Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC RS - Impressions and Information

[Kelly]

Had an opportunity to speak with Michael Ritter of Berkeley Audio Design recently. After analysis of software options for converting DSD to PCM the company decided that rather than do their own, they happily found that JRiver was the best solution out there, and one they could wholeheartedly support for their products. And if anyone's in the Bay Area next weekend, they can see, and hopefully hear, the new BADA RS at the California Audio Show in Millbrae at the Westin Hotel. Guess that they'll have some folks on hand to ask all your nitty gritty questions, or so I hope.

 

Now that will be interesting. With the growth of inexpensive but really good DSD dacs, I would like to see how a top-flight PCM dac sounds with software converted DSD next to one of the more modestly priced DSD capable dacs.

[dummy]

Had an opportunity to speak with Michael Ritter of Berkeley Audio Design recently. After analysis of software options for converting DSD to PCM the company decided that rather than do their own, they happily found that JRiver was the best solution out there, and one they could wholeheartedly support for their products. And if anyone's in the Bay Area next weekend, they can see, and hopefully hear, the new BADA RS at the California Audio Show in Millbrae at the Westin Hotel. Guess that they'll have some folks on hand to ask all your nitty gritty questions, or so I hope.

 

 

Thank you Steve for the info, I appreciate It.

[Elberoth]

Chris,

 

Any chance that you will start including xxx-rated images of the components under review ? Many webzines do it and for many, this is often as interesting as the review itself.

 

I would love to see how the RS is build like inside.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Chris,

 

Any chance that you will start including xxx-rated images of the components under review ? Many webzines do it and for many, this is often as interesting as the review itself.

 

I would love to see how the RS is build like inside.

Sure thing Adam. It's beautiful inside.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - Long time CA supporter Tim Marutani has posted a guide to converting DSD to PCM on his website.

 

Those attending the California Audio Show will have an opportunity to hear the Alpha DAC RS playing material converted from DSD to PCM.

 

Web link -> Guides

[agisthos]

Here is the news snippet from the latest issue of TAS for this DAC. Looks like they are declaring it to be a ground breaking product as well.

 

I'll have a lot more to say about this extraordinary new product in my review next issue, but for now you should know that Berkeley's Alpha DAC Reference redefines what we can expect from digital playback. The Reference is simply stunning in its ability to render instruments as real-sounding objects in three-dimensional space. This startling -and I mean startling- quality is made possible not just by the Reference's spatial precision, but also by the timbral vividness and extraordinarily high resolution of the tiniest micro-details. What's more, the Reference performs this magic trick on all instruments simultaneously, even in the most dense and complex passages. This unprecedented (for digital) quality allowed me to easily follow individual musical lines in a way I never thought possible from digital. The build-quality is many steps up from the original Alpha DAC, including a chassis milled from a solid aluminum block. The Alpha DAC Reference is an unqualified triumph. (Review forthcoming)

[RealAudio]

Here is the news snippet from the latest issue of TAS for this DAC. Looks like they are declaring it to be a ground breaking product as well.

 

TAS is constantly calling products "ground breaking". That's their job.

[joelha]

Could you post a link?

 

I'm curious as to who wrote the comment.

 

Thanks,

 

Joel

[LongBchSteve]

Could you post a link?

 

I'm curious as to who wrote the comment.

 

Thanks,

 

Joel

 

It was Robert Harley in the latest TAS edition. This is very interesting to me. I just ordered a Vivaldi DAC which is due in about two weeks. What Robert and Chris have said is a bit of concern for me. Should I cancel the Vivaldi? Or IF it's true that the Berkeley is the better of the two, I wonder if DCS will implement some upgrade to keep it ahead and worth the $18,000 difference. Yikes. Steve

[joelha]

My guess is that you're far from alone in wondering about that, Steve.

 

I think a lot of us are going to have some interesting comparisons to make.

 

Joel

[One and a half]

It was Robert Harley in the latest TAS edition. This is very interesting to me. I just ordered a Vivaldi DAC which is due in about two weeks. What Robert and Chris have said is a bit of concern for me. Should I cancel the Vivaldi? Or IF it's true that the Berkeley is the better of the two, I wonder if DCS will implement some upgrade to keep it ahead and worth the $18,000 difference. Yikes. Steve

 

The dcs can accept Dsd, USB the bad cannot. I don't see a problem?

[joelha]

For less than half the price when the vast majority of hobbyists'collections are Redbook, I think that's a problem. And for less than $2K, you have a top-notch USB-SPDIF converter.

