Mini-review - LCD-X & B.M.C. PureDAC
I spent about a week with the B.M.C. PureDAC and LCD-X. Prior to getting the PD, I was using a DACport with the -X. I just sent the PD back to Moon-Audio, and I'm back to the DACport...
The problem with the PureDAC was strictly with its USB implementation. I didn't have a lot of success getting it working reliably with Windows or Mavericks, and that's the only reason I sent it back. When it did work, it sounded great. I think it sounded better with ASIO and Foobar2000 in Windows than with Audirvana on the Mac, but that could be in my mind.
The LCD-X out of the balanced headphone jack on the PureDAC sounded good. It wasn't amazing, but it was good. It seemed to lack some authority, and definitely sounded better at higher volumes than lower. I think they need more juice than the PD can put out to sound their best. At least I hope that's the case, because if this is their best, then I don't find them as amazing as everyone else does.
With the volume up a little higher than I like to listen, DSD64 (.DSF) files sounded amazing.
- Diana Krall's The Girl in the Other Room made me think she was actually in THIS room, sitting on my lap, singing to me. (If this review offends Elvis Costello, I'm sorry. Blame Audeze.)
- Michael Jackson's Thriller in DSD was equally amazing, though I got some dropouts in Windows with this one on Foobar and JRiver. When it played, it was great. Crystal clear, dynamic, and detailed. This level of performance makes me wish I had a better amp than the built-in PD to test with.
I cannot fault the DAC section of the PD, as it's clearly more detailed and smoother than the CEntrance DACport. It's been a while since I've had a Gungnir, but this seems to be smoother and warmer than I remember that being, too. I think if BMC can do something about USB reliability, improve the headphone amp, and keep the price the same, this thing would be well worth the money. Even without the headphone amp section, the PureDAC would be worth it with a more stable USB implementation. I haven't heard many good DACs, though, so I might not know what I'm missing. Compared to Gungnir, Bifrost, and the DACport, this is clearly in a different class.
Compared to the LCD-2, the -X is, just as everyone said, more neutral and less dark. More detailed. Compared to the HD 800, it's less harsh and more enjoyable.
Compared to the Beyerdynamic T1, it's more neutral and, I think, less musical (but I really love the tonality of the T1).
On standard redbook audio, the PD & -X combo was good, but again, not amazing.
Some of the specific albums I tested:
- My Chemical Romance's first album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, sounded like a mess on these. (This was, however, also the case with the T1 and the HD 800. I stopped listening to their music with those headphones, and pretty much only enjoy MCR in the car now.) All the instruments crashed together and spilled into each other, and everything was blurry. This album, strangely, has a Dynamic Range Meter score of 10 (according to the foobar plugin), which is probably an arbitrary number in this case. I usually take that number as a general indicator of the quality of a recording, but it doesn't always hold true. Then again, maybe this is what MCR is SUPPOSED to sound like. If so, I'm sad. If not, I'm still sad. I like(d) that band.
- Adele's 21 sounded mediocre. This album has a DR of about 6, though, so it's probably not the best recording. Clarity was okay on this one, though. I don't remember listening to it with the older headphones.
- Tom Waits, Heartattack and Vine. This album is well recorded, and this was the biggest disappointment for me with this setup. This is where the lackluster dynamics of the PD's headphone output gave me sadpants. It's also one of the examples where ASIO in Windows sounded better than Audirvana on my Macbook Air. *shrug* I'm willing to chalk this up to expectation bias or reverse placebo or something. I don't know. One of my requirements for a good setup is that this album sound as good as I think it should. I still haven't heard it sound better than it did with my T1.
That's about all I have time for now... I'm searching for either a buyer for my LCD-X or a better setup to drive it. White people problems plague me.