Apologies to everyone right off the bat here - I do Not want to hijack this thread, but there are some details that will be important should anyone consider buying this DAC that should be known, so I apologize in advance for the lengthy infomercial. Skip now if you’re not interested.
@audiosaurusrex, Sorry for the late response, there are actually 2 physically different B2 Bombers: the ADC and also a DAC version. Professionally, they’re meant to be used together to go from recording phase (ADC) to mix-down phase (DAC). Both retail for the same price, $2450. Burl typically runs a sale twice a year, once in mid summer and again before Christmas when they are known to take off roughly $200-250. I bought my DAC used and paid $1900 delivered. Used prices don’t discount very much with these DAC’s, their resale value is always high and sometimes you have to be patient for one to become available, but invariably they seem to show up.
There are more than 2 versions of the DAC, but for some reason Burl does not use any nomenclature at all to distinguish between them, so you have to confirm which version before ordering, whether from online retailers, used from individuals or from Burl itself. One version includes a Toslink input and analog gain controls for each channel of the XLR output stage (tiny screwdriver adjust) and also, among the ones with the Toslink/gain control versions, there is a version that includes a Dante card for clocking (pro use only) that bumps the price up a couple hundred bucks or so, so don’t end up paying for that one. Looking at a pic of the rear panel will tell you mostly what you need to know about the individual DAC you’re looking at.
One last consideration is that this DAC uses twin class-A, discrete op-amps for the analog output stage. The op-amps are in fact user replaceable, they are not soldered into place. Burl currently makes 2 versions of op-amps: BOPA1, and BOPA8. This DAC debuted on the market in 2011 (it’s DAC chip, incidentally, was chosen at the time strictly for its sound quality alone, rather than for the most recent design or availability vs pricing...it still sounds great even after all this time. My friend in the industry, who is also an audiophile, tells me he thinks this is the best-sounding PCM DAC in existence). But, the first op-amp, the BOPA1, gave the B2 a reputation for being the most analog-like - (think tape rather than vinyl) sounding DAC available...complete with something of that nice, tonal density (despite having nice separation of instruments) that good, analog tape playback is known for. The 2nd one, the BOPA8 was meant to ’modernize’ the sound a bit and give things a less ’identifiably’ analogish sound and go for something more neutral - straddling between the best analog and the best digital type of sound.
The BOPA8 has been the production variant for some years now, but if at any time you wanted to swap out and try the other, you would just order the op-amps from Burl and try them yourself. I have the BOPA8 version and it sounds so good to me that I don’t really have any great interest in trying the BOPA1, unless it were out of sheer curiosity or something. Burl sells the BOPA1 for like $50 and the BOPA8 for like $80, but I can’t recall at the moment if that was each or for a pair - you need 2, one for each channel. Contact Burl and they can tell you.
Ok, disclaimer over.