[One and a half]

For less than half the price when the vast majority of hobbyists'collections are Redbook, I think that's a problem. And for less than $2K, you have a top-notch USB-SPDIF converter.

 

I'm from the camp that sees DSD trumping over any PCM, even transcoded. There are pages on this discussion already and as well as USB async versus S/PDIF, so no need to start here. For the investment the DSD compatible DAC would win for future proofing. If the average hobbyist has the $16,000 to spend and has only Redbook 100% and forever and a day to come until time ends, then a PCM only DAC would suffice.

[Kelly]

Reviews of cutting edge DACs keep coming with the caveat "(for digital)." Digital resolution has long since surpassed vinyl. Yes there is some sweetness, etc. to vinyl, and yadda, yadda. ... The false praise for the latest and greatest digital products has grown tiresome. I feel that saying something is great (for digital) and (implicitly) not as great as a good 30 year old record has become a sign of nostalgia and a reviewer insecure about admitting the obvious, that digital reproduction has long since surpassed digital.... I love the sound a good record, but it really just sounds like a good record... that still sounds like a record. The vinyl>digital is basically religion at this point... Sorry for venting.

[joelha]

I'm from the camp that sees DSD trumping over any PCM, even transcoded. There are pages on this discussion already and as well as USB async versus S/PDIF, so no need to start here. For the investment the DSD compatible DAC would win for future proofing. If the average hobbyist has the $16,000 to spend and has only Redbook 100% and forever and a day to come until time ends, then a PCM only DAC would suffice.

 

Well, now you've gone from saying the DAC is not a problem (I believe, in general) to saying it's not a problem for you. If that's the case, that's great . . . sincerely. But your taste in high-res transcoding hardly represents the mainstream of the hobby best as I can tell based on what I've read on-line, in the magazines, and seen at the shows. And as for future proofing, a $19,000 price difference is a pretty stiff premium to pay. That's to say nothing for the fact that by the time the future arrives, whenever that will be, the price of enjoying future formats, samples rates, etc. will be very likely be a heck of a lot less then than it is today.

Better sub-DSD playback for less than half the price of a Vivaldi DAC? I'm in and I suspect many others will be as well.

That would represent the problem for DCS.

Joel

[LongBchSteve]

For less than half the price when the vast majority of hobbyists'collections are Redbook, I think that's a problem. And for less than $2K, you have a top-notch USB-SPDIF converter.

 

For the time being, almost all my listening will be done from CD rips using my MacBook Air and Amarra, with a few downloads from HDTrax, etc. On my current Puccini I don't up sample to DSD, I like PCM better. It sounds more "real" to me. I was thinking of adding the DCS upsampler sometime in the future, and that DXD might be better than PCM?. So another $19,000! How future proof do I need to make this stack if it maybe doesn't sound much better (or at all) than the Pacific Microsystems? Hmm, decisions?

[pawel8]

I believe that our moderator Chris has/had both BADA Reference and DCS Vivaldi Dac.

Possibly he can give us some comparison data.

I had an opportunity to listen to vinyl and hires music.

Vinyl DOES sound better if you ignore pops.

The system used for testing was Audio research reference pre 10,reference 10 phono,reference 250 amplifiers,Vandersteen 7a,cabling from AUDIOQUEST,Vivaldi Dac and 60000$ Basis Turntable.

By the way audio research Dac 8 sounded better than BADA 2.

 

It was Robert Harley in the latest TAS edition. This is very interesting to me. I just ordered a Vivaldi DAC which is due in about two weeks. What Robert and Chris have said is a bit of concern for me. Should I cancel the Vivaldi? Or IF it's true that the Berkeley is the better of the two, I wonder if DCS will implement some upgrade to keep it ahead and worth the $18,000 difference. Yikes. Steve

[Paul R]

Here is the news snippet from the latest issue of TAS for this DAC. Looks like they are declaring it to be a ground breaking product as well.

Very interesting. Do remember that TAS rarely compares high end gear against each other, and tends to consider that anything that is truly high end has a high end price tag as well. It is a valid viewpoint, though I personally do not agree with it. In short- when you are spending this kind of money, I think you really need to get a listen with your own ears.

[joelha]

Vinyl DOES sound better if you ignore pops.

 

To you it sounds better, but that's a completely subjective point. To me (and others) it doesn't and I've heard some fairly expensive and impressive analog playback systems. My opinion is also subjective of course.

By the way, I think Chris has been very clear in his first two or three posts on this thread that he considers the new Berkeley Reference to be the new king of the hill in terms of DAC's.

Joel

[Al M.]

