Mytek new dac Brooklyn.

[Totsipaki]

rIt brings a smile to my face that I just sold my beloved and cherished 192 dsd dac last Monday in an effort to modernize my digital front end future proofing It feature and sound wise, and today just five days after the new dac Brooklyn has emerged shipping in December just in time for christmas!!!!

 

The very thought that I have managed to sell my 192 in a ver good price barely just in time before the inevitable price drop the new arrival would cause brings a wide smile to my face and makes my heart fly with joy and anticipation since tommorow i will ask the Locl dealer wether i will be able to hop on the pre order wagon..

 

Any way I didn't open this thread to talk about my self, even though I couldn't help it being so over joyed by the combination of occurring events .

 

The new Dac Brooklyn has Just appeared here: Mytek Digital | Passion Built Converters and Studio Solutions and so far It has been announced that 256dsd and 32/384dxd will be supported through driverless for Mac OS X USB2.0 as well as a very impressive 24/192pcm and DSD64 through all the other digital inputs!! All the digital inputs can be routed as outputs to a computer taking advantage of an ADC connected to the dac!!

 

The clock has been upgraded to femto precision by a new “Mytek Femtoclock Generator ™” 0.82ps

 

Gone are the Firewire input as well as the USB 1.0 universally driverless ports (the second one worked fine even with android phones as I have successfully tested) of It's predecessor.

 

There is also an analog input like It's predecessor which now can also function as a phono input that is built in and is relay controlled to energize!..

 

An impressive two socket headphone amplifier is also included (500ma 6 watts) . Also digital and analog volume attenuators that can be chosen or bypassed by choice like It's predecessor.

 

Also very interesting is the built in and certified support of the Meridian MQA streaming format a feature that might prove very handy in the very near future!!! Actually the Brooklyn is the first ever hi end dac that supports it since so far only the entry level Meridian Explorer II did so!... i guess they like firsts on Mytek Digital since the 192dsd dac was the first reasonably priced dac to support DSD back in 2011..

 

If you can recall people debated over the usefulness of dsd back then as they do now for Mqa and you know that mytek have been proven right that first time..

 

 

 

You can read for your self all at the announced data brochure here: http://www.mytekdigital.com/download_library/brochures/mytek_rooklyn_dac_brochure_sept2015.pdf and correct or add something I have missed, but since there is a three month wait untill December for a black one to get in my craving possession there are questions that remain to be answered.

 

Is the ESS silicon still being used and if yes what chip?

 

Have mytek opted for an XMOS based USB receiver, something that driverless OS X support suggests?

 

Have they replaced the TC electronic based dsp and antilitter signal processing with something else part of which is the trade marked “Mytek Femtoclock Generator ™" they have announced ?

Those and many other questions as well as some pictures especially of the inarrds of the new dac are missing to get a full first impression and I hope this thread will be the place of those information and updates to be posted as well as more opinions and impressions..

 

As for me being a already a fan who really enjoyed their previous dac for three years ( I already miss It but not too much now) and someone who believes that internet streaming to the likes of TIDAL is the future of the music industry where MQA has huge potential I san barely restrain my joy...

 

So what do you think?..

[Totsipaki]

I would be rather surprised if it does DSD256 with OSX. I doubt it.

 

Why not ? ...I mean the 192 did DSD 128 with ease through both ISB2.0 and FW ON MY Mac Mini/A+..

[Totsipaki]

I think you can place a big bet that ESS is being used. Mytek are big proponents of it and say that their familiarity with it is one of their advantages.

 

My bet is on the ESS 9018. I mean I really liked the sound of the previous one with the 9016 can't see a reason not to be happy with an ESS chip.

[Totsipaki]

A few more questions..

 

-There is no mention of any wireless technology input to the likes of APTX bluetooth right?. i know It is not the best connection for quality but is very handy though It's absence is not the end of the world since It's absence can easily be fixed with an outboard BT receiver.

 

-There also is no mention of Usb OTG compatibility but I already know that that function is featured so no worries

(I believe the we are on the verge of very efficient high quality audio servers specializing on audio running Android the tendency of high quality daps using this mobile os makes me think so..)

 

-That outboard power supply suggests a future in house upgrade me says what do you think?

[Totsipaki]

No Firewire input ? hmm.. it is step back or forward ? what you think ?

