Mytek new dac Brooklyn.

[Totsipaki]

I don't think that anyone in their right mind expects the 2000$ product of a company to be better than the 5000$ model of the same company. What I read is that the Brooklyn will secretly compete with 10$ devices

(words of Mr. Jurewicz) and to be honest I think that the truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

The most important thing is that someone must like those products extreme clarity and faithfullness to the original recording.

After owning the 192 dac for three years i ended up addicted to that sound. Others didn't like it but you can't keep everybody happy that's life and the hobby's reality.

 

What I was hoping for was the sound of the 192 improved in the treble where the older dac had a slight but listenable harshness mostly audible with bad recordings. Having personally contacted the blogger whose report was posted by me in this thread a few posts ago I was made to understand that as a fan of the 192 there is absolutely no way I would't dig the Brooklyn As to his ears it is a big step up from the 192 in every way and to think that he was not a fan of the 192.

 

I was prepared to settle just for an improved dac in practical terms (with no apparent sound improvement) as the biggest drawback of the 192 is that it had begun to show it's technological limits like lack of OTG support, latency issues with extremely high bitrates of which some are not supported, idiosyncratic usb receiver for OSX which would crash the computer from time to time or give me a hard time to set it, lack of driverless USB 2.0 Implementation and etc.

It appears that the new dac is not just a modernized or more practical (meaning driverless) version of the old one. It is also a better dac and for the price considering I was very happy with the 192's performance I am more than happy and totally impatient!...

[Totsipaki]

That is point, but big plus is the ability to work with extenal power suppy,

this could enhance the quality of sonic, minus - no firewall interface

 

Another very exciting thing that caught my attwntion reading the translated interview and article is the mention in an upcoming portable product more affordable for the young people that will probably be announced in CES in January.

 

Man 2016 is going to be hot..

[Totsipaki]

Here are some new pictures of what seems to be the final retail version of the Brooklyn : Mytek Brooklyn DAC/Headphone Amp/Preamp at Music Direct

 

Can't wait to get my hands on mine. A listen to many of the cimpetitors in the local audio video show made me sure I made the right choice! All that remains now is to wait untill the 23rd of December. .

[Totsipaki]

This dac will start shipping around christmass as It was available only as pre-order untill December 1st. I will try to post my impressions as soon as I can. The date I have for delivery is December 23.

[Totsipaki]

I am sorry to hear that.

 

I have been given this date from my local retailer who explained that It was very difficult to secure some units for the customers who have preordered from Late October - Start Of November. The next batch will be on Late January they said.

 

 

I guess the demand for this unit tests the production ability of Mytek.

 

You should start a support ticket, they always answer over there and very promptly most of the times.

[Totsipaki]

I dont think so. But You can sell It for a good price very easily. That's what I did and I sold mine amazingly fast for 800eur..

[Totsipaki]

The Brooklyn is a dual role device with one foot on the pro world and one foot on the consumer audio (hi-fi) world. Including It in their hi-fi range boldly states that even though It is made to stand on it's own in a pro environment the main market it is aimed at is the consumer one. Thus the exclusion of the FW port.

 

The majority of audiophiles find FW useless, I my self ended up not using It even though I could. There is no reason for a FW port in an audiophile device and I find it very logical to cut costs from It's rejection to include the phono analog feature which many audiophiles will find useful and last but not least to develop from scratch their own very hi performance usb receiver which means not only a SQ upgrade and much desired practicality (aka driverless function everywhere except windows) but also complete control of hardware and software in their devices the lack of which was a main drawback in the 192 where they were in the "mercy" of TC electronic and Rigisystems for their driver upgrades which could mean months of nerve wrecking delays..

 

In my experience half of a dac's performance is owed to it's asynchronous usb receiver quality. Developing their own solution from scratch and not by using any standard chip like XMOS makes me hopeful not only for a sonic upgrade from the 192 but also for the even further development of the Brooklyn's SQ in future firmware upgrades, considering their great experience in their sector. Not to mention the much desired less idiosyncratic USB 2.0 compatibility which could be a pain in the neck in It's predecessor especially for mac users like me.

 

So all the FW friends out there must surely look elsewhere and If they still want Mytek they should either choose the much more expensive Manhattan or the much cheaper 192 which I must admit functioned steadily as a trane from it's fw port. Actually I believe It was initially made to primarily work through fw (but not so through It's usb port) but the evolution In the audio especially consumer audio world had other plans and the increased rate of USB driver as well as functionality updates clearly states that they made most of their efforts toward this direction. Actually in all their demos in exhibitions as well as their multichannel setups they used USB 2.0 exclusively which in my opinion clearly states that they got the message.

