected to
a transport that will not change the Data. Almost all older CD players are acceptable, however there are some important exceptions.
Upsampling CD transports will not work. The Upsampling drives are ne for playing audio after the upload however. DVD players
should work ne when they are congured in a mode that does not affect the Data such as CD pass-through mode. The iPod is an
excellent way to play this le if you have the iLink II upgrade.
Step Two, Burn the CD - When burning a CD containing the new rmware you must burn the .wav audio le directly to a CD without
rst converting it to another audio format such as MP3. Converting the .wav le to another format will destroy the careful formatting
which allows the DSP to load lters directly from a CD. With an iPod, these tracks can be included in a playlist.
Step Three, Play the CD - To ensure a proper load of the rmware you must remember to disable any digital processing before the Digital
Filter. This includes turning off any processing in DVD players, Upsampling in CD players and Upsampling in the Platinum itself. If
the Filter Load Fails (the equipment is not compatible or the track is not played trough the MSB Digital Filter) the track containing the
new rmware will play an introduction and a short tone followed by a Firmware Update Failed message. With a successful load the
tone will just be followed by a 5 to 15 second silence followed by music. The new rmware is loaded but not running at this point, you
need to press any button or change any menu to activate the change.
Step Four, Enjoy Your New Features - Custom Firmware permanently changes the software running on your DSP. This change occurs
immediately following a rmware update. A rmware update will not change the names of your menus, but may change the function
they perform. If you are not happy with your new rmware simply load your old rmware using the instructions above.
Rear Panel Analog Details - (left to right)
Right Analog Single-Ended RCA Output – This is the primary single ended RCA analog output. For optimum performance, select
single-ended mode from menu. This uses both DACs to gain an extra bit of resolution, but disables the Balanced Outputs. The output
impedance is 38 ohms with volume control and 53 ohms without, and output level is 7 Volts PP (2.62 V RMS).
Right Analog Single-Ended RCA Alternate Output – This is the alternative single-ended RCA analog output. When the DAC is set in the
single-ended mode, this output is exactly the same as the primary output. When the DAC is in the Balanced mode, this output becomes an
inverted version of the RCA output. When the DAC is in the multichannel mode, this output becomes the extra channel output. When the
optional Second Analog Input upgrade is installed, this becomes a single-ended analog input. As an input, this line should be terminated
or connected to a source as it is directly connected to the output when the DAC power is turned off.
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Right Analog Balanced XLR Output – This is the balanced XLR analog output. The DAC should be set for balanced mode when using this
output. When set to single ended, the differential output will be equal and you will hear nothing. When the DAC is set to multichannel
mode, the primary channel will be heard on the non-inverted output pin and the alternate channel on the inverted output pin. The output
impedance is 106 ohms with volume control and 76 ohms without, and output level is 14 Volts PP (5.24 V RMS).
Right Analog Balanced XLR Input – This is the balanced analog input. This input is passed to the output with no change unless a volume
option is installed. The non-inverted and inverted inputs are also passed to the single-ended and alternate outputs, respectively, regardless
of the mode setting. When the volume control is installed, this input can be either volume controlled or not, depending on the menu
settings. This input is ideal for adding a vinyl input to your system. Minimum input impedance is 2 kohms. For an RCA input, use an
RCA to XLR conversion connector. At 0 dB volume setting, the analog inputs are a direct pass-through.
Left Analog Connections – Same as right above.
Aux One and Two – A second balanced analog input can be installed here, instead of the single-ended option. It can use or bypass the
volume control independently of the rst analog input.
How to Hook Up a Subwoofer
Main AMP Balanced – Set the DAC for a balanced output and attach main amp normally. Use the single-ended output for subwoofer.
(Preferred Conguration)
Main AMP Single-ended – Set the DAC for a single-ended output and attach main amp normally. Use the alternate single-ended output
to connect to the subwoofer.
Rear Panel Digital Details - (right to left)
Power Input – This product must be plugged into a DAC IV Platinum or Signature Power Base with both analog and digital supplies. It
will not work with any previous MSB power supplies such as the P1000. The Diamond Power Base also makes an excellent upgrade.
