Bricasti M1?

[Priaptor]

Has anyone had the opportunity to hear this supposedly fantastic DAC? It has become of interest to me now that they are adding an asynchronous USB digital input.

 

I have "heard" good things about the DAC, but never heard it myself and have no dealer in my area.

 

[joeinid]

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/threads/11281-Bricasti-M1

[Talk2Me]

^Stay with your Audio Logic. Jerry Ozment was a genius, and tubes no less. Can I get a "amen!"

[joeinid]

"Amen"

[antubaro]

Has anyone had the opportunity to hear this supposedly fantastic DAC? It has become of interest to me now that they are adding an asynchronous USB digital input.

 

I have "heard" good things about the DAC, but never heard it myself and have no dealer in my area.

 

In the absence of a USB input I suggest you try the Bricasti using the VESTA firewire to SPDIF interface from WEISS that is still the best interface if you are MAC based!

Andrea, Rome

[Dirgen]

I heard the Bricasti M1 at the NY Audio Show last week (*). My first thoughts was how similar it looked to the Mark Levinson house style. In fact I thought that it was a new Mark Levinson until I went up for a closer look.

 

The Bricasti was set up with Viola electronics and Ciamarra speakers. I am not sure about what cables and interfaces were used but the perhaps the attached photo might be helpful.

 

I was comparing the Bricasti systems with my memory of the Weiss (DAC202) and Linn (Klimax/Akurate) so my views are hardly scientific but I had mixed feeling about the Bricasti. The strengths of the Bricasti is the resolution and soundstaging. The clarity and the accuracy of the positioning of the instruments was remarkable. On the downside, I felt that the overall sound was a bit too bright, perhaps even harsh. Perhaps this is the price of listening to older recordings in a high resolution system.

 

Changing the subject, the biggest surprise of the show for me was the Walker Proscenium turntable. I was shocked by how good vinyl could sound. I used to think that vinyl lovers were reactionary dinosaurs but I was mistaken - dinosaurs perhaps but not so reactionary. Anyway I am still committed to computer audio as it is unbeatable in terms of convenience and value but in terms of absolute sound quality, it still needs improvement. I hope that the hardware as well as properly made recordings will be available soon.

 

(*) I would have liked to go to the Stereo Exchange as well but I was on a business trip and all my meetings were mid-town.

[joeinid]

I heard the Bricasti M1 at the NY Audio Show last week (*). My first thoughts was how similar it looked to the Mark Levinson house style. In fact I thought that it was a new Mark Levinson until I went up for a closer look.

 

The Bricasti was set up with Viola electronics and Ciamarra speakers. I am not sure about what cables and interfaces were used but the perhaps the attached photo might be helpful.

 

I was comparing the Bricasti systems with my memory of the Weiss (DAC202) and Linn (Klimax/Akurate) so my views are hardly scientific but I had mixed feeling about the Bricasti. The strengths of the Bricasti is the resolution and soundstaging. The clarity and the accuracy of the positioning of the instruments was remarkable. On the downside, I felt that the overall sound was a bit too bright, perhaps even harsh. Perhaps this is the price of listening to older recordings in a high resolution system.

 

Changing the subject, the biggest surprise of the show for me was the Walker Proscenium turntable. I was shocked by how good vinyl could sound. I used to think that vinyl lovers were reactionary dinosaurs but I was mistaken - dinosaurs perhaps but not so reactionary. Anyway I am still committed to computer audio as it is unbeatable in terms of convenience and value but in terms of absolute sound quality, it still needs improvement. I hope that the hardware as well as properly made recordings will be available soon.

 

(*) I would have liked to go to the Stereo Exchange as well but I was on a business trip and all my meetings were mid-town.

 

Thanks for the info. Those speakers are TAD CR-1's. The same ones Chris Connaker uses as his reference speakers.

[Dirgen]

Sorry about the confusion - I was thrown off by the sign saying Ciamara. Even so I cannot understand why I spelt it with two "R's". Must be the jet lag.

 

By the way, do you know what the component on the bottom shelf might be?

[joeinid]

Sorry about the confusion - I was thrown off by the sign saying Ciamara. Even so I cannot understand why I spelt it with two "R's". Must be the jet lag.

 

By the way, do you know what the component on the bottom shelf might be?

 

I am not sure but I think it is some kind of power conditioner or balanced power distributor possibly by equi-tech. If you check here http://parttimeaudiophile.com/ and look under show reports about 1/2 to 3/4 down the page you will see more. Great coverage by the way.