 

As for the future of pro connectivity solutions it is not in Firewire/thunderbolt neither in USB of any sort but in ethernet networked connection now introduced in the Ravenna protocol and made accessible for the non pro users with the very expensive and very advanced Merging Technologies Nadac.

 

Like it or not 22 years later after being first introduced FW is discretely but decisively on it's way to the museum and thus Mytek had absolutely no reason to include It In a brand new dac introduced in 2015 and aiming to be on the edge of technology in the next 5 years..

[Totsipaki]

If I consider that I still haven't gotten my Brooklyn yet (next date is for next week...) I guess they were very busy developing and preparing the Brooklyn's to go out in time something that didn't turn out to be so..

 

I believe that when they get in line with the Brooklyn production (I am getting feedback that demand is so high that they can barely keep up..) they will continue to develop the 192 at least as much and as long as It's hardware allows It.

Keep in mind that the asynchronous receivers inside the 192 are not from Mytek but have been implemented from third party companies which may be of the best (TC Electronic - Rigisystems) but still they are different companies with their own priorities and agenda's which could mean nerve wrecking delays for the consumers which Mytek cannot do much for waiting for it's sub contructors to develop software for them.

 

That is the main reason to go to the Brooklyn for me. Not only future proofness and better compatibility but better and faster support as well since the software and hardware are all made in house. Sound Quality was already very very good and It's improvement alone would not mean much if all the 192's other aspects haven't been significantly improved..

 

During the three years i had the 192 I had many other dac's as well. Even though none performed as well in SQ, all of them with no exception were a better user experience. The Brooklyn is a dream come true for the average consumer.

[Totsipaki]

Guess what...

[Totsipaki]

The good thing is I finally got It. The bad thing is It is new year's eve and there is very little time to play with It.

For now all I can say is It looks much prettier than the pics and is really looking good . I will update with impressions and pictures regularly. I will try to post some unboxing pics before next year..

[Totsipaki]

My first very crude impressions.

 

I have lived with the 192 for 3 years and have heard the Manhattan. The Brooklyn doesn't sound like neither.. It sounds very revealing but rather warm and very differently voiced than the earlier dacs which sound like little and bigger brother. I don't know.. It's a goofy feeling.. I mean I like it but It is different than what I expected, very revealing but very warm and something totally unexpected very forgiving and even though you can hear things in the recordings for the first time , this time It is not in your face like in the 192..

 

Right now. i can say two things for sure.

One you can not make this dac sound strident no matter what you do or play.

Two the device needs A TON of break in It has been palying for the past three hours and already sounds different.

 

It does not have that WOW factor from the first minute but after the first two hours of playback It sounds allready very realistic and musical but a bit narrow In the stereo image. I guess after 50-hours and some true, not hasty listening I will be able to give some more detailed and valid impressions.

 

Other important aspects of the user experience are:

 

-The user manual is hastily made and incomplete

-Τhe USB input which is the only one I have used so far works like a charm, smoothly and without a glitch. It was immediately discovered from my mac mini effortlessly

-No more DC noise terror through speakers during on off's. This thing is silent as a tomb in It's operation

-The output volume of the device is finally humane, no jumpers needed anymore for volume output reduction (even though they are provided)

-The device menu is very comprehensible and easy to understand. It took me 10 minutes to get the hang of It even though the user manual was not very helpful.

-Yes It supports interger mode.

-It gets warm but not hot in operation but come to think of It.. It is freezing where I live these days..

 

One thing is for sure. This dac is a good answer to all the chip (OR NON CHIP) worshipers. Even though a sabre device It sounds like a Burr Brown one or at least like the Burr Brown sound described by BB fans. It's complete lack of audio fatigue is similar to ladder dacs even though Iwouldn't dare compare it directly with monsters like MSB at least not yet. It has a lot of potential though and has nothing to do with It's predecessor...

 

Happy new year everybody.

[Totsipaki]

Thanks for the report.

 

So would you say that it's a big of enough of a step up from the 192 that you'd recommend this as an upgrade path for 192 owners?

 

It will probably improve a lot more. Just curious about your impression from what you've heard so far.

 

 

Sonically definitely yes.