RS-232 – The RS-232 optional input is used for controlling the DAC or volume control using a remote system.
Toslink – Although this format has the lowest bandwidth, it is one of the more common outputs on low-end products. It also offers ground
isolation between products and noise immunity over long runs. It is unlikely to work at sample rates over 192 kHz.
Coaxial – A good input for short runs and lower frequencies. Limited to 384 kHz, 24 bit data.
Connector Details
Single-Ended Analog Input Cable
A single-ended analog input can be made
out of the balanced input.
In a case where
three single-ended
outputs are desired,
a cable can be made
to extract a singleended output from a
balanced output.
Now two singleended outputs are
available, even
when the DAC is set
Male XLR (output)
to the single-ended
mode.
Output Cable
Power Base Connection Diagram
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The MSB PRO I2S Network
One of the most powerful features of MSB products is the PRO I2S network. Most
new MSB products have a PRO I2S connection available. The MSB PRO I2S has the
following capability:
• Works with standard CAT6 cable
• Simultaneous transmission of 8 audio channels with 32 bit resolution at 384 kHz
sampling rate.
• MSB CAN Interbox communication Bus (for communications between
boxes)
• Low Jitter master clock distribution from the DAC back to the Transport.
This network is our answer to 384 kHz audio transmission and multichannel transmission
in the same package. We provide network
outputs on our own transports and offer
a source upgrade to your transport as
well. With multichannel sources, up to
8 channels of decoded data can be
sent through one wire to separate
DACs. CAT6 wire is very convenient
as it has become the standard for
all computer networks. Several
cables are available for connecting
MSB transports to the Platinum Line
including CAT6 cable at any length
up to 80 feet.
MSB PRO I2S Connector
BNC – Same as Coaxial but with a BNC connector.
Another digital input.
Balanced digital – The AES/EBU Professional
input is the preferred input. The balanced nature of
this input allows great cable lengths as well as total
noise immunity. Limited to 384 kHz, 24 bit data.
MSB PRO I2S – The MSB PRO I2S uses CAT-6
cabling. It provides an input for use with other
MSB products. It can handle 8 channels of data
up to 384 kHz and 32 bits. The DAC IV can select
which audio channels to decode. This interface
also outputs the clock to keep the transport in sync.
Aux 1 and 2 – These are all purpose expansion slots. They can be congured as a USB input, MSB PRO I2S Input, MSB Network or extra
XLR or RCA digital inputs. It can also become a second analog input. They will also accommodate anything new that comes along.
Clock Interface
After years of experimenting with inputting and outputting clocks we now strongly recommend not doing this. A low jitter clock must be
physically close to the DACs. There is no lower jitter clock than the MSB clocks, and even if there were, once the clock was transmitted
from an external box so much jitter would be introduced in the cable that the clock would be marginal at best. So we are condent that
no benet would be gained from an external clock.
A different set of problems exist with outputting clocks. A paradox is created as a source needs a clock to transmit data, but when
the DAC sees the data, which can be at any sample rate, it adjusts the clock to match. No source can handle its clock adjusted on the
y. Only the MSB Transports can handle this as the PRO I2S interface is smart and negotiates the proper clock to be sent back to the
transport. But, if you do have a need to access this clock, it can be done.
Within the MSB Network connection is a clock interface that allows multiple Platinum products to be synchronized, allows the Platinum Clock to be input or output. The interface is a LVDS format clock interface with a signal level of 250 mV pp.
Pin Identication - The pins shown in the gure below are identied as follows:
1. M Clock + (Positive side of balanced Master Clock)
2. M Clock - (Negative side of balanced Master Clock)
Clock Frequencies - The clock can be selected to be either an input, output or turned off in the setup menu. The output frequencies are
as follows:
· 44.1, 88.2 or 176.4 kHz sampling frequency source outputs or inputs a clock frequency of 22.5792 MHz
· 48, 96 or 192 kHz sampling frequency source outputs or inputs a clock frequency of 24.576 MHz.
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Front Panel Controls
Although the user interface is very simple and easy to use, in depth menus allow complete control of the DAC.
