Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

I had the opportunity to upgrade my Bricasti M1 to the new Special Edition version. This version is the is identical to the Limited Edition Gold version inside but has the original M1 exterior. You can read the particulars on the Bricasti website. The change involves stillpoints footer built into the feet, point to point wiring inside, more power supply changes and a few other items. Now the sound difference. I was small difference but am very pleased with what I'm hearing. First of all the dynamics are much more explosive and deeper more refined bass. I am noticing better decay and improved leading and trailing edge performance. Before the upgrade the M1 already outperformed the mighty Berkeley Reference in my system to my ears and now it wouldn't even be close. Brian and the Bricasti team are constantly looking for ways to improve the product and than they make the upgrades available at reasonable prices to all owners make this DAC one of the best on the market at any price.

Jeff

Thanks for sharing Jeff.  It's amazing to me how much better the DAC's at all levels are getting.  I'm starting to look at DAC's for my iPhone as I'm into portable a bit and I can tell you that even at the 500 on down level it's amazing at what is coming out.  

Based on the buzz with MQA, I really keep wondering how this will affect the high end DAC's that most of us discuss here on this thread.  I know that Steve has chimed in a bit and I thank you for doing that.  They say that the DAC will be the most important component for using MQA.

It's funny as I liked the Berkley when I first heard it, but it didn't blow me out of the water.  Same with the Trinity ref.  I really liked the DCS Rossini and the full stack when I've heard it/them, but I also think that there are a few DACs that are close or even better depending on the system they are used in.  The one take away from Jeff's post above is that he always says 'in my system to my ears'.  This is so true.  


the reason this thread keeps on giving is because there are plenty of folks who are giving an honest assessment and not just trumpeting their own purchase/DAC.  There are some in this thread who only champion what they own and most of use have figured that out already.  I think that right now I'd love to hear Steve's new DAC the OSDX, Bricasti (heard it once with a full Tidal system and LOVED it), EMM's newest upgrade, Lampy, DCS and not yet released or spoken about, but the eventually to be released the Ayre 5 series I'm assuming or a ref series as Ayre does digital extremely well (LOVE the Codex...just LOVE IT).  

It's really becoming a fun time for digital as it does have a ton of advantages over other mediums, but the drawbacks are being dealt with with new designers and better availability of components.  
Thanks all for sharing .

ketcham
65 posts
02-13-2016 12:13am
Given my personal experience, I believe the internal Ethernet to I2S will beat Ethernet to high grade server to ODSX by USB.

That was my bet.....

I Personally heard DAVE from CES 16. Any also an TT owner. I have to say they changed period. Chord DAVE is alot to offer and for it price i say it is really amaze for < 15K Dac-Pre-HeadAmp with all current standard.

And DAVE is at the highest reference level on Chord lineup. and i say people should give a listen and see what they had to offer.

And Yes, i would put DAVE against Esoteric and DCS level with the same price point.

Despite the reports of its exceptional sound, there is one operational issue I have with DAVE is described on page ten of its manual:

Dave has two menu options specifically tailored for PCM or DSD playback. You can play both PCM and DSD music using either mode, but each one is specifically optimised for a particular format. In order to cycle between each mode please highlight the segment and press both left and right navigation buttons simultaneously for one second.

PCM+ - Use this for PCM playback up to 768KHz. DSD playback up to DSD256 is also supported but it is decimated and not optimised in this mode.

DSD+ - Use this for DSD64, 128, and 256 (single, dual and quad speed) playback. There is no decimation. PCM can still be played and this mode is ideal for streaming video with audio as it has a lower delay.

Before changing modes please stop music playback and mute your amplifier to allow the clocks to resynchronise and avoid incorrect playback. Please note that when switching between PCM+ or DSD+ modes there will be a 20 second delay where the display will show ‘Mute’. This is to allow the unit to program, and for the system to settle.

This is a significant limitation to me, since you can't effectively play a group of tracks that are a mix of PCM and DSD formats decoded optimally without decimation. If you only play PCM or DSD files in separate sessions or can live with a 20 second reboot when changing between PCM and DSD then this is not an issue.