 

Joe

[ciamara]

Sorry about the confusion - I was thrown off by the sign saying Ciamara. Even so I cannot understand why I spelt it with two "R's". Must be the jet lag.

 

By the way, do you know what the component on the bottom shelf might be?

 

Hi, and thanks for stopping by our room at the NYAV show. The bottom component was a balanced power system from Equitech. (The 2RQ to be precise). The entire system, with the exception of the power amplifier, was run through the 2RQ. I think your comments on the Bricasti M1 are interesting. We find this DAC to be very transparent and detailed. It can sound bright on certain recordings, but also keep in mind there are several different filter options. We find the minimum filters can soften the "brightness" on lesser recordings. The linear filters are more revealing, and therefore sound very good on better recordings. Hope that helps.

[Part-Time Audiophile]

I think I remember something about the Bricasti supporting USB now or soon, but I can't find that anywhere. Anyone?

[lasercd]

I think I remember something about the Bricasti supporting USB now or soon, but I can't find that anywhere. Anyone?

 

USB is available as an option. I believe its an extra $500. The Bricasti guys are slow updating their website. They were showing at the Waldorf-Astoria with the USB enabled M1. Brian Zolner was feeding it from a laptop.

 

Ken Golden

[mav52]

So what will this $8,000 dollar DAC do that a $1,500 - $2,500 DAC can't do ?

[20hertz]

So what will this $8,000 dollar DAC do that a $1,500 - $2,500 DAC can't do ?

 

It will play music at a level that far exceeds most DACs under $20,000

[mav52]

It will play music at a level that far exceeds most DACs under $20,000

is there any measurements somewhere that supports this comparison ? that sure would help someone make a decision or to understand what this exceeding $15,000 difference is

[20hertz]

is there any measurements somewhere that supports this comparison ? that sure would help someone make a decision or to understand what this exceeding $15,000 difference is

Unfortunately not so many measurements accurately describe musicality. Do you need the same confirmation to appreciate a vocalist or an orchestra? There are measurements, of course, jitter,distortion,frequency,slew rate etc,etc. But you need to trust your ears ultimately. Have a good listen!

[Dirgen]

Ciamara - Thanks for the comment about the filters and it certainly explains the brightness. I was confused at the NYAV show because I was expecting a far more neutral sound given the reputation (and the costs) of the Bricasti.

 

These filter options certainly makes computer audiophile a more interesting hobby. I get the feeling that the filtering options make a substantial impact to sound quality but they are not usually detailed in reviews so much as the purely hardware aspects of a DAC. Am I correct in thinking that even the DAC's without a filtering option have a filter that is specific to a given DAC?

[lasercd]

Ciamara - Thanks for the comment about the filters and it certainly explains the brightness. I was confused at the NYAV show because I was expecting a far more neutral sound given the reputation (and the costs) of the Bricasti.

 

These filter options certainly makes computer audiophile a more interesting hobby. I get the feeling that the filtering options make a substantial impact to sound quality but they are not usually detailed in reviews so much as the purely hardware aspects of a DAC. Am I correct in thinking that even the DAC's without a filtering option have a filter that is specific to a given DAC?

 

Dirgen:

 

I'm not Ciamara but I've been using the M1 for almost a year now. It can definitely sound bright if you don't have the right filter setting. It's a piece of gear you have to spend a bit of time with to dial it into your system. The filter settings vary from "OMG why did they even bother?" to "Yeah...this is it". Sometimes you might think you have the right filter but as you spend more time with it you make some adjustments.

 

It's totally system dependent. With my Rockport Aquila I am using minimum phase 2 as my filter setting. Perhaps if I was using a different speaker (or even different electronics) that would sound totally inappropriate. By the way, from my experience I've found that I prefer a different filter setting (minimum phase 4) for hi-res source material.

 

My point is that its not a piece that you can casually listen to at an audio show. You need to spend some time with the piece to really get a handle on it.

 

Ken Golden

[Dirgen]

lasercd - Thanks for your comments. I think you have touched upon an issue about DAC's that has been bothering me at a philosophical level. If filter setting can have such a substantial impact on the sound quality then am I listening to hardware or software? Similarly, if the DAC does not sound right, is it a problem with the hardware or have I just picked the wrong filter option? If I like the sound of a DAC, is it a well designed DAC or am I fooling myself with computer generated euphonics?