Menu Button – The square button is single purpose. It will enter the setup mode at the top of the menu tree. If in the setup,
and it doesn’t matter where, this button will exit the setup and return to the normal operational mode.
Input Selection – Each of the six inputs can be selected manually, or the auto mode can be selected. The auto mode is an
automatic priority switching with auto signal detection. The right and left arrows switch inputs. If the AUTO input is selected, the unit
will automatically switch inputs based on a priority (from left to right - Analog = lowest priority, MSB 2 = highest priority). When a
source with a higher priority becomes active, the unit will automatically switch to the new higher priority input.
Toggling through the inputs manually will defeat any auto switching. When in the setup menu the arrows move
right and left through the menu structure.
User Select Button - The star button is user dened. In the default conguration, it does phase invert. In
the setup menu it can be changed to turn upsampling or reclocking On/Off, or to select the
digital lter, upsampler algorithm.
Input/Volume Knob - The large knob will select between inputs if the volume control option is
not installed. The right and left arrow buttons on the front of the unit will also switch between inputs.
When the volume control module is installed, the knob becomes the volume control. This knob adjusts
the volume between +9 dB and -69 dB. Our 0 dB actually equates to a 2.62 V rms output, just a little
high in relation to the industry standard 2 Vrms level.
Display - The display shows the Input in the upper left. The lower left shows the input sample rate and
bit depth. The right shows the volume.
Remote
The MSB remote can be used to operate several MSB products. The top half is primary for the transport.
The center is for the DAC and the lower part for the iLink.
Power – The power button turns on and off the Power Base when the optional front controls have been installed. If
your Platinum Power Base does not have a switch on the front, this button will do nothing. When the power base
is linked to the Ampliers and any other MSB products, this button will turn off the entire system. (see power base
manual for details)
Data CD IV controls – . The keypad, stop and repeat buttons are for the DATA CD IV transport and have no effect
on the DAC IV.
Volume up and down – The center block of the remote has several functions. The volume up and down buttons
change the system remote if the optional volume controls are installed in the DAC. Steps sizes are shown on the
DAC display. The mute button instantly mutes the audio if the volume option is installed.
< > = * and # buttons – These central buttons are also for controlling the DATA CD IV transport, but also can be
used for navigation of the DAC IV menus. See MENU below.
Input – This button toggles directly through the inputs of the DAC IV even if the DAC is set to the auto mode.
Menu – This is equivalent to pressing the menu button on the front panel and puts the DAC IV into the menu/setup
mode. The menus can navigated from the front panel or using the < >, volume up/down buttons on the remote
as left, right, up and down.
1, 2, 3 – These are user dened buttons. They can be programmed in the setup menu to execute any function you
wish from the following options.
Phase Invert - Toggles phase invert on and off.
Upsampling - Toggles Upsampling on and off.
Reclocking - Toggles reclocking on and off. This is especially useful for watching movies, where
reclocking may cause an objectionable audio delay.
Digital Filter Select - Toggles through the installed digital lters.
Upsampler Select - Toggles through the installed upsamplers.
iLink Controls – Provides basic iPod controls when this option is installed.
Batteries – The remote control requires two CR2025 Lithium batteries.
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Menu Upsampling
DAC IV Menu Tree
Top level menus are for
operational controls. Setup
menus follow on the next
pages.
Phase Invert
Off
On
Off
Press the menu button on
either the front panel or
remote.
Navigate up and down the
options with the front panel
knob or the volume up down
buttons on the remote.
Use the arrow buttons to
navigate right and left in the
menus on either the front
panel or remote.
Use the * button on the front
panel or the > button on the
remote to select.
The default settings are
shown on the chart in bold
type.
Filter Select
On
F1-32x Filter
F2-16x Filter
F3-Lanczos 3
F4-Minimum
Phase
Temporary
Upsampler
Select
About
Setup
U1 - Upsampler 1
U2 - Upsampler 2
U3 - Upsampler 3
Displays the DACs information. Including
serial number, distributor, year of
manufacture, and installed features.