 

Firewire though efficient has completed Its Life cycle as a Technology. After all It has been here for a long time since 1992.

 

It might still be useful for some professional applications but as a technology It cannot evolve any further.

 

In the 192 I owned FireWire's Pcm bandwidth was limited to 192KHZ since it was impossible to go any higher due to hardware limitation. You can be sure that FW is breathing It's last breaths since it's successor (and even of USB's) has already emerged in a glorious (and very expensive for the time being) infancy look here:

http://nadac.merging.com

Firewire is over even If It continues to be useful for some pro's but not for HI-END audio.

[Totsipaki]

Now that I think of It I also hope that the USB 2.0 input of the Brooklyn will be galvanically isolated.. The previous model the 192 I owned was very USB cable sensitive due to the lack of such a feature..

[Totsipaki]

Some last thoughts and the last for today.

 

Could the built in certified MQA hardware decoder mean that inside the brooklyn the presence of meridian tech is being used even further? It is obvious that through the Brooklyn there is an attempt for an approach of the MQA format to the very competitive midrange dac market where Meridian for reasons unknown might not want to mess with for the time being.

 

What if the receiver and antilitter/dsp technology inside the Manhattan benefits form Meridians Apodising fitter coding?

What If the mysterious “Mytek Femtoclock Generator ™" is combined hybridly with digital technology form Meridian? After all using other manufacturer's top technologies and implementing them into their design is no strange tactic for Mytek who used top of the shelf technology from TC electronic in the Brooklyn's predecessor the 192.

 

Could this be? If yes that would mean a sure upgrade in the sound of the Brooklyn over to the 192. Meridian's apodising filters have the unique property of upsampling digital giving all the benefits of this intervention without adding any harshness whatsoever. I once owned the director dac and was truly impressed by how impressive and natural It always sounded at the same time, something rare when using conventional up sampling and digital filtering.

 

Could this all be wishful thinking? Well right now I am 90% decided to choose the Brooklyn over other manufacturer's propositions. If any of my wishful thinking comes true I will be 110% certain. If I take into account what the Meridian Director was able of using a very basic and cheap dac chip, a Crystal one also used in game consoles, the combination of ESS silicon with Mytek experience and knowhow and Meridian tech implementation could mean probably one of the best dacs In the category If not the very best..

 

Well I guess that I/we will know soon enough..

[Totsipaki]

That is point, with 192 model and firewire the sound is better,

and there is no hardware limitation with firewire 800 speed,

 

I am sorry but you are plainly wrong In my opinion.

 

I have owned the 192 for three years and know It like the palm of my hand.

 

The difference between usb and FW connection was not of quality but rather of taste.

 

The final months before I sold it the use of an Ifi gemini Usb cable made a significant improvement on the quality of the Usb 2.0 sound over the FW even If I've been using a very good Oyiade cable on the latter. Also the FW wouldn't play anything beyond 192k pcm, It could play dsd 128 but i doubt It could go up to dsd 256.

 

That would not change even when feeding the FW port of the dac through the FW800 port of my Mac mini. The dac can accept FW 400 only and even if it could accept FW800 the difference in speed or technology between the two is not stellar..

 

These limitations among other things were the main reason that made me sell my 192 even If i liked it and missed It the next day i sold It. The release of the Brooklyn has proven this bold move a wise one..

[Totsipaki]

Rampant speculation. The presence of MQA means nothing about the filtering of the DAC or anything else about the DAC. How did you get this idea? MQA is going to be on lots of devices, it doesn't mean they have other Meridian tech. MQA is it's own licensing.

 

Of course It is speculation based of the fact that on the 192 dac Mytek also used technology licensed from TC electronic. Idid not say that it might be true.Iwas just speculating on wishful thinking.

 

There is much we don't know about this new dac besides that It has been designed from the ground up according to Mytek. So I guess that speculating is alright for the moment..

[Totsipaki]

I've Just returned form the Local headphone show. https://www.facebook.com/events/419929858192450/

 

I talked to the Mytek dealer from whom I bought the 192 three years ago. The preorder program runs allright in Europe and the details about the procedure as well as the exact pricing will be determined in about two weeks.

