Museatex Bitstream vs Bidat

Lacee,

John Wright, of Museatex.com,does all the official Museatex/Melior/Meitner mods, he would be the best person to check with. At the very least, he could some extensive power supply upgrades.

His all-out upgrades for Bidat/Idat44/Bitsream only cost $250-350 max, so it is a great deal when compared to buying something else.

I was quoted $500 back for a mod to my Bitstream in Feburary of this year. Apparently the price increase is due to an inclusion of a "Black Gate cap" upgrade that he used to offer separately.

I've held off in hopes of more feedback. Black gates reportedly take a while to break in and I would rather hear a little more on what to expect.

I like mine as is - it is very detailed. However, in my solid state PC audio system I went with the CAL Alpha. I would like to hear the Bitstream it in my tube system (in storage until my house is built) prior to pulling the trigger on the mod as well.

The Bitstream is the most musical Dac I heard so far.

I installed a Furutech Gold IEC and left the rest stock.

A King Cobra p/c and Revelation Sig. digital cable make music like a giant tidal wave.

Previous Dacs were Cal Alpha and Audio Logic M-34.

Not to challenge the expertise of others here, but I don't believe that the modded BiDAT driven directly into a seriously decent amp and using its digital volume control can be surpassed by ANYTHING under $10,000, including the Bitstream, as good as that is. The BiDAT, based upon my extensive listening, is the one of the best three DACs on the market for redbook CD's if you drive a good amp with it. Using the BiDAT's analog outs robs you of a great deal of the Meitner magic, IMHO. That being said, you need to match it with an excellent main amp. I'll grant that a side-by-side comparison of the modded units going through a preamp is probably very similar. Just my two cents.

I have both a recently John Wright upgraded Bidat and Bitstream DAC and I enjoy very much. The Bidat is in my higher end living room system while my Bitstream is in my bedroom system. They are both very musical and resolving. I have had them on for about a month or so and the initial limited harshness is gone. Quality DACs really do make a significant positive difference to the music!