GO TO NEXT PAGE
See page to for setup options
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Setup
Reclocking
Off
On
S.E./
Balanced
Analog
Ground
Dac Level
Display
Brightness
Display On/
Off
Dither
Set User
button
Connected
Lifted
1-15 (Default 3)
Off – Test Mode
On
Balanced
Single-Ended
-9dB
-6dB
-3dB
0dB
+3dB Test Mode
On
Auto off
Phase Invert
Set Remote 1
Set Remote 2
Set Remote 3
RS232
Restore
Settings
Startup
Volume
Maximum
Volume
Fine Volume
Steps
Input Setup
Phase Invert
Upsampling
Reclocking
Digital Filter
Upsampler Select
Restore?
Cancel
No Limit to -30dB
Continue to input setup on
next page
Upsampling
Reclocking
Digital Filter
Upsampler Select
On
Off
-68dB to 0dB
(Default -30dB)
Standard
0.5dB Steps
0.25dB Steps
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Operational Menu Options
The high level menu options have to do with operation settings. They are things that you may want to change on the y as you listen to
different music or with different equipment. See the Menu tree for details.
Upsampling on/off - Upsamples all incoming music to either 384 kHz or 352.8 kHz.
Phase Invert - Toggling the Phase Invert will change the absolute phase of the output. There are some recordings that “accidentally”
swap the phase. For those who are phase sensitive, we always include this option. The phase of the outputs is inverted digitally.
Filter Select - This feature lets you select among a number of preloaded lters. There is not right or wrong lter as the best lter depends
on the original recording and the rest of the components in your system. We are always working to develop new and better lters to
compliment different system characteristics.
Upsampler Select - Upsampling algorithms may also be selected from among the preloaded options.
User Button - Denes the function associated with the user button * on the front panel.
Remote User Buttons - Denes the function associated with the remote user button 1, 2 and 3 on the remote control.
About - Displays information about the unit including the version number, serial number, distributor, and year of manufacture.
Setup Menu Options
The second level menu options have to do with setup parameter - things you will only need to set once. In most cases you will not need
to change any of these settings. See the Menu tree for details.
Reclocking - This very important feature of the DAC allow all jitter to be removed from the input source. Data is read into a memory
and then independently read out using a ultra stable clock. When enabled this option will completely replace the incoming clock with
an ultra low jitter TCXO based clock. The DSP monitors the incoming sample frequency and detects standard sample rate signals,
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz, 352.8 kHz and 384 kHz. The on-board clock then completely replaces the
incoming clock. Other sampling frequencies use the incoming clock from the source. The DSP allocates a huge internal FIFO buffer
(1/2 second at 44.1) that stores the incoming audio to decouple the incoming and outgoing data streams. Long absolute digital silences
in the music stream, such as between tracks and during pauses, are selectively shortened or lengthened by the DSP to maintain data
synchronization. This results in a signicant delay between the audio source and the analog audio. You will not normally notice this
delay unless video is synchronized to the audio. For this reason this feature may want to be turned off when watching video, or the
video should be delayed. While using the on-board clock some very long musical performances greater than one hour with no silences,
pauses or track skips may cause a buffer overow when using a standard transport. This will sound like a small CD skip. You will
probably never encounter this case but if you do MSB can install a special ultra high accuracy clock in your transport or other audio
source to totally eliminate this possibility.
Single-ended Mode - This setting optimizes the DAC for single-ended RCA outputs rather than balanced XLR output. In the single-ended
mode, both the non-inverted and inverted DAC are summed to make the very highest quality single-ended output, at the expense of
the balanced output which is then disabled. In the balanced mode, both outputs work, but the single-ended output is simply the non-
inverted output from the balanced output.
DAC Output - This unique feature adjusts the output of the DAC digitally. It is especially useful when no volume control is installed,
for optimally matching the DAC output to a preamp input. Many preamps sound much better with a lower level signal. With MSB
volume modules installed this setting should be left at 0 db.