He told me that the Brooklyn is a reworked/improved dac with many elements from the 192. The only Meridian element in It is the MQA support so no more speculation He didn't know many details though

and he wasn't all that enthusiastic about the prospects of MQA either.. I couldn't ask him anymore because he was quite busy with all the people around him.

 

What he told me and was really interesting was that the sound of the brooklyn will be keeping all the good elements of the 192 with a smoother treble and better defined and more musical mid bass. I had a listen with the Manhattan they had running on the show and was convinced this could be true. Before listening to the Manhattan I thought that the differences between It and the 192 would be minor. I was wrong. Even though the the sound signature is of the same philosophy the Manhattan is far more musical and engaging even more impressive sounding and surely a lot more fun to listen to. I suppose the Brooklyn will be a significant step towards that direction.

[Totsipaki]

There was an event at RMAF where the Brooklyn Dac was presented in combination with MQA through Tidal. The message that got through to me is that Mytek has invested alot to MQA as a selling point as well as a mandatory future asset.

 

Meridian seem to be on the verge of an agressive promotion of their new format which looks ready to truly "take off" a year after it was first introuced to the public.Strategic collaborations with TIDAL and 7digital as well as the emergence of the first MQA capable devices such as daps from Pioneer etc and of course the Broklyn Mytek suggest such a development in 2015. Mytek with the Broolyn Dac appears to be a big part of this endeavor.

 

You can see more on the Facebook Page of MQA here https://www.facebook.com/mqasound?ref=profile

 

The picture Below is from the event and you can see the Booklyn dac next to a MacBook Pro down below. It looks that the Brooklyn dac is larger than it's predecessor.

I wish we could have a picture of It's innards..

[Totsipaki]

Considering its supposedly new architecture and all the fuss before, will the Brooklyn support Integer Mode?

 

From what I see in the picture I have attached below, on the screen of the Brookllyn there is the "INT" notification, therefore I assume YES.

[Totsipaki]

No, thats used to indicate INTernal clocking.

 

OOps.. you'e right I observed the picture a Litttle better.

[Totsipaki]

And what would that "meridian tech" entail exactly? Their ringing oversampling filters commonly found in their DACs and CD players, or the OEM delta sigma modulators they use?

 

I think that this speculation has been clarified by me in the quoted previous post already

I've Just returned form the Local headphone show. https://www.facebook.com/events/419929858192450/

 

I talked to the Mytek dealer from whom I bought the 192 three years ago. The preorder program runs allright in Europe and the details about the procedure as well as the exact pricing will be determined in about two weeks.

He told me that the Brooklyn is a reworked/improved dac with many elements from the 192. The only Meridian element in It is the MQA support so no more speculation He didn't know many details though

and he wasn't all that enthusiastic about the prospects of MQA either.. I couldn't ask him anymore because he was quite busy with all the people around him.

 

So only MQA form Meridian..

[Totsipaki]

I've overlooked this subsequent post of yours, so thanks for the clarifying info.

 

As for all the hype around the MQA format, the only positive thing it could lead to IMO would be if audiophiles started selling their current DACs on eBay to get the new thing with MQA.

 

That didn't happen with DSD and won't happen with MQA if it ever takes off. If MQA has any luck is through streaming services and maybe at a later time if it is somehow incorporated in regular cd's something Like HDCD that can be ripped. And all this requires that record companies will be willing to spend on re encoding their back catalogues something unrealistic in those financially difficult times. So If It does't somehow manage to jump heavily on the streaming wagon It might end up to be the format that never was. As an antagonist of paid downloadable HI RES it simply has no luck.

[Totsipaki]

Fresh Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=69&v=cDJPt2tQl5k

[Totsipaki]

MQA might be part of the streaming music world in the future. It's 4 to 1 reduction in the size of a 24/96 FLAC file is a handy feature for streaming services using CD quality bandwidth.

 

But I'm afraid that 24/96 FLAC and DSD music downloads (DSD 64 and above) offer much better sound than MQA encoded and decoded recordings to my ears. So MQA is a bit more limited in its desirability in a high quality audio system than you might think.

 

So you heard such content? Iam asking out of curiosity because you must be the firs non professional impression of the format that I have heard.

[Totsipaki]

Thanx for the feedback!

[Totsipaki]

To whom It may concern.