 

It maintains all the benefits of the 192 but without the tendency to edginess. After 10 hours of playback It is allready as good as the 192 was after 200 hours of burning in, in the staging width depth, 3d imagind, accuracy, dynamics, bass, and transparecy, but is also very tamed in the treble without being dull or anything.

 

Last night i was left with the impression that It was very different altogether. Today after I let it play all night I am quite sure It is just very easier to listen to but definitely a Mytek Device something good in my book as I liked my 192 alot. It just needs alot of breakin.

 

As a user experience it was a no brainer from the first moment. A pleasure to use and play with..

[Totsipaki]

And a world exclusive.

The device's innards at last Tadaaaa!!!

[Totsipaki]

I have a few issues with my 3 days old Brooklyn DAC, connected via USB to a OS X Mac and XLR active speakers.

 

- Volume won't change after switching the DAC off/on. I have to change the output to i.e. HP and back to XLR to get it work.

- The display flips from 32bit to 28bit rapidly.

- The Apple remote doesn't work. There is just the option RC5 or NEC to enable it.

- MytekControl (1.0.0 Windows) doesn't work either.

 

Looks like their firmware and software is very buggy

Can anyone confirm that?

 

I'll keep my eyes open to report any bugs that come to my attention but nothing so far. Do not despair. My other dac an I dsd micro was very buggy in the beginning but turned out to function silky smooth after a few firmware updates and improved significantly in Sq as well. My dealer has informed me before I got mine that Mytek are not completely done with the Brooklyn's software so expect improvements in every sector as well as features in the next weeks-months.

[Totsipaki]

Can someone post a picture of the display when playing? I'd like to see the final version. Thanks!

 

Τhe display changes radically depending on the function chosen so one picture would not be enough. It has two modes though one more eye catching (the known one where nothing has changed) and one more discrete. I'll post some pics when I return home on Sunday.

[Totsipaki]

Tranformers are in external power supply, right?

 

The power supply is of switching type so no transformer whatsoever..

[Totsipaki]

I read nice news Peter!

 

Your Christmas present has arrived! It looks nice and I'm looking forward for an audition of new lovely dac!

 

Have you made any auditions yet? ( I'm sure you did! Consider my question as a curiosity expresion )

 

I'm so anxious to liten how it performs.

 

Thanks Panos! You can read my first impressions in previous posts of mine in this thread. I'll arrange for a meeting as soon as possible.

[Totsipaki]

Interesting, no toroidal transformer, but more capacitors with higher capacity

 

When you do give It at least 10 hours of continouous playback before you evaluate It. Out of the box It will not impress you that much.

[Totsipaki]

Yup there is. But do not underestimate the power of switchng psus. They can better battery psu's nowadays and always have been very efficient!

[Totsipaki]

Battery PSUs are worse than good linear PSU. Batteries are noisy and most of the time fairly high impedance source...

 

There are always good battery psus and bad battery psus.Same goe swr switch psus. There are the cheap chnese ones which most of the time are disastrous and there are the carefully applied ones which at least in siurce cimponents can be a very good alternative to a good linear psu especially If low noise, cost effectiveness and power efficiency must be combined.

The manhattan is a good example is a good example of what a good beefy linear psu can achieve. It doess sound bigger and bolder than the 192 but is not very different and It costs three tomes more (ok not only because of the better psu)

What I mean to say is that obviously to maintain that SQ, features abd potentian in a dac that has to be affordable like the Manhattan a good switch psu is not simething to be afraid of

[Totsipaki]

there are the caref in a dac that has to be affordable like the Manhattan a good switch psu is not simething to be afraid of

 

Correction I meant brooklyn there...

[Totsipaki]

I have a Brooklyn DAC on pre-order, would it be wise to purchase an external LPSU?

It seems like it may provide increased sound quality/performance?

Also, what voltage and amp would be best? Any suggestions on which external LPSU would be a good match for the Brooklyn and a good value price vs. performance?

 

A question to Mytek support would be the safest way to get a valid answer. My suggestion is enjoy It as It is. It is very good on Its own and doesnt need an external Psu. If you do not like It (something very difficult but we are not all the same) I am afraid the bigger - Better ( ; ) psu will not fix It for you. I always believe that the chioces made by the manufacturer are the best ones and better balanced for the price paid. To better them would require a lot of experience and knowledge and for sure more money than we think.. Mytek are a very experienced company in digital audio there is no reason not to trust their choices esbecially not before you get your dac..

I myself have contacted Mytek Support and got the answer that they do not plan to release an ourboard psu as an upgrade there fore I assumed It wasnt needed. Mu little experience with It sofar convinced me I assumed right.