Output Single-Ended Balanced
+3 dB 3.57 Vrms 7.14 Vrms This setting for measurement purposes only
0 dB 2.62 Vrms 5.23 Vrms
-3 dB 1.79 Vrms 3.57 Vrms
-6 dB 1.27 Vrms 2.53 Vrms
-9 dB 0.98 Vrms 1.97 Vrms
Display Brightness - Adjustable from 1 to 15.
Display on/off - When turned off, the display pops on for a bit any time anything is adjusted, then turns off again.
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Dither on/off - With the dither activated the MSB Digital Filter continuously adds a tiny amount (-110 db) of random ultrasonic dither to
the Output. We have found through extensive listening tests that this tiny amount of dither greatly increases the perceived resolution of
the audio without harming the music in any way. The dither is added separately in common mode to the positive and negative DACs
in the Platinum and mostly cancels itself on playback helping to linearize the DACs. The dither is generated by a highly random, non-
repeating white noise generator and is then digitally ltered to remove all dither content close to the audio band. All of the dither between
0 Hz and 40 kHz is removed. Unlike some noise shaping algorithms like DSD the very low level of the ultrasonic dither involved should
never cause system high frequency related problems. MSB highly recommends that you keep the dither enabled. Dither can be turned
off when using our incredibly precise DAC for making measurements.
Restore Settings - Puts settings back to factory default setting.
Startup Volume - This is the volume setting that is set upon power up.
Maximum Volume - This is the maximum volume setting that can be reached. Use this feature to protect your speakers.
Fine Volume Steps - The basic DAC IV volume module has 2 db steps and this feature is not available. With the Signature and Diamond
volume modules, this feature allow half or quarter db steps to be inserted between the standard 1 db steps. In most cases this level of
resolution is not audible.
Input Setups
Analog Input Volume Control - The analog input can either be volume controlled or bypass the volume control.
Alternate Analog Input Volume Control - The alternate analog input can either be volume controlled or bypass the volume control if this
option is installed.
Switching Mode - When the input selector is manually selected, either all inputs are available or just active inputs. With active inputs
selected, A/B testing is very quick and easy.
MSB Network Channel Select - The MSB Network supports 4 stereo channels of audio. With this feature the DAC can be congured to
decode any of the 4 sets.
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Upgrades and Modifications
Removal of the cover - Unplug the AC power. Work on a clean surface.
Start by removing the 14 screws of the cover. Carefully remove and set aside
the cover.
Removal or Installation of the volume modules - The volume modules
can be plugged in, or unplugged from the Platinum mother board. They
are held in place with their two connectors. The boards are automatically
detected, so when unplugged the DAC will output the same level signal as it
would with them plugged in at 0 dB. The volume knob will now select the
input and the remote volume buttons will have no effect.
Install the Signature DAC Upgrade - This upgrade provides hand
matched DAC modules for superior sound quality. These DACs can run at
twice the speed (384 kHz sampling rate) with 1/2 the settling time. The noise
level is cut to 1/3 the normal value and the signal-to-noise ratio is up to 145
db. They are user installable and come as a matched set of four, replacing the
existing DACs. Remove the clamp holding the DAC modules in. Pull each
module straight out without tipping or twisting. Align the new module with
the pins and push rmly back in. Take care that each connector is aligned.
Do one DAC module at a time.
iLink II Upgrade - Remove the cover. Plug ribbon cable in “Aux 3”.
Install new cover.
Galaxy Femtosecond Clock Upgrade - Remove the cover. Plug the clock in the clock upgrade header. Install the clock mounting screw located
in the cover of the clock box. Re-Install the cover.
Other Upgrades - Check the instructions supplied with the upgrade.
USB Upgrades
The USB upgrades are common enough to include
here rather than make a separate manual. For more
detailed and up-to-date information check our web
site. All three levels of USB input work basically the
same, with the difference being the maximum sample
rate they can receive.
Apple MAC OS
On the MAC the USB is plug and play. The MAC will
recognize the USB DAC and its capabilities and will
allow the output to be set to any sample rate desired.
The bad news is, with certain programs such as iTunes,
the output sample rate has to be set manually when
the le sample rate changes. So if you set the output
for 192 kHz, and played a 192 kHz le, it would
play perfectly, but if you then played a 44.1 kHz CD,
the MAC OS would upsample that le to 192 kHz.
