Museatex Bitstream vs Bidat

I have no answer to your conundrum, Bigkidz and what I'm about to write should not be construed as advice because I don't profess to know what's best for anyone.

For me, cost is always an issue. Does the improvement justify the trouble and the money involved? It's also one reason why I keep going back to the John Wright well. I've never paid for an upgrade (I've done three) that wasn't worth *more* than the time and cost I invested. I'm always a bit skeptical going in (i.e. what more could you do to make this better?) and so far I've always been blown away when the unit returns. I think the mods are successful because John listens to these units constantly. He helped create and refine the product. This is not his full-time job and he tends to understate the quality and impact of his work. In my conversations with him, he seems to be in pursuit of a "musical ideal" more than drumming up extra business. I trust his ears and while I wouldn't upgrade every year, I'll probably want whatever he calls a "breakthrough." I think the guy's a genius when it comes to DACS....and he's humble about it.

I'd be interested in knowing who has done an A/B of an unmodded Bitstream and one with the current mods. I don't quite get from this conversation that this has been done.

I have a low S/N unit "105". It does not say on the panel that it has the C-Lock circuitry. I thought it was a little bright sounding at first, but extremely detailed. All I know is that once paired with a Meridian 518, it blew away all others in comparison. If anything, I would like to experience slightly deeper base. Scared to death of modding it though. Perhaps I may try and get hold of a Moray cable and see what effect that may have on it - or is the Moray the preferred post-mod cable?

Slothman,

I just did a direct and lengthy A/B with my just modded bitstream and a low S/N bitstream that belongs to a friend here in St. Louis. He *loves* his bitstream but is packing it up this weekend for the mods. You lose none of the analog flavor and musicality but you get a huge and cinematic soundstage and much better, deeper bass. The PRaT is also vastly improved. Personally, I consider Moray's digital cables, and I've used three versions, to be an essential part of the upgrade. I've directly a/b'd his digital to top-of-the-line offerings from Harmonic Tech and Kimber I have owned and it blows them away when used with the bitstream or bidat. The mods will be the best $500 you're ever likely to spend on audio; the modded bitstream is one of the world's great DACS and it's been run against units costing thousands more by me and many others.

Vhiner - thanks for your response. I almost bit on John's first mod offering but there just wasn't enough feedback out there yet. I'm almost glad I held out until his latest. I will most likely proceed.

Slothman,

This *is* an opportune time. John's breakthrough has to do with the power supply and some new caps, but the swagger over these mods is not just hype by niche users or people who can't afford "better." The changes can be appreciated in every level of system. I own the new Thiel CS3.7's, which are HIGHLY revealing, but my other friends who own bitstreams have Magnepan's or two-way transducers as well as completely different wiring and amplification. When the front end source is right, everything else just sings. Plus, the price is just crazy for the increase in quality that is delivered.