CD III Player
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Here is our 2 box CD player: A solid bit-perfect transport and either of our high-end DACs.
DAC III pair available in standard MSB Blue or Satan Silver, Power DAC version availible in Satan Silver.

"The Platinum lacks the standard digital byproducts that have become a staple of  "digital sound" and by disposing of those artifacts has ended up sounding more analog-like than many turntables people listen to"
Martin G. DeWulf, Bound for Sound issue #147
(the Platinum Reference CD Player from MSB)

 For the first time ever, MSB Technology has produced a completely custom design CD Player, that doesn't use another manufactures' digital filter or DACs.  

 The Reference CD Station III is a unique combination of a very high performance Reference CD Player, a Platinum quality DAC, and the ultimate passive stepped attenuator. With its multiple digital inputs and single analog input it is extremely versatile.  

Simplicity

  The Reference CD Station III was designed in a way that it can be used as the last component in your system before the amplifiers. It may well be the only component in your system before the amplifiers!  With the added convenience of having multiple digital inputs and one Analog input you can easily connect additional sources such as an SACD/DVD player that only output the SACD through the analog outputs.  The PCM outputs from the DVD Player would connect to one of the digital inputs of the CD Station III and the analog input would connect through the Analog input of the CD Station.  The Analog Input is volume controlled.  

About the Drive

 The industry standard tray loading Philips drive mechanism has been highly modified to compliment the performance of our Platinum DAC technology. 

* The Caddy mechanism used in the CD II is no longer available. 

About the DAC

 The Second Generation Platinum DAC modules are of our own design, hand made, discretely built R2R Ladder DACs.  How DACs Work! A simple but accurate explanation. The Platinum DACs draw from the older ladder technology but with incredible improvements that allow them to operate up to 3 MHz.  The Reference CD Station III contains four of these 24 bit MSB DAC Modules configured in a true balanced architecture for optimum balanced or single-ended operation..   

About the Digital Filter

 For the first time ever, we have created our own Custom Digital Filter for the Platinum DACs.  Previous versions of the Platinum DAC used the Burr-Brown DF1704, which at the time was the best Digital Filter on the market.  Our new Digital Filter is built to our specifications and standards, and is designed to get the most out of the Platinum DAC modules.   

 The performance of this new Digital Filter is amazing.  Immediately you'll notice the lack of fuzziness around voices and instruments of all  frequencies.  This new filter also dramatically increases the resolution and dynamics of the machine.  This filter is also completely customizable; By playing a special .wav file on a CD new filter coefficients, either temporary or permanent, can be loaded into our DSP.   

 The Digital Filter is a 16x oversampling, single stage filter with 32bit input resolution, 80bit computation, and 36bit coefficients.  More information on this custom MSB Digital Filter can be found here.

About the Clock / Jitter Control 

 Jitter control devices (and inputs on most DACs) normally re-clock the input signal in attempt to lessen the jitter of that incoming signal. The Platinum CD III does no such re-clocking. We actually pay no attention to the clock on the input signal (or the input from the internal drive) .  All internal clocks are generated by an extremely accurate +/- 2.5ppm temperature compensated clock. Since the input clock is no longer related to the clock of the Platinum, an intelligent ½ second buffer is used to maintain data synchronization. 

About the Attenuator 

 Our Preamp philosophy is based on the belief that from the moment analog audio is created, every transition that is made degrades the quality. This is why we have used a passive attenuator within the CD Station III, to achieve the simplest, shortest possible signal path with the least possible degradation of the true music.  The Volume is controlled in 2 dB steps from 0 to -62 dB.  The Volume Control is completely bypassed when at 0 dB.  

 This attenuator section is also designed to serve as a way to match the naturally high output level of the Platinum DACs to any desired outboard preamp. This has proven to be extremely useful for many of our customers that are happy with the Preamp they have known and used for years. It allows the two devices to be correctly matched with each other.

Platinum Reference CD Station III Specifications

Supported Formats:
(internal CD Drive)
CD, CDR

Inputs:
Coaxial, Toslink, Balanced AES/EBU, 1MSB Network (192k) and 1 Balanced Analog input (<600 ohms)

RCA Outputs:
3.6V RMS (10V pp)

Balanced Outputs:
7.5V RMS (20V pp)

Output Impedance:
50 ohms at 0 dB

Volume Control:
2dB Stepped Attenuator
(32 steps)

Sampling Frequency:
1.5 MHz up to 3 MHz

Digital Filter:
16x Digital Filter by MSB Technology

Slew Rate:
>1000 V/Microsecond

Settling Time:
<90 Nanoseconds

Dynamic Range:
136 dB A Measured

Noise Floor:
<-145 dB

THD+N:
.002

Signal to Noise Ratio:
140 dB

Channel Separation:
>130 dB

Control Features:
Remote
Display Dim Mode
Phase Invert
Upsampling (4x)
Volume Control
Input Selection
Filter Selection