Mytek support today have answered to many of the questions I had and the conclusion is that the Brooklyn is truly a newly designed dac from the ground up and not just a modification or upgrade of the 192 and more in-house technology is being used this time.

 

Read The Questions and answers below.

 

 

Dear Petros,

 

Please find all answers below.

 

(...) Is the ESS silicon still being used and if yes what chip?

 

Yes we still use ESS chip.

 

(...) Have you opted for an XMOS based USB receiver, something that driverless OS X support suggests?

 

The USB2 port (designed by us) will be driverless (OSX & Linux).

We use XMOS for MQA.

 

 

(...) Have you replaced the TC electronic based dsp and antilitter signal processing with something made In house part of which is the trade marked “Mytek Femtoclock Generator ™" you have announced ?

 

Yes, there is M-Clock based on Femto Clock technology.

 

(...) Even though I believe you have already answered to that question is USB OTG supported? (Thanks for the MQA by the way, a very promising feature!!)

 

It will be supported.

 

(...) Is any wireless connection feature even as a future retrofitted upgrade? Bluetooth APTX might not be all about Sound Quality but IS very handy!!

 

For now wireless connection is not supported.

 

(...) Does the optional outboard power supply suggest a future in house upgrade ?

 

It is for external power source. There will not be any upgrade of power section.

 

(...) Is the Inboard power supply Linear like that of the 192?

There is efficient switching power supply.

 

(...) And finally is the phono option of analog or digital function? I wish for the latter since the best real world phono stages I have heard so far are digital (Metric halo any Devialet)

 

There is analog input - I am not shure what you mean?

 

Best regards,

Slawomir Rybarczyk

[Totsipaki]

Thanks for the info mate! I have also learned that the usb input will not be galvanically isolated like It's predecessor Mytek support said that there will be very efficient grounding of the device instead.

[Totsipaki]

I will give feedback when I receive my new Brooklyn in December. I have listened to the Manhattan and yes It is better. Not different but better than the 192 compared to which It sounds bigger wider more dynamic and most importantly more musical and enjoyable. I musr say that when the Manhattan first came out I was very sceptical thinking that It couldnt be that much better and that It was just a shinier 192 with a better power supply. Listening to the Manhattan is one of the reasons I took the step to Brooklyn which being an all new desighn is far more promising..

[Totsipaki]

I think that the MQA thing isn't what makes or brakes a 1995 euro dac at least not now. Maybe when It takes off It will matter more but so far It is available only in small demo sessions only a few people have listened to.

I understand the controversy around It and the skepticism as well but I also hope It is good, not because I have ordered the Brooklyn' but because it might be part of the reason everyday people might dig quality in sound again after 35 years and the music Industry might Increase It's income enough to support the real talents and creative musicians of the future and not just firecrackers and beautiful ladies in bathing suits.

 

Back on topic, until hopefully MQA does come and makes a difference and a statement in the streaming market (where It's future or doom lies) the real reason for someone to prefer the Brooklyn is the combination of even better ( ; ) SQ than the 192 with Its wide support of formats and universally (except windows I guess) driverless compatible custom built async USB2.0 port plus It's flexibility, under the guarantee 20 years of experience in the hardcore pro audio world and 30day money back satisfaction guarantee provide. That's what made me take the order decision and not MQA which for now is just cool but useless.

 

All else in good time..

[Totsipaki]

On the link below (middle of the page) you can read some listening feedback of the Brooklyn Dac. I contacted the author. He was told that two 9018K2M dac chips are implemented, sweet!..

Click the link below

New York Audio Show 2015 Recap | Metal-Fi Rant

[Totsipaki]

I guess the question will be answered in a few weeks when I ll get mine the latest..

[Totsipaki]

An interesting Interview in ..polish..( thank god for google translate, a mandatory asset in this case)

https://www.infoaudio.pl/artykul/278,michal-jurewicz-prosto-z-manhattanu-na-brooklyn-wywiad

 

See here the acoppanying video, mostly useful to polish speakers but visually interesting with nice closeups of the Brooklyn.

 

THat little thing is getting more and more interesting!.. I can't wait for the next two weekw when according to the retailer i will finally have it !!!

 

Finally another highly polosih article here https://www.infoaudio.pl/artykul/279,mytek-digital-tworzymy-brooklyn-w-warszawie-wywiad (google chrome is recommended as well)