Assemblage 3.1 or MSB platinum

More to Madisonears. Forgot to mention several other key points. Preamp is a Linn Kairn hooked to an Aragon 4004 amp. More importantly, I bought an Assemblage D2D about 4 months ago and it truly was the one component that has made the single most favorable change to my system. CD's that were slightly strident all of a sudden became much smoother with a depth and "air" that had never been present before. The D2D was hooked up in line with the 3.1 during my auditions. Perhaps the D2D is so good that it masked whatever standalone qualities the 3.1 might have had if I had auditioned it by itself. I guess I'll never know. Good luck with your listening experience!!!!

Thanks Madisonears for your comments. The 3.1 that I auditioned was the Platinum package which is all the more reason that I was so disappointed. My transport is a Theta
Basic II feeding the EAD 7000III DAC. 802 Series II are modified by North Creek and I've added Golden Flutes which make a substantial difference in the bottom end. All interconnects are Gamut. Speaker cable is the new Silver Sonic Q-10. My reference point is my ears-I constantly go to live concerts, especially chamber. What one hears typically is the mellow and wonderful resonance of the wooden bodied instruments-that's what is missing with the 3.1 Who knows, maybe I received a defective unit-but after 100 hours of music still sounded like the cello player was on vacation...and it was even more pronounced on larger classical pieces. I imagine that these differences are what keep us interested in the pursuit of excellence.

Amazing that I also am running the 3.1 into B&W 802's with North Creek outboard Xovers, and I find it very musical, with not a hint of brightness. I upgraded the cheapo standard opamps to the far more expensive model (part of the PLATINUM upgrade package), and the sound improved greatly. I am using my CAL Icon MkII as a transport, run the 3.1 balanced to a Bryston BP-25 preamp and BAT VK-200 amp. Sounds like beautiful music to me!

Tried the 3.1 for about 100 hours. Through my B&W802's(North Creek Mod), the 3.1 was noticably too bright-compared to my EAD. Am using an Assemblage D2D upsampler in the chain and never tried the 3.1 without the D2D(why would I want to?) The 3.1 never achieved the soothness of the EAD. Sent it back for full refund. Parts Connection very good and professional company to deal with.

The Saturday sale Sat March 17 is a good time to buy gear.I live five minutes from the factory and will be there to see what goodies are up for grabs.Call and ask for Frank he will cut you a good deal.

I think that so far, the D2D-1 is a good value. It does not do all the software stuff that the P-1A aspires to, but I hear a noticable improvement with it. It's a dependable and predictable upgrade and very well constructed. However,it does not support RCA digital I/O without a BNC adapter - I am not sure how badly the adapter degrades the signal. Be sure to get the I2Se interface if pairing with a 3 series DAC. While TPC has a standard $100 off special when purchased with their DAC, they also have a moving sale going on this weekend, and they've been known to cut some generous deals on packages.

I guess I should've asked if either of you have had the chance to hear the d2d-1. If not, what are your thoughts?

Thanks guys. Guess I'm going to order myself a 3.1 platinum. Did you feel the d2d-1 was a substantial upgrade? My understanding is that it doesn't actually re-dither to a 24 bit word length, because it doesn't have dsp.

great post smglaw.The Assemblage product suffers from lack of brand name recognition.I dont know if people really know the connection to Sonic Frontiers and that the product is desingned using some of the best parts available.when you get it assembled it rivals the best of whats out there.

Follow up I now have about 75 hours on the DAC 3.1 Signiture and it keeps getting better hour after hour.Big soundstage lots of air space.I can hear the vocalists on some track takin a breath thats how much detail is being extracted.And all of this using a Nakamichi 5 year old Music bank.If you have a good dvd player this thing will really bring you much joy.

I am in the process of listening to the 3.1 and I think its the best digital source i have ever heard.I have the Signiture version and I could just imagine how much better the Platinum might be.For know I cant stop spinning CD's.I might end up in the dog house.but the 3.1 sound is worth it.Anyone outhere dont hesitate this is a great product.You can tell by the weight and feel its a class A product.Get it assembled and dont fool yourself.If this unit was built by BAT Krell Audio Note Classe McIntosh it would retail at 5k +.

I'm in the process of breaking in a DAC 3.1 Platinum (w/ D2D-1 and I2Se cable). While I think it still has yet to fully hit its stride, it already stomps my old CAL Sigma II 24/96 to dust. The 3.1 Platinum (with the K grade DACs and OPA627s) has a captivating musical presence and effortlessness that I have not heard this side of vinyl. It seems unflappable and unfazed by whatever music you toss at it. Wonderfully natural timbre across the entire range, right down to the lowest reaches. All this and what seems like total clarity and limitless dynamics. Absolutely zero fatigue factor - I could listen endlessly. I've not heard the MSB Platinum, but can say I'm quite taken with the DAC 3.1 Platinum so far. I've yet to find a weakness in it. And the smart four board design gives me some confidence in its ultimate service life. For what it's worth, a Soundstage reviewer a few months ago found the hot new Perp Tech combo with PS upgrade still behind the DAC 3.0/D2D-1 in overall performance.