I am not saying that the probability of adding an external psu is not intriguing and an interesting field for experimentation in the years I willhave It. But there is absolutely no sonic motive to make me do so now and absolutely no reason to be hysterical and give In to premonitions about switching psus.

 

Another manufacturer Ifi are advertising and selling a switching psu as an upgrade to even their battery powered products and their phono stages! I have tried and tested it and can confirm It works as It is an essential part of my i USB 3.0. Technology moves on and we must be open minded. After all we should as computer audiophiles experiencing a pioneering and constantly evolving new way of audio reproduction.

[Totsipaki]

I have a few issues with my 3 days old Brooklyn DAC, connected via USB to a OS X Mac and XLR active speakers.

 

- Volume won't change after switching the DAC off/on. I have to change the output to i.e. HP and back to XLR to get it work.

- The display flips from 32bit to 28bit rapidly.

- The Apple remote doesn't work. There is just the option RC5 or NEC to enable it.

- MytekControl (1.0.0 Windows) doesn't work either.

 

Looks like their firmware and software is very buggy

Can anyone confirm that?

 

Today I had the time to really test and evaluate it.

 

Unfortunately i have to confirm your claims.

 

After 48 hours my initial impressions that something goofy went on in the way It reproduces music (i have allready mentioned that discretely) have unfortunately been confirmed.

 

It seems to empasize certain parts of a recording while throwing others in the background rendering It's own interperetation totally messing up some recordings and making others sound unfammiliar..

For example in the song "60 feet tall" by "The dead Weather" It was as if I was listening the recording through the singers booth and guitars which normally sound very loud and airy in this recording were playing like outside the soundproof vocal booth, barely audible.. Also the distinctive reverb in the singer's voice was totally gone truly as If I was In the booth listening to her recording her voice. I don't know how the Brooklyn did that but that glorious recording has been completely messed up.. Also the only functioning digital input is the usb, spdif seemed to lock up in the display but did not produce any sound..

 

Allright I am not crazy (but almost went crazy during these days) i know what I wrote. It did sound warm and non fatiguing and opened up after the first few hours but after leaving it to play continuously for 48 hours and trying another digital input (the spdif which did not function properly) and the rca as well the balanced outputs to make sure, I can now certainly say that something is seriously wrong with the way this dac reproduces music. Also a comparison with the Ifi i dsd micro my other dac left me disappointed since the Mytek may sound more dynamic but despite that It did sound goofy and wrong and left me puzzled to say the least.

 

Apparently we have a very premature release here but I would advise anybody thinking of getting It to hold their horses until It matures. I have contacted Mytek Support and am waiting for a reply.

 

I'll post again when i have something new to say..

[Totsipaki]

It almost sounds like MQA is in effect on non-MQA source material (throwing things to the background, etc). Prolly not, but...

 

LOL!.. thanx for fixing my mood mate!!

 

It seems that the early adopter's "disease" fell heavy upon us..

Haven't lost hope yet. I mean despite all the "goofyness" and disfunction It shows to have potential in certain aspects of It's sound. Of course the main thing is to be able to listen to the recordings as they are... The 192 completely got out of the way what I've heard is in the opposite direction..

 

I am expecting a major firmware update release soon.. I mean my local retailer tried to warn me that "Mytek are not done wit It's software yet" and "certain features will not be available in the beginning" but I don't think that he had what I experienced In mind..

 

Now that I have entered the game I will play.. And will be a little more patient as I still believe they can produce quality products (they did produce the 192 right?). Apparently I haven't experienced the fullest of early adopter's misfortune's with the "Ifi I DSD Micro" back in the day and will have to redefine my limits of endurance.

 

I am confident that In the end my patience will be rewarded Like with the Ifi but I am telling you.. this is the last time, no more preorders for me...

 

Like You said even in the worst outcome I can still send It back even though I do not want to ..yet..

 

Haven't you been sent one for listening evaluation? I think you wrote something like that in an early post in this thread..

[Totsipaki]

Haven't you been sent one for listening evaluation? I think you wrote something like that in an early post in this thread..

 

If this is for me, no, I don't have one yet. Not sure what to do now. I have one on order but can still cancel it.

 

No It was for Ted_b

 

I do not know what to say to you.. I will try to keep the thread updated but I might have received a faulty unit and gotten the wrong impressions. I can not advise anyone on anything until I hear form Mytek.