Bricasti M1 owners- a question-

Yes, the output gain on the M1 DAC balanced outputs can be adjusted, up or down, by moving a jumper connection on each analog board.  

However, I suggest you call Bricasti for the exact detailed information on adjusting these internal jumper connections.  If you decide to change them, you need a volt meter to ensure each side is set correctly and balanced.  You also need to decide how much additional gain is required since these adjustments are done in volts. These adjustments have to be correctly balanced to your amplifier to accomplish the  required gain levels. 

When I owned my Bricasti M1SE DAC, I experimented with using it direct to my amp and then a pre-amp.  I felt it sounded “much better” when used with a pre-amp but everyone has a different opinion on this topic.   I made no adjustments to my internal jumpers because I was not qualified to adjust them. 

Sone amplifiers have gain adjustments meaning these adjustments can be done on the amplifier and not the DAC. I hope this helps. 

I eventuality sold my Bricasti M1SE DAC and purchased the Bricasti M21 DAC. 

See Additional info on these jumper adjustments from the Bricasti M1 DAC Manual:

“For custom level matching, an internal the jumper on the board can be moved to engage a precision adjustable potentiometer. This adjustment is set from the rear panel screw near the XLR connector. When the potentiometer feature is engaged the level is adjustable from +8 to +23 dbm and can be referenced to a fraction of a db to match any setup.

This level is set as a default +16 dbm at the factory so when the jumper is engaged this will be the new level. Please contact us for detailed instructions on how to change and set these levels. The unbalanced is set to normal hi fi levels of 2V RMS (+8dbm) by precision resistor values on the board”. 

As noted, a jumper on the board can be moved to engage a precision adjustable potentiometer.  If you plan on doing this, please call Bricasti Customer Support for assistance.   

@hgeifman can you say what the sonic difference is from your M1SE to the M21?

I’m aware of what the owner’s manual provides. What’s interesting is that the unbalanced output is set at +8dbm and the fixed balanced output is set at +13.5dbm which is a bit odd as it should be double the unbalanced output. And yet by moving the jumpers you do get +16dbm, without needing any other adjustment at all.