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Bricasti M1 DAC vs PS Audio Direct Stream DAC

I own a PS Audio Direct Stream DAC that I like a lot but heard my friends system with the Bricasti M1 and I am strongly thinking of changing my DAC and would love your feedback from other members that have heard either or both. I know they are both great but really thinking of changing my Dac from PS Audio Direct Stream to the Bricasti M1 DAC. I use a HP Desk top computer as source with Jplay and JRiver Media 19 and the outstanding Tellurium Q BLACK DIAMOND Reference USB Cable. The rest of my system is below. I listen to Classic Rock, jazz, vocal, some modern music and the usual audiophile stuff.

Thanks

My system for reference.

Ascendo C-8 Renaissance Speakers (Germany) Monitor
Purist Audio Design Corvus Praesto Revision 2.5m Bi-Wire Speaker cable
Cardas Clear Interconnect 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Darwin TRUTH Pure Silver Reference 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Darwin TRUTH Pure Silver Reference 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Audio Research REFERENCE 1 w/Rhodium IEC/NOS Tubes Tube preamp
Decware ZSTAGE External Triode Output StageTelefunken ECC801S
PS Audio Direct Stream DSD DAC w/ Bridge DA converter
Tellurium Q BLACK DIAMOND Reference USB Cable
PS Audio PerfectWave PowerBase Vibration Cancelation/AC Condtioner
Conrad Johnson Premier 12 Mono's 140 Watts Tung-Sol KT120's amps
PS Audio PowerPlant Premier AC Regenerator
BMI Shark Pure Jeweler Grade Platinum AC Power Cable
Sablon Audio Petite Corona 2.0M AC Power Cable
Mad Scientist PC-NEO with Power Purifier AC Power Cable
JPS Labs The Power AC+ 2M AC Power Cable
Synergistic Research Labs Tesla Series SE T1 AC Power Cable
Synergistic Research Labs Tesla Series T1 AC Power Cable
PS Audio Noise Harvester (5) Converts noise to light
OYAIDE RI Beryllium Power Outlets (2)
Hubbell Outlet 5362/5262 Deep Cryo Process
Blue Circle Audio The Yalu Balula Industrial Surge/Spike Protection
JPLAY v5.2 hi-end audio player turns PC into a digital transport.
JRiver Media Center 19 Music Software
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xfsmithjack
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

fsmithjack - If you are still using Jriver 19 to play local files, you can do a lot better. I use the free combination of Linn Kinsky/Minimserver/BubbleUPnP and it beats Roon, Twonky and Jriver by a mile. If you want to give this a try, I can give you more details. First download all three apps.

I use it with my UPnP Ethernet renderer, the Interchange:

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=156409.0

This renderer delivers 10psec of jitter at the end of a 4 foot coax cable.

BTW, the Interchange outputs I2S on HDMI connector, compatible with PSAudio.

Also, you are correct that USB is fundamentally flawed, however if you add this device, it is very close to the best Ethernet renderer (assuming that you are using good USB cables like Wireworld Platinum and a good quality  XMOS isolated USB interface):

https://sotm-usa.com/collections/sotm-ultra/products/copy-of-tx-usbultra-regenerator-1

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
Yes I agree the SOtM Ultra is a fantastic unit. I loved it and used it for a while. I was going to add their new clock but it’s expensive and I ended up selling it when I upgraded my Bricasti M1SE with the new built in Bricasti Ethernet Network Player and the great Linear Technology OCXO Ethernet Switch and their matching LPS. 

I do use Roon though as I love their EQ to tailor exact to my room.

I use a super low power requirement server - the cheap but great sounding Small Green Computer sonicTransporter just to feed the Music files to my Bricasti controlled my Roon on my iPhone.

I power it with the excellent Uptone Audio JS-2 LPS - it powers both my server and my modem. It has 2 rails.

I had a purpose built, window based, low power fanless mini PC to serve up Roon and also powered by the JS-3 but this little low powered (10watt) sonicTransport is much better w s it only needs to send the music files nice and quit with a purpose built Linx based software set it is smoother and quieter then my windows solution.

I tested a ZENeth server which was great but my little sonicTransporter unit out performed it.

With the media player now being built in my Bricasti I just need to quietly serve it media files as simply and quietly as possible and this solution works as good as anything with the great Uptone JS-2 LPS.

I would be interested in trying new software but if I had to go back to a windows based server to do I’m not sure it be an improvement.

Incidentally, both my mini PC and the sonicTransporter and the ZENeth all use the same super low power required Celeron J1800 processor which has all the power needed for these Audio serving tasks but with nice low power, low noise. The lower the power better as long as it can perform it’s Music file serving task. My windows based mini PC would run hot - real hot and amazingly the sonicTransporter runs unreal cool. Almost can’t tell it on.

The ZENith was sort of a waste as your paying for a really good media player and with my Bricasti handling those chores all I needed was to serve up the files and let the Bricasti do the rest. So the great media player in ZENinth went unused and why I didn’t buy it after testing it.

Does this software you speak of need to be run of a PC in a set up like mine? 

Thanks for the info.
aolmrd1241
1,042 posts
 
Fsmithjack...PS Audio uses the Colorado fourteeners to name the updates after...
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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
Cool, what is the Colorado fourteeners? High school kids? Thanks 
bill_k
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https://www.google.com/search?q=Fourteener+Mountains
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