Article: Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB Review

[Paul R]

This is probably a stupid question. <br />

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I do not really grok that the sound was more "palpable." I tend to think "richer" or "fuller", but neither one of those seems to fit exactly. Would you expand on the sound a little more please? <br />

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-Paul<br />

[Paul R]

I think you misjudge many folks here. Chris's recommendations are for me, a very good match. Never having met him or listened to his much higher system, when I listen to the same gear he has reviewed, I find myself having the same kind of reactions and coming to similar conclusions. <br />

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I have no reason to doubt that will hold, regardless of whether he is reviewing a $500 DAC or a $5000 DAC. And there are some areas I disagree with him on, which is to be expected. <br />

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Liking something or not is purely a matter of personal taste. I choose my systems partly on whether I like the things, as well as their performance specifications. I personally think to do otherwise is unreasonable. <br />

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Also, there are times when I simply cannot audition a hunk of gear, for whatever reason. If it is above a certain dollar threshold, I just don't buy it until I <i>can</i> audition it. If it is below that threshold, I probably will ask people for advice. I'll still choose what I like, this time based upon specs, what other people say about it, how it looks and who is selling it. <br />

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That seems eminently reasonable to me. Chris, through his careful reviews, has earned a lot of respect from me. So have other folks. <br />

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I'm not sure what you are so angry about (you sure seem really angry) or what baggage you may be carrying, or what score you want to settle. But can you kinda settle it offline? <br />

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I'm thinking of saving up for a Berkeley DAC and Alpha USB. I'm kind of interested to hear about any negative impressions of it, based on what it sounds like. It's above the price I am comfortable with without auditioning it first. <br />

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-Paul<br />

[Paul R]

@Peter St. - I am not sure what, but something seems wrong with that logic to me. If that were really the case, you should be able to get Phasures mass produced in China at 1/20th of the current cost, sell them at $995, and see no reduction in build or sound quality.<br />

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I think you will agree that other factors come into play there, right?<br />

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I do know there is a difference in the sound of a V-Link, a Wavelength, and a Highface USB converter fed into several DACs, so it really is not difficult for me to believe the Berkeley sounds different and better, especially since Chris' review strongly suggests that is the case.<br />

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@Mark - I do not know if the difference in sound holds going into a DAC like the dcs. It may well be that as the quality of the DAC increases, the difference a USB converter can make is less and less, probably a case by case thing. It is interesting to hear from you that a V-Link works well with the dcs. V-Links are one of my favorite hunks of gear. They are great to demonstrate to folks jut how much difference USB can make over say, an optical output on a PC. (A lot in some cases!)<br />

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Paul<br />

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[Paul R]

Yes, I thought you were saying the device should be much much cheaper. I misunderstood what you were saying. <br />

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Most people I know that have actually heard the beastie think it is worth the cost. A few folks have said it is a "bargain" at that price. <br />

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It sounds like about the best one can do. I do understand some folks feel that Off Ramps and SonicWelds are better, but I have the feeling that at this level, it is going to be personal preference more than anything else. <br />

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-Paul<br />

[Paul R]

You can only come to the U.S. if you promise to keep talking. <br />

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When you do, pop in down here to Texas for a visit! <br />

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-Paul<br />