To Jeff Fritz,

I’ve been following your system developments and was wondering if you can comment on how the Auralic Vega G2 streaming DAC-preamp compares with the MSB Discrete DAC that you ended up purchasing. I know the price difference is significant between the two digital front ends, but would appreciate any generalizations between the products.

Thank you in advance,
Tony
Canada

At $5999 (USD), the Auralic Vega G2 is a tremendous bargain. I could have easily lived with it permanently, and I still stand by everything I said in the review. The MSB Discrete DAC is in another league altogether, though—it is simply a more resolving, more transparent DAC. Granted, in the configuration of the unit I purchased—with the Premier Powerbase and the input options I chose—the price is well over double that of the Vega. But, thankfully, there are times when you get what you pay for in this hobby, and that is particularly true when the products under discussion are all from companies that produce components at or near the top of their class. So, in summary, I like the Auralic a lot, but the MSB is worth the additional outlay and then some. . . . Jeff Fritz