MSB M500 Monoblocks

Congratulations Eric! A full stack of MSB digital front end with their new amps driving the Magico M3s should be a delicious combination. Enjoy in good health.
 
Mike and Mike just left. Mission accomplished. We are burning them in for a day before any critical listening. If they sound half as good as they look I'll be very happy. Initial impression out of the box. Very very low noise floor. Percussion instruments incredibly snappy with a very quick attack. Cool running.

Eric

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • 20191213_132926.jpg
    20191213_132926.jpg
    138.3 KB · Views: 633
Cincy2 said:
Mike and Mike just left. Mission accomplished. We are burning them in for a day before any critical listening. If they sound half as good as they look I'll be very happy. Initial impression out of the box. Very very low noise floor. Percussion instruments incredibly snappy with a very quick attack. Cool running.

Eric

attachment.php
Click to expand...

Sweet setup, congrats. I do like their understated design.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Eric,

Gorgeous looking amps. Amazing no holds barred system.

Congrats and Enjoy!
Ken
 
Great looking world class system Eric! :celebrate008_2: Looking forward to your thoughts in a few days!

PS - Who’s the model guy posing in front of your system? :lol:
 
Cincy2 said:
Mike and Mike just left. Mission accomplished. We are burning them in for a day before any critical listening. If they sound half as good as they look I'll be very happy. Initial impression out of the box. Very very low noise floor. Percussion instruments incredibly snappy with a very quick attack. Cool running.

Eric

attachment.php
Click to expand...

WOW!

This is an incredible setup, ENJOY in great health!

And shout out to Suncoast Mike and crew!




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
We go to so much effort with the racks and vibration isolation, yet those massive Q-sub drivers are pointed directly at the amps only 12" away. Hard to wrap my head around that juxtaposition.
 
brodricj said:
We go to so much effort with the racks and vibration isolation, yet those massive Q-sub drivers are pointed directly at the amps only 12" away. Hard to wrap my head around that juxtaposition.
Click to expand...

The amps are far enough away and the subs are barely on idle.
 
Elberoth said:
Wow, congrates! I love my MSB M202 monoblocks. MSB is seriously underated as amplifier manufacturer. You can get the previous models like M202, 203, 204 or S200 stereo for a very reasonable money used and they still perform up with the best.
Click to expand...

absolutely right , there are 2 very well priced msb amps on sale in uk at the moment . just sold my s200 sadly but hope to resume ownership one day
 
After about 48 hours of burn-in, I sat down for some critical listening this afternoon. A few caveats first. My baseline is the existing system with D'Agostino M400's. These were incredible amps that gave me a beautiful, lush, detailed presentation in combination with the other components in my system. I'm going to describe the differences I hear between that baseline and the system with the MSB mono's. There are so many variables (room dimensions, treatments, cables, speakers, front end etc.) it would be tough to draw any conclusions on what they would sound like in your set up.

Nonetheless, the MSB's are very special amplifiers. The initial impressions I had when I first turned them on have been confirmed and reinforced. The backgrounds are blacker than black. This has the effect of making every voice and image more pronounced. I also find that I can listen at a louder volume without fatigue. We set the gain on these to MAX for now and I will experiment by backing off as time goes on. Right now, the normal listening level as shown by the MSB volume level is the same as it was for the D"Ag's.

The second characteristic I noticed is low level detail. The background instruments deep in the soundstage or off to the right or left now have the texture and definition of the main images. Detail in general is off the charts even compared to the D'Ags. It is especially pronounced on percussion instruments. Piano notes have faster attacks. On xylophone, you can separate the thump the hammer makes on the key from the actual note. I have on file from a Chesky CD with a bluesman playing Bones. The sound of the woody impact is scary realistic.

The MSB's soundstage breadth and depth, bass definition (particularly on acoustic bass) and tonal accuracy all edge the D'Agostino's but not by much. Their accuracy and detail are what separate them by a wide margin.

The amps after running for two days are no hotter than the D'Ags were after running for an hour. The engineers at MSB did a great job of thermal management.

In sum, I'm very pleased with the purchase. My ears are no match for a professional reviewer or for many of you. I only know what I like when I hear it in my room, with the rest of my gear with my files. These amp I like. A lot. I've had Krell amps ever since the KSA-250 back in the 90's. Sad to say goodbye but the MSB's are the new stanadard for me.

Eric
 
Cincy2 said:
After about 48 hours of burn-in, I sat down for some critical listening this afternoon. A few caveats first. My baseline is the existing system with D'Agostino M400's. These were incredible amps that gave me a beautiful, lush, detailed presentation in combination with the other components in my system. I'm going to describe the differences I hear between that baseline and the system with the MSB mono's. There are so many variables (room dimensions, treatments, cables, speakers, front end etc.) it would be tough to draw any conclusions on what they would sound like in your set up.

Nonetheless, the MSB's are very special amplifiers. The initial impressions I had when I first turned them on have been confirmed and reinforced. The backgrounds are blacker than black. This has the effect of making every voice and image more pronounced. I also find that I can listen at a louder volume without fatigue. We set the gain on these to MAX for now and I will experiment by backing off as time goes on. Right now, the normal listening level as shown by the MSB volume level is the same as it was for the D"Ag's.

The second characteristic I noticed is low level detail. The background instruments deep in the soundstage or off to the right or left now have the texture and definition of the main images. Detail in general is off the charts even compared to the D'Ags. It is especially pronounced on percussion instruments. Piano notes have faster attacks. On xylophone, you can separate the thump the hammer makes on the key from the actual note. I have on file from a Chesky CD with a bluesman playing Bones. The sound of the woody impact is scary realistic.

The MSB's soundstage breadth and depth, bass definition (particularly on acoustic bass) and tonal accuracy all edge the D'Agostino's but not by much. Their accuracy and detail are what separate them by a wide margin.

The amps after running for two days are no hotter than the D'Ags were after running for an hour. The engineers at MSB did a great job of thermal management.

In sum, I'm very pleased with the purchase. My ears are no match for a professional reviewer or for many of you. I only know what I like when I hear it in my room, with the rest of my gear with my files. These amp I like. A lot. I've had Krell amps ever since the KSA-250 back in the 90's. Sad to say goodbye but the MSB's are the new stanadard for me.

Eric
Click to expand...

Eric, you are too modest. You have a plethora of experience on very high level in high end audio. Therefore it is very interesting to read your thoughts.

What you describe related to increase of detail across the soundstage, sounds similar to my experience when switching to the Lansches.

I am intrigued by the MSB monos, and will try to hear them at High End next year in Munich. Happy for your positive experience with the purchase.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top