[bigfatpaulie]

  All that's missing is the tonal richness that only tubes can provide.  Otherwise, as good a presentation as I've heard from any solid state amp (maybe even better).

 
More time listening is required on my end, but my initial impression is that you are correct. 
 
Detail...  Detail like I have never heard before.  A shocking amount.

 

[musicman59]

Just an update on my experience with the M1. I sent my two units back to Bricasti to upgrade them to the SE version.
The main changes are some internal parts changes (I think capacitors), better wiring and new feet. The new feet are bigger and internally they have Stillpoints.
 
IMO there are audible differences. The bass got deeper and at the same time faster, the soundstage got expanded specially in the depth with more layering and better definition of space. The level of detail got even improved but without loosing musicality. In summary I am happy I did this upgrade.
 
Also, yesterday I received a demo pair of their fantastic M28 monoblocks to try in my speaker system. it's going to be interesting to compared them to my Mcintosh MC-601 

 

[TonyNewman]

I took delivery of my Bricasti this afternoon and it is doing it's thing for me right now (Bricasti->300B amp->HD800S).
 
Only 2 hours old and WOW - this is indeed an Uber DAC. Beats the pants off my previous DACs (Auralic Vega and Hegel HD30).
 
Did folks notice much change over the first few hundred hours with their M1s? It sounds pretty decent right out of the box. If it gets better, then that is a bonus.

 

[musicman59]

  I took delivery of my Bricasti this afternoon and it is doing it's thing for me right now (Bricasti->300B amp->HD800S).
 
Only 2 hours old and WOW - this is indeed an Uber DAC. Beats the pants off my previous DACs (Auralic Vega and Hegel HD30).
 
Did folks notice much change over the first few hundred hours with their M1s? It sounds pretty decent right out of the box. If it gets better, then that is a bonus.

Yes Tony it will settle down. The biggest change is in the first 50 hours or so but it continue changing for at least 120.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Congrats, the M1 is an outstanding DAC.  It doesn't get the credit it deserves. 

 

[TonyNewman]

  Congrats, the M1 is an outstanding DAC.  It doesn't get the credit it deserves. 

 
I have read some folks describing it as lacking musicality. I don't get that at all. The sound is anything but "digital" to my ears. Very natural sounding DAC.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

   
I have read some folks describing it as lacking musicality. I don't get that at all. The sound is anything but "digital" to my ears. Very natural sounding DAC.

 
People say a lot of stilly things about audio....  Honestly, the audiophile hobby is a landfill of lies, placebo and snake oil.  You can't take professional publications with any real consideration and so much of what you read from users is just incorrect, regurgitated jibberish.  I swear most of what you read from "user expereince" is so far off base I have a hard time believing that some have even seen the gear they are talking about, much less heard it.
 
Enjoy the M1: it is truly world class.  

 

[TonyNewman]

   
.....  Honestly, the audiophile hobby is a landfill of lies, placebo and snake oil.  You can't take professional publications with any real consideration and so much of what you read from users is just incorrect, regurgitated jibberish.  I swear most of what you read from "user experience" is so far off base I have a hard time believing that some have even seen the gear they are talking about, much less heard it.
 
...

 
Well said. Couldn't agree more.

 

[TonyNewman]

One other question - USB vs SPDIF input. I am finding that the USB input sounds noticeably better than the SPDIF input. My Vega did the same thing - my understanding this is mostly due to USB being asynchronous and allowing the DAC to control the timing, while SPDIF "slaves" the DAC to the timing data carried in the SPDIF signal? Probably got that wrong somewhere.
 
Anyway, do other users find the same thing? USB >> SPDIF? My SPDIF source is a Wadia i170 dock. Decent unit, but not spectacular.
 
Anyone using a USB filter / isolation unit like the USB Regen or Intona with their Bricasti? Any SQ benefits?

 

[musicman59]

One other question - USB vs SPDIF input. I am finding that the USB input sounds noticeably better than the SPDIF input. My Vega did the same thing - my understanding this is mostly due to USB being asynchronous and allowing the DAC to control the timing, while SPDIF "slaves" the DAC to the timing data carried in the SPDIF signal? Probably got that wrong somewhere.

Anyway, do other users find the same thing? USB >> SPDIF? My SPDIF source is a Wadia i170 dock. Decent unit, but not spectacular.

Anyone using a USB filter / isolation unit like the USB Regen or Intona with their Bricasti? Any SQ benefits?

Tony,
I have not use the SPDIF but I use the AES input. In one system with my Levinson 37 and in the other with a Wadia 20. Both the USB and the AES sound excellent but I personally prefer the sound of the AES input for a little bit.