It was Robert Harley in the latest TAS edition. This is very interesting to me. I just ordered a Vivaldi DAC which is due in about two weeks. What Robert and Chris have said is a bit of concern for me. Should I cancel the Vivaldi? Or IF it's true that the Berkeley is the better of the two, I wonder if DCS will implement some upgrade to keep it ahead and worth the $18,000 difference. Yikes. Steve

 

You want my honest opinion? Cancel. At its price point (5 grand) the Berkeley Alpha DAC 2 is an incredible performer and has shown me resolution that I had not thought possible from 16/44 digital (it needs to be on a good power conditioner, however, in order to shine; straight out of the wall may disappoint). I can't even imagine how ground-breaking the new Berkeley may be as an all-out shooting for the best. I have full confidence in the Berkeley crew after my experience with the BADA2. Yet obviously even with this, and rave reviews forthcoming, I would want to hear the machine for myself at home, which I can have the privilege to once I am ready to purchase, courtesy of Goodwin's High End (I did the same with the BADA2 before purchasing).

[Priaptor]

It was Robert Harley in the latest TAS edition. This is very interesting to me. I just ordered a Vivaldi DAC which is due in about two weeks. What Robert and Chris have said is a bit of concern for me. Should I cancel the Vivaldi? Or IF it's true that the Berkeley is the better of the two, I wonder if DCS will implement some upgrade to keep it ahead and worth the $18,000 difference. Yikes. Steve

 

Cancel based on Harley's opinion? How about your opinion and what you like? Harley is entertainment and nothing more. TAS has no, at least IMO, valid perspective as it comes to "reviews". Chris as much as I respect him and he is one of the guys I will listen to, must be put into perspective of the gear he has and like others, is for reference only and not the final word. If you need the validation of Harley, Chris, Valin, etc, yes cancel your order for one of the best DACs ever made; but let me ask you a question. If you are willing to cancel your order for the Vivaldi based on someone else's opinion without even having all the details, why were you buying the Vivaldi in the first place? Because some reviewer said it was the best??

 

Yeah, I guess cancel and just order a system Harley tells you that you should own.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Who is a better painter Rembrandt or Van Gogh?

 

Can you tell by reading opinions about each artists and his paintings?

 

Can you tell by viewing pictures of the paintings online?

 

Oh wait, there is no such thing as a "better" painter. Their work is subjective art.

 

 

This applies to Audio as well. All engineers start with the same rules. Creating a final product is an art that produces different results. A "better" or "best" DAC can only be decided upon by each one of us. As it stands now the Alpha DAC RS is the best DAC I've ever heard in my system.

[Audio_ELF]

Who is a better painter Rembrandt or Van Gogh?

 

Can you tell by reading opinions about each artists and his paintings?

 

Can you tell by viewing pictures of the paintings online?

 

Oh wait, there is no such thing as a "better" painter. Their work is subjective art.

 

 

This applies to Audio as well. All engineers start with the same rules. Creating a final product is an art that produces different results. A "better" or "best" DAC can only be decided upon by each one of us. As it stands now the Alpha DAC RS is the best DAC I've ever heard in my system.

Then perhaps you should just close the forums now and stop blogging about audio equipment >:-)

[reverendo]

Who is a better painter Rembrandt or Van Gogh?

 

Can you tell by reading opinions about each artists and his paintings?

 

Can you tell by viewing pictures of the paintings online?

 

Oh wait, there is no such thing as a "better" painter. Their work is subjective art.

 

 

This applies to Audio as well. All engineers start with the same rules. Creating a final product is an art that produces different results. A "better" or "best" DAC can only be decided upon by each one of us. As it stands now the Alpha DAC RS is the best DAC I've ever heard in my system.

With all due respect, Chris, in order to make the analogy work you would have to compare audio equipment to a screen that reproduces the paintings and not the paintings themselves.

just my 2 cents

[RealAudio]

Who is a better painter Rembrandt or Van Gogh?

 

Can you tell by reading opinions about each artists and his paintings?

 

Can you tell by viewing pictures of the paintings online?

 

Oh wait, there is no such thing as a "better" painter. Their work is subjective art.

 

 

This applies to Audio as well. All engineers start with the same rules. Creating a final product is an art that produces different results. A "better" or "best" DAC can only be decided upon by each one of us. As it stands now the Alpha DAC RS is the best DAC I've ever heard in my system.

 

 

The difference however is painting and performing and conducting are interpretative. A DAC has a mathematically precise function. It's not a performer interpreting the bits, its job is to perform a precise translation of the bits to analog. The engineering may involve art, but the functionality does not.