Museatex Bitstream vs Bidat

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!

I've got to write a mea culpa here. I was totally wrong in my post of nearly three years ago about how a Bidat sounds with a high quality preamp and how the bitstream compares. I own a newly modded Bitstream (version II) and Super Plus modded Bidat. I now have a Conrad Johnson CT5 tube preamp and it has greaty improved the sound of both units. Even John Wright called the volume controller of the Bidat "flawed."

Wright's 2010 mods of the Bitstream are nothing short of revolutionary. I'm in the process of an extensive comparision between this latest iteration of the Bitstream and the Bidat. I'll post more later.

Vhiner, I am waiting to hear you results. I sold one of my Bidat unit and the other is on the way to me as I type with the very latest mods from John. This is the one that I will be comparing to my MSB from my other thread.

Audiofun,

I didn't realize that you haven't heard John's very latest mods. Get ready, my friend. Even though you are a long-time Bidat fan like me, nothing can prepare you for what John is doing right now. He's raised the Bidat to an entirely different level. One caution: Because John uses blackgates and teflon caps extensively, the burn-in after modification is *not* to be underestimated. Listening during the burn-in process can be downright bizarre. Instrument placement can shift, bass comes and goes, and the very character of some recordings changes. Once the "new" Bidat settles, the soundstage, bass and microdynamics are unlike anything *I've* ever heard. Because you have access to a far more extensive array of DACS and understand the Bidat "sound" I'm particularly eager to learn what you hear.

Preliminarily, I can say that the "new" Bitstream matches the Bidat's soundstage but it's early days and my Bidat mods are several months old. John made what I consider to be a major breakthrough just before your unit got to him. Consequently, you're about to hear something very special.

Enjoy.