N50 vs Pink Faun
- Thread starter nc42acc
- Start date
I have had the pleasure to use both. Based on the interface I heard today, the new Pink Faun ProISL for MSB, the Pink Faun is my pick. Their fiber interface is superior and definitely co-developed. What do I hear?
- Much more decay
- Much more presence
- More micro detail retrievable
- Like a thin veil has been removed
My home DAC is the MSB Cascade. My home server is a single Ultra. The Dual Ultra doesn’t even make it a debate. The dual is the best by a nice margin. I would love a dual, but I don’t have the rack space.
At a recent trade show, Peter from Magico heard the single Ultra. Came in the next day and the only change was a swap for the single to the dual. Peter was blown away and couldn’t believe that was the only change.
Magico now has a dual ultra in their showroom at the factory now. I loaned mine to Alon to try and he bought one.
- Much more decay
- Much more presence
- More micro detail retrievable
- Like a thin veil has been removed
My home DAC is the MSB Cascade. My home server is a single Ultra. The Dual Ultra doesn’t even make it a debate. The dual is the best by a nice margin. I would love a dual, but I don’t have the rack space.
At a recent trade show, Peter from Magico heard the single Ultra. Came in the next day and the only change was a swap for the single to the dual. Peter was blown away and couldn’t believe that was the only change.
Magico now has a dual ultra in their showroom at the factory now. I loaned mine to Alon to try and he bought one.
Yes. Absolutely.
I also have a PF 2.16 Ultra with the MSB Cascade and the newly installed ProISL interface. It is a stunning combination.
I have listened to the N50 at a friend’s system. It is a great player as well.
My decision would be based on the rest of the system. PinkFaun and MSB collaborated on the new ProISL interface.
I have listened to the N50 at a friend’s system. It is a great player as well.
My decision would be based on the rest of the system. PinkFaun and MSB collaborated on the new ProISL interface.
Welcome to AS Bamalam!
Post #2, standby as I suck the oxygen out of the room, apologies for the long post, but here it goes…
I’m currently running an MSB Cascade with two network connections to my Roon music server (tricked out Mac Studio in another room). The setup includes two LHY SW6 switches and a Muon Pro Ethernet filter feeding the MSB Renderer module, plus a Wireworld Ethernet cable going to a Rose 150B streamer (DAC not in use). The Rose connects to the Cascade through Pro USB into the Pro ISL, using an AOC fiber cable recently recommended by the MSB team.
I’ve got a Roon Lifetime subscription, using both Qobuz (my go-to) and Tidal, along with a solid library of PCM and DSD (up to 256) files stored on an external SSD attached to the Mac Studio.
When using Roon as the source, I honestly don’t hear much difference between running through the Renderer or the Rose → USB → ISL chain. But when I switch over to Qobuz Connect through the Rose (limited to PCM), the sound quality is noticeably better overall — more natural and engaging. That lines up with what others have said too. Even playback directly from the Rose software sounds better than through Roon.
So now I’m looking into a combined server/streamer that comes with its own high-quality playback software but can still integrate with Roon. My goal is to keep using Roon for its great library management and discovery features, while having an easy way to switch to a higher-performance playback path for more relaxed or critical listening — whether that’s local files or streaming from Qobuz via Qobuz Connect or a native app.
Right now, the Innuos Nazare, Pink Faun Ultra, and Aurender are on my short list. The budget could stretch to the Pink Faun Dual Ultra, but given my natural caution with new (to me) brands — and the need to justify my audio adventures on the home front — I’m leaning toward starting with the Ultra.
I’m particularly intrigued by the Pink Faun/MSB collaboration and the idea of connecting the streamer/server directly to the Cascade via Pro ISL, ideally using the same AOC cable MSB recommended. But I’m also swayed by the Innuos Statement NG and the complimentary reviews of its user interface. I’m open to other solutions and appreciate the input and thoughts from this community of audio enthusiasts.
I’m currently running an MSB Cascade with two network connections to my Roon music server (tricked out Mac Studio in another room). The setup includes two LHY SW6 switches and a Muon Pro Ethernet filter feeding the MSB Renderer module, plus a Wireworld Ethernet cable going to a Rose 150B streamer (DAC not in use). The Rose connects to the Cascade through Pro USB into the Pro ISL, using an AOC fiber cable recently recommended by the MSB team.
I’ve got a Roon Lifetime subscription, using both Qobuz (my go-to) and Tidal, along with a solid library of PCM and DSD (up to 256) files stored on an external SSD attached to the Mac Studio.
When using Roon as the source, I honestly don’t hear much difference between running through the Renderer or the Rose → USB → ISL chain. But when I switch over to Qobuz Connect through the Rose (limited to PCM), the sound quality is noticeably better overall — more natural and engaging. That lines up with what others have said too. Even playback directly from the Rose software sounds better than through Roon.
So now I’m looking into a combined server/streamer that comes with its own high-quality playback software but can still integrate with Roon. My goal is to keep using Roon for its great library management and discovery features, while having an easy way to switch to a higher-performance playback path for more relaxed or critical listening — whether that’s local files or streaming from Qobuz via Qobuz Connect or a native app.
Right now, the Innuos Nazare, Pink Faun Ultra, and Aurender are on my short list. The budget could stretch to the Pink Faun Dual Ultra, but given my natural caution with new (to me) brands — and the need to justify my audio adventures on the home front — I’m leaning toward starting with the Ultra.
I’m particularly intrigued by the Pink Faun/MSB collaboration and the idea of connecting the streamer/server directly to the Cascade via Pro ISL, ideally using the same AOC cable MSB recommended. But I’m also swayed by the Innuos Statement NG and the complimentary reviews of its user interface. I’m open to other solutions and appreciate the input and thoughts from this community of audio enthusiasts.
I’ve had the INNUOS Statement NG and sold it. It’s good. But the Pink Faun with MSB ProISL card has really been a big step up as an interface for my Cascade. I’ll tell you what it’s done. It has completely removed any hint of digital fatigue. My listening sessions are far far longer. I was listening last night and couldn’t go to bed. Everything just has a greater sense of realism and ease.