I have used the Regen and also the Wyre4sound Recovery. Both seem to make the sound a little bit more analog sounding but it is not day and night. If you want a Regen let me know I can sell you one in a good price (I have two).

 

[TonyNewman]

....

I have used the Regen and also the Wyre4sound Recovery. Both seem to make the sound a little bit more analog sounding but it is not day and night. If you want a Regen let me know I can sell you one in a good price (I have two).

 
PM sent.

 

[EVOLVIST]

Guys, thank you much for the excellent impressions and conversations regarding the Bricasti DAC. I was inquiring about a DAC that this one guy had for sale in Texas, but he had sold it. Still, he told me that if I could swing it look into the Bricasti DAC.
 
So, here I am. I'm not anti-speakers, but I'm a hardcore headphone listener, who keeps going back to the HD800s, again and again, despite trying my hardest to spend my money on "upgraded" cans.
 
Anyway, I found someone that is selling a slightly used Bricasti SE DAC. The price is very good, considering all of the latest upgrades. However, it's really, really, very difficult for me to take the leap without having auditioned one. Oh well! Because I did demo the Berkeley Alpha Referece DAC 2 this weekend and it blew my mind!!! It was so natural and analog sounding, but my brain keeps telling me that other DACs must have the same level of detail and quality without sending 16K.
 
I wonder if the Bricasti is it. *sigh*

 

[musicman59]

  Guys, thank you much for the excellent impressions and conversations regarding the Bricasti DAC. I was inquiring about a DAC that this one guy had for sale in Texas, but he had sold it. Still, he told me that if I could swing it look into the Bricasti DAC.
 
So, here I am. I'm not anti-speakers, but I'm a hardcore headphone listener, who keeps going back to the HD800s, again and again, despite trying my hardest to spend my money on "upgraded" cans.
 
Anyway, I found someone that is selling a slightly used Bricasti SE DAC. The price is very good, considering all of the latest upgrades. However, it's really, really, very difficult for me to take the leap without having auditioned one. Oh well! Because I did demo the Berkeley Alpha Referece DAC 2 this weekend and it blew my mind!!! It was so natural and analog sounding, but my brain keeps telling me that other DACs must have the same level of detail and quality without sending 16K.
 
I wonder if the Bricasti is it. *sigh*

I have not audition the Berkeley but I have audition the Chord DAVE and to me the Bricasti is at the same level or better with a better price. To be honest since I own the Bricasti I have not had the bug to upgrade at all. I probably just have heard one DAC better, the MSB Select but I am not that crazy to spend over $100K in a DAC 

!
 
Where are you located? Send me a PM.

 

[TonyNewman]

My Bricasti has 100+ hours on it now and has changed SQ quite a bit. Smoother, warmer, more dynamic. The sound stage has opened up also. The combination of detail and smoothness is rather impressive. No matter what I throw at the this DAC it returns excellent SQ.
 
I like to use Shirley Bassey belting out 'Goldfinger' to test my DACs. This track has powerful female vocals combined with high pitched brass instruments. A real treble torture test. On lesser DACs it can go shrill / sibilant / strident / nasty in a hurry. On the Vega the high treble would go 'steely'/'glassy' and sound very 'digital'. The HD30 had a hard edge on the treble that on this track was just plain NASTY. Neither are pleasant to listen to with tracks like this.
 
The Bricasti remains smooth and natural throughout. That's quite something.
 
The Vega / HD30 do excel in some areas - I would rate either of them as being right up there with the Bricasti in terms of detail retrieval. HD30 might even have an edge in this. I can't say exactly as I have sold both the Vega and HD30 and audio memory is notoriously fallible (I know mine is).
 
Sound stage is perhaps the one area where the Bricasti is clearly outclassed by the HD30 to my ears. The size, depth and precision of the sound stage with the HD30 was spectacular. Huge sound stage and laser like pinpoint sources (as long as the source material was good enough). The Bricasti is quite decent, but not in the same league as the HD30.
 
To put all this into perspective, the low level detail and sound staging of the Bricasti are more than adequate for my needs. What I really wanted was a smooth, detailed, musical sound that would not set my teeth on edge - as the Vega and the HD30 sometimes did. I got that, and a lot more, from the Bricasti. This is a very, very fine DAC.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

The M1 is an exceptional piece, for sure!
 
What I found really stepped it up several notches was removing the amp, particularly with the HD800's.  Connecting the HD800's directly to the balanced outs on the M1 is a really, really special setup.