Computer upsampling is not too bad, but does not
compare at all with the quality of the upsampling done
by MSB. Better to change the output to 44.1 kHz and
play the le bit-perfect. Fortunately there is an APP
called BIT PERFECT. Download it and the MAC with
the MSB USB 2 is perfection itself.
The Apple Audio MIDI Setup screen is shown above. Notice that the presence of the MSB USB Signature DAC has allowed 352.8 and
384 kHz sample rates to show up on the menu. Normally they are not present. iTunes will play at whatever sample rate you select in
this setup.
Windows OS
The amazing thing about the MSB USB 2 input with Windows is that once you get it set up it works completely and absolutely perfectly,
with every le playing bit-perfect at its native sample rate up to 384 kHz with no user intervention. Just pick the song and play. The
rest is automatic and works perfectly. This is a rst for any Windows machine I have seen and a dream come true. The bad is that MSB
drivers will have to be installed, and your music must be played with a properly set up player program like Foobar. Its a small price to
pay for perfection, and MSB will help walk you through the process.
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First, install the supplied MSB drivers from the included USB 2 drivers CD or
from our website (not necessary for USB 1 operation). So with a PC, there are two
possible play modes. The “advanced speaker properties” window lets you set up
Windows output sample rates up to 192 k as shown to the right. Any audio played
by an audio program would be output at this sample rate. Specialty programs like
Foobar can be modied with a plug-in, like ASIO (http://www.foobar2000.org/
components/view/foo_out_asio) which allows Foobar to interact directly with the
MSB DAC to play every music le at its native sample rate bit-perfect. Foobar
over-rides all windows settings and is quite amazing.
Word Sync Upgrade
The DAC IV has a word sync option. First, a little bit about it. Word-sync is
typically a master clock (in studios it’s known as the house clock) used in a
system to keep everything synchronous. For playback systems, this isn’t all that
important thus it’s very rare for someone to use in a home system. However it is
important in studios as the output of the ADC convert needs to be synchronous
to the digital inputs of the rest of the devices, such as computers. If it is not, they
will have buffer overrun/underrun errors and data corruption.
When word-sync is used, they will run a standard digital signal (most common
AES/EBU, but it could also be coaxial, etc…) along with a separate cable (typically
BNC) that is the clock in word-sync format. Devices with a word-sync input look
at both the data and the clock and run the entire device off the recovered wordsync clock. If a word-sync master clock is used, the entire system must run off of
it. The word-sync clock is sample-rate dependent.
The DAC IV has the option of word-sync. We strongly recommend people not using it. Even if the word-sync clock source was perfect
with 0 jitter, the act of converting it to the word-sync frequency, transmitting it, recovering it, and generating the correct frequency has
100 times the jitter of the standard clocks in our DAC. In order to use the word-sync option in our DAC, you must have the word-sync
option that goes in the Aux 1 or Aux 2 slot.
One tricky thing we did is we tied the word-sync option to a specic input. In most cases when word sync is present, it will be there
for one source to the DAC but the rest of the sources won’t be running off the house clock. In the menu, you will nd the option “Word
Sync.” When you enter this menu option, you will nd a list of input names (coaxial, toslink, balanced, BNC). These are the inputs that
can be used with the word sync source. Only one input can be used with the word-sync option.
For example, let’s say you have a transport with a word-sync input and you connect it to the DAC via the Balanced Digital input. You
will need to connect both the transport and the DAC with the same word-sync signal (unless the transport is the word-sync source).
Once this is done, you will go into the DAC menu and under word sync, select balanced. When the DAC switches to the balanced input,
it will automatically enable the word-sync input. When you switch away from the balanced, it will turn the word-sync off. You can tell
word-sync is working on the DAC as it will display “word sync” on the display when enabled.
Even though a server might have an excellent clock, it’s getting that clock from the server to the DAC without adding jitter that’s the
problem. It would sound better to have the DAC do it’s reclocking with the local clocks instead of running off a recovered word-sync
clock from another box run over a cable.
