MSB S202 Power Amplifier

Billt1

Billt1

Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2017
Messages
77
Location
New Hampshire
We saw form post at the introduction 6 months ago but after that all quiet ? Nobody bought it and wants to talk about it?
 
I haven’t heard the S202 yet. I would expect it to be an excellent amp although I prefer monoblocks and that’s the way my system is configured. The S202 is designed to be used with and connected directly to MSB DACs as the adjustable input impedances are 75, 300 and 1,200 ohms.

Ken
 
Ken,
It appears to have adjustable impedances . Won't work with a VAC tube preamp with Recommended Output Load > 300 ohms to great effect?
 
I'm anxious to hear how it compares to the Boulder 1161, Gryphon Essence, and Moon 860A V2 when paired with the MSB Discrete (w/ Powerbase) and the Magico A5's. BTW, why doesn't the Premier Powerbase show up as an option anymore for the Discrete on MSB's site?
 
BobK said:
I'm anxious to hear how it compares to the Boulder 1161, Gryphon Essence, and Moon 860A V2 when paired with the MSB Discrete (w/ Powerbase) and the Magico A5's. BTW, why doesn't the Premier Powerbase show up as an option anymore for the Discrete on MSB's site?
Click to expand...

Great question. It still is. But frankly, you may want to consider just getting the two power supplies and invest in some nice power cables - unless you must have chassis matching.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
So is what I am hearing it's mostly a no go if you want to pair it with a traditional preamp such as the VAC Signature Mk II SE? That would be unfortunate? I also do not see in the spec if it is stable down to 2 ohm? Will the low impedance do damage to either component or otherwise what problem might it create? It is a glorious piece and playing at my local dealer attached to the Select DAC it's serious gear.
 
Billt1 said:
So is what I am hearing it's mostly a no go if you want to pair it with a traditional preamp such as the VAC Signature Mk II SE? That would be unfortunate? I also do not see in the spec if it is stable down to 2 ohm? Will the low impedance do damage to either component or otherwise what problem might it create? It is a glorious piece and playing at my local dealer attached to the Select DAC it's serious gear.
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Not true at all. It has selectable input impedance. Pair away with whatever you want.
 
Mike said:
Not true at all. It has selectable input impedance. Pair away with whatever you want.
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So Mike I see last year you posted videos with both a VAC Master preamp and then later no preamp but direct to the MSB Premier DAC. Did you feel there was much of a sacrifice using the VAC preamp in the equation as opposed to Amp direct to DAC?
 
Billt1 said:
So Mike I see last year you posted videos with both a VAC Master preamp and then later no preamp but direct to the MSB Premier DAC. Did you feel there was much of a sacrifice using the VAC preamp in the equation as opposed to Amp direct to DAC?
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With respect to the S500, I felt going direct from the MSB DAC was best to the MSB amp.
 
Mike said:
Not true at all. It has selectable input impedance. Pair away with whatever you want.
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Hi Mike,

Unfortunately no. There are many preamps with higher output impedances that the S202 will not work with, as the S202’s highest input impedance is very low at 1,200 ohms. Typical amplifiers have an input impedance of at least 10,000 ohms. The S202’s input impedances are optimized for a direct connection to MSB DACs and will produce wonderful synergy when used that way.

Ken
 
Alpinist said:
Hi Mike,

Unfortunately no. There are many preamps with higher output impedances that the S202 will not work with, as the S202’s highest input impedance is very low at 1,200 ohms. Typical amplifiers have an input impedance of at least 10,000 ohms. The S202’s input impedances are optimized for a direct connection to MSB DACs and will produce wonderful synergy when used that way.

Ken
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Hi Ken,

Why is this low impedance an issue with a typical preamp? Does it force the preamp to attenuate the signal too much and operate at the less accurate/low end of the volume control? Sorry, just trying to understand. Thank you.
 
MSB told me the amps are universal to be driven by any dac or preamp.

I will get the details and report back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Mike said:
MSB told me the amps are universal to be driven by any dac or preamp.

I will get the details and report back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Hi Mike,

As a general rule of thumb, the input impedance of the amplifier should be at minimum 10 times the output impedance of the preamp for optimal performance and sound quality. For instance, Soulution amplifiers have a very low input impedance (511 = 2,000 ohms). Consequently, Soulution preamps sound best with their amps because they have a correspondingly low output impedance (525 = 10 ohms). The ratio is 200 times. The input impedance of the MSB S202 amp is at maximum only 1,200 ohms, hence the limitation. An ARC REF6SE preamp has a balanced output impedance of 600 ohms. Not a good match for the MSB S202 amp.

Ken
 
Mike said:
MSB told me the amps are universal to be driven by any dac or preamp.

I will get the details and report back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

Ok so I did a home S202 demo . I screwed up and didn't keep it very long or try the DAC to amp direct . My fault ,the dealer wasn't pushing me to rush it right back but I was so excited by what I heard I ran back with the amp and a deposit to get one on order as quick as I could. I did however take the time to reach out to VAC and MSB in regards to impedance. VAC said the S202 was within the parameters of proper operation for my Signature MkII SE preamp. The reason I believed a preamp was necessary is I have more than one source. After a very nice and detailed conversation with MSB it is most likely I can replace my preamp with a passive switch which they also had a recommendation for. Frankly the amp sounded so dam good going through the preamp that if that's the best I can do I am more than well satisfied. My other source has enough gain and a volume control as well so the passive switch only being a few hundred dollars is an easy try once I get the amp. This is an amazing amp and on the plus side it's beautiful as well.
 
Billt1 said:
Ok so I did a home S202 demo . I screwed up and didn't keep it very long or try the DAC to amp direct . My fault ,the dealer wasn't pushing me to rush it right back but I was so excited by what I heard I ran back with the amp and a deposit to get one on order as quick as I could. I did however take the time to reach out to VAC and MSB in regards to impedance. VAC said the S202 was within the parameters of proper operation for my Signature MkII SE preamp. The reason I believed a preamp was necessary is I have more than one source. After a very nice and detailed conversation with MSB it is most likely I can replace my preamp with a passive switch which they also had a recommendation for. Frankly the amp sounded so dam good going through the preamp that if that's the best I can do I am more than well satisfied. My other source has enough gain and a volume control as well so the passive switch only being a few hundred dollars is an easy try once I get the amp. This is an amazing amp and on the plus side it's beautiful as well.
Click to expand...

Output impedance is pretty low on the VAC Signature MkII SE Preamp, less than 150 Ohms, which equals greater than 8 times if you use the 1,200 ohm input impedance setting on the S202. Don’t use the lower impedance settings.

Congrats!
Ken
 
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