Boulder 2160 vs MSB S500 for MSB Select DAC

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Kippyy

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Boulder 2160 vs MSB S500

Just purchased an MSB Select DAC to replace my Linn Klimax; should be arriving soon. Will run the Select straight to the Burmester 911 amp.
Wilson Audio Alexx speakers. Planning an amplifier upgrade next.

Which amp would be better suited for my system, the MSB S500 or the Boulder 2160? Only have room for a stereo amp in the rack.

A few other considerations:
1-As the gear is in my living room, the Boulder would have a much more imposing footprint and would require a 9" deeper rack (room is about 18.6 feet in this direction), which would require repositioning the Alexx speakers closer to my listening chair (now sit about 12 feet away).

2-The living room gets quite warm, so less heat production preferred

3-I may purchase the Wilson XVX in the future, which I understand are very tough to drive and require lots of power

4-No room for subs, so want to get the best bass possible from the speakers.

5-I like that the Boulder line would allow for an upgrade to the 3000 line, while for now the S500 is the top of the line for MSB stereo amps.

By the way, I love this forum,and just donated :D
Mike B, would love to visit Suncoast as I know you have both lines, but I'm in California!
Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Did you consider an used S250 ? This really is one of the best amps money can buy. And a perfect match for the Select + Alexx. Plus, it is relatively compact (although quite deep), looks fantastic and doesm't heat up the room.

A friend of mine just got one for his Maxx 3 + MSB DAC V Diamond combo. I have also build a Sasha DAW + MSB Premier DAC + the older S200 for a close friend of mine. Both sound fantastic.

There is really no need to reivent the wheel.
 
Re: Boulder 2160 vs MSB S500

Kippyy said:
Just purchased an MSB Select DAC to replace my Linn Klimax; should be arriving soon. Will run the Select straight to the Burmester 911 amp.
Wilson Audio Alexx speakers. Planning an amplifier upgrade next.

Which amp would be better suited for my system, the MSB S500 or the Boulder 2160? Only have room for a stereo amp in the rack.

A few other considerations:
1-As the gear is in my living room, the Boulder would have a much more imposing footprint and would require a 9" deeper rack (room is about 18.6 feet in this direction), which would require repositioning the Alexx speakers closer to my listening chair (now sit about 12 feet away).

2-The living room gets quite warm, so less heat production preferred

3-I may purchase the Wilson XVX in the future, which I understand are very tough to drive and require lots of power

4-No room for subs, so want to get the best bass possible from the speakers.

5-I like that the Boulder line would allow for an upgrade to the 3000 line, while for now the S500 is the top of the line for MSB stereo amps.

By the way, I love this forum,and just donated :D
Mike B, would love to visit Suncoast as I know you have both lines, but I'm in California!
Thanks for any suggestions.
Click to expand...

No problem!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I may not be of much help. I’ve only listened to Burmester 911 Mk3, MSB DAC IV Signature platinum and MSB M204 extensively. I probably have listened to some Boulder amps in passing at store demos. I’m not sure why you want to upgrade your Burmester. MSB Select direct into Burmester should sound pretty amazing.
Is this to lower the heat in your room? Except most of those amps cooler running amplifiers don’t sound as warm.
Or is this to gain even more transparency than Burmester? But not sure how much more you would get from the upgrade.
Either way, I’m sure your MSB Select upgrade will sound awesome.
 
Your decision to skip the preamp: did you run comparisons to conclude this? This is such a sticky topic, sorta like the “Do cables matter?” thing.

But this is all relative to each person’s ears, room and equipment. So this is a sincere inquiry into your journey to arrive at your direct/no preamp choice. What preamps have you demoed with what amps and speakers, for instance? Or have you only used the Wilsons and Burmester for listening?

Thanks.
 
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