PRO input Upgrade
This exciting upgrade adds one or two additional MSB inputs in the AUX IN positions of the DAC IV. It is a exible board so please be
careful to check the instructions carefully when installing. First of all, make sure your rmware has been upgraded to
the latest level. Check the MSB web site for details. The upgrade offers two possible inputs:
Input #1 - Ground Isolated MSB Network
This is an improved version of the classic MSB
Network. It will work with all existing MSB
Network outputs on all current and older
products. This input is designed specially
as the best possible input for the MSB
Universal Media Transport. It has the
performance of the stock MSB Network
without the coupling of ground noise.
With this input both our transports
can have optimal inputs. It will work
with the following:
• Data CD IV
• Universal Media Transport
• All older MSB products
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Input #2 - MSB PRO I2S
The MSB PRO I2S is new and will offer amazing performance on new transports as they are brought to market. (See the table) It is lower
jitter and higher speed (ready for 768 kHz music) than the MSB Network. It contains 20 channels of audio of 768 kHz, 32 bit audio in
the I2S format, as well as a an outgoing clock and control data. These can be used to send multichannel data as would be required with
digital crossovers, distribute independent super precision clocks and do auto setup of DAC parameters. Future upgrades and products
will allow MSB products to take full advantage of these new capabilities. There is an PRO I2S output on our Studio 384 kHz, 32 bit ADC
and this output will become the standard output on all new agship MSB transports. So this input works with:
• MSB Pro Analog-to-digital Converter
• Signature Data CD
• Universal Media Transport PLUS and Signature Universal Media Transport, and all new products to come
The MSB PRO Input board upgrade not only gives you the improved MSB Network input you can use today, but also gives you a PRO
I2S input that will be available for new MSB products in the future. The PRO upgrade can easily be congured for either type input.
Operation
These new inputs are added to the existing input LIST on the DAC and are selected just like the standard inputs. Please note that the MSB
Network and the PRO I2S are independent. Network sources will only work with Network inputs, and PRO I2S sources will only work
with PRO I2S inputs. So for today, the PRO board is congured for use with the MSB Network. As PRO I2S sources are developed by
MSB, you will have an input to make use of them.
Installation
The Pro Input board plugs right in the input upgrade slot in the DAC IV. The Network connector installs in one of the AUX input holes.
Unfortunately it is too big to t in the older Diamond DAC IV without modifying the large heat sink. This job will need to be done by
your dealer or by MSB.
Quality Check
Each Platinum is comprehensively tested
and the actual outputs measured. Just
a few comments on the example plot
shown. The single spike is the test tone
played at -60 db. A properly working
DAC will produce a peak at -60. Most
measurement systems cannot measure
as low a level as -145 db. That is the
noise oor of our production test system
which means the Platinum may measure
better, but we cannot see it. The rise at
low frequencies is always present on our
test setup and the right channel always
shows a little more noise than the left
(the right cable runs closer to the digital
input cable).
Using the DAC IV to test your
source
The DAC IV is unique in that gives you a precise read out of both the sample frequency and bit depth of the incoming signal as well as
performing a test for bit perfect playback. If you are playing a CD, a copy of a CD or a ripped CD le on your computer the display should
read 44.1 kHz, 16 bit. Any other output means you are not reading the le bit-perfect and your sound quality will be compromised. This
corruption could be accidental. You may have ripped a CD with a program that does a conversion. This is very bad and you should not
do this. You may have an upsampling transport or have upsampled with software upsampling in your computer. This is also very bad.
Nobody can do as well as we can if we are given the bit perfect original. Turn off the feature and give us the real thing. You will not be
disappointed. For more detailed testing of your source, please refer to the BIT PERFECT SOURCE TESTING section of this manual.
MSB provides test les that the DAC is programmed to recognize and check for bit perfect playback.
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Bit-Perfect Source Testing
Perhaps one of the most useful features of the software is the bit-perfect test. The following series of les can be downloaded from the
MSB web site:
16 bit x 44.1 kHz sample rate le (CD standard). 24 bit x 44.1 kHz sample rate le.
16 bit x 48 kHz sample rate le. 24 bit x 48 kHz sample rate le.
16 bit x 88.2 kHz sample rate le. 24 bit x 88.2 kHz sample rate le.
16 bit x 96 kHz sample rate le. 24 bit x 96 kHz sample rate le.
16 bit x 176.4 kHz sample rate le. 24 bit x 176.4 kHz sample rate le.
16 bit x 192 kHz sample rate le. 24 bit x 192 kHz sample rate le.
They are .wav test les that when played, will be identied by the DAC IV and checked, and will be reported on the display if they are
bit-perfect. If there is a problem with the test, it will play but the display will not indicate any change. Be sure upsampling is turned off in
any transport as this prevents a le from remaining bit-perfect. This system will allow you to easily test your source, especially computer
sources to see if all your settings are correct. There are les at all sample rates for both 16 bit and 24 bit operation. The 16 bit 44.1 test
le can be burned to a CD to test transports.
Troubleshooting
No Input Frequency indicated on Display (reads “No Signal”) - This means no input is detected. Check input select. Change to auto mode to be
sure. Check for bad cable, or cable plugged into the wrong output on the transport.
No Input Bit Depth indicated on Display (reads “0 bits”) - This means an input is detected but the music is not playing. Check the source to be sure
it is playing.
No sound but Display indicates frequency and bit depth - Check that power cable is plugged in all the way. You may have digital power but no
analog power. Check that source is valid audio source. Change to a standard CD just to be sure. Check that analog outputs are connected properly.
Check that volume is turned up. If using Balanced output, check Single-End or Balanced menu setting. Balanced output will be silent if set to SingleEnded mode.
Still no sound - connect an analog output from the source directly to the preamp input. Verify that the rest of the system is working. Now move the
same analog cable to the DAC and plug in the analog source to the analog inputs. Verify the DAC pass-through is working. Now plug in a digital
source. You should hear a click and the front display should indicate frequency.
You hear audio clipping (with outboard preamp) - the output level may be too high for your preamp. Check the input specications on your preamp.
(See Platinum specs). If you do not have the volume option, go to the DAC LEVEL setup menu and reduce the DAC output to -9 dB. This reduced
level should solve the problem.
Frequency readout is off - The Platinum shows the actual input frequency as well as the upsampled frequency. Check your source settings.
High sample rate source indicates 48 kHz on front panel - Check setup menu of source. Many products downmix to 48 k.
DVD-A source does not indicates 192 k - DVD-A players must be upgraded to provide a true 192K output. Production players downmix to 48K.
Many DVD-A disks are produced in 44.1, 48 and 96 k as well.
DC on output when power is off - If the second Analog input option has been installed, the output is connected to the 2nd input when the power is
turned off. Terminate the input when not used to avoid an open input to the AMP.
USB input not working right - Our USB1 input is limited to 48K 24 bit sources. Check your many computer settings. Our USB2 is limited to 192K
and our USB2 Signature is limited to 384K. Check your computer settings. This is much harder than you would think. With many operating systems
you may need to make small changes to the instructions. As ALWAYS with everything computer - Restart. Power off the computer and DAC and start
over if anything is acting strange. Second thing is to change your USB cable. Audiophile USB cables rarely work at high sample rates. Try a cheap
printer cable.
PRO Input is not working - Make sure you are not mixing a PRO I2S input and a MSB Network input. They are not compatible and will not work.
Make sure you have the latest rmware.
Analog Input not selectable - This input defaults OFF. Go into the menus and turn on the Analog Input.
Warranty
All MSB products carry a one year warranty in the country of origin although extended warranties are offered in many countries. No returns accepted
without an RMA. All units must be returned to the distributor in the country of origin. The DAC displays the distributor in the “about” tab of the menu.
The power base has the distributor and country printed on the box. MSB will not make warranty repairs on grey market products. Be sure the product
you purchased is authorized to be in your country. Upon receipt, MSB will repair or replace any defective product. All product shipped FOB Aptos.
Shipping and shipping damage is the responsibility of the consignee.
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