[Le Kien]

Sorry to hear that. Depending on the timing, you should contact Mytek https://mytek.audio/world/contact or Hem https://hem-e.com/support/

Thank you, I have been contacted and waiting for their help

 

[vasvas22]

hi everybody. first of all, I want to ask those who use brooklyn dac+ c LPS and mytek balance adapter, because they gave me a huge increase in quality and smoothness compared to what was "out of the box". Now I'm thinking about an external headamp, but I'm thinking whether it makes a lot of sense not to already sell dac+ and take something like TT2 that plays well "out of the box", the money will be comparable to DAC+ with good headamp. I want to ask dac+ users for advice on which way to look to grow, within reasonable limits for the price, because I listened to manhattan 2 with good tube amp and it was amazing, but the price of the kit is indecent.

Also, one of the use cases is a preamp with genelec g-one computer acoustics, I would not like to lose a good job with this, too.

 

[alekc]

Personally I think a THX amp would be an exceptionally poor match for the Brooklyn. The Brooklyn is already cold enough as it is. I have also read an unsurprising number of comments from people using THX amps that said they were too sterile, etc. So probably worth checking into overall THX amp user comments as well as any possible pairing.

@gimmeheadroom here are my preliminary findings regarding pairing Brooklyn Bridge with Mytek Liberty THX AAA headamp:

1. Unfortunately Liberty has channel imbalance at low volume.
2. So far the optimal setting regarding volume control is to set Bridge to bypass and trim to -12db (basically anything from -8db will do depending on your headphones).
3. Indeed some tracks may sound bright but I would not call it sterile, just (over)bright, but this is very track dependant.
4. Some tracks are not bright at all and in fact sounds better IMHO though Liberty THX than directly out of Mytek Brooklyn Bridge. I will do a more complete write up including example albums/tracks list.

All listening done from flac files streamed from Bridge usb port using FRMP filter. From my perspective it is too early to come to any definitive conclusion yet. So far I think it is very track and cans dependant, but indeed I would not pair it with bright sounding headphones.

 

[grigorianvlad]

After a few years of enjoying my Brooklyn DAC+ I upgraded to a Manhattan II. I expected a very small difference if any (after all the Brooklyn is very, very good!). But the difference is ginormous.

 

[notverriegod49]

Question, would the brooklyn pair well with rebel amp and focal clear? Been looking for an upgrade from modi

 

[grigorianvlad]

I'll take a stab at this.
Yes, the Brooklyn will be a huge upgrade from the Modi you have now. That is the only DAC I have heard so far that can get every smallest detail from the recording , yet even the harsh, bad, unlistenable recordings sound sweet and analog and warm. Those two things should have been mutually exclusive (the good recordings should sound even better but badly recorded ones should sound even worse) but they are not in the Mytek world. No other DAC, even the $20,000 Antelope or dCS DAC, is capable of that.
But there is a problem: if you get the Brooklyn and you plan to use it not just as a desktop DAC+headphone amp but also as a source for your preamp (meaning you will use the analog outs down to a preamp, power amp and speakers) you will have to upgrade those as well. Otherwise, 20%-$30 of the sound the Brooklyn will get will be simply discarded by the time signal reaches your ears. But if you plan to use it simply as a desktop DAC+HAmp you dont have to worry about that.

 

[notverriegod49]

I'll take a stab at this.
Yes, the Brooklyn will be a huge upgrade from the Modi you have now. That is the only DAC I have heard so far that can get every smallest detail from the recording , yet even the harsh, bad, unlistenable recordings sound sweet and analog and warm. Those two things should have been mutually exclusive (the good recordings should sound even better but badly recorded ones should sound even worse) but they are not in the Mytek world. No other DAC, even the $20,000 Antelope or dCS DAC, is capable of that.
But there is a problem: if you get the Brooklyn and you plan to use it not just as a desktop DAC+headphone amp but also as a source for your preamp (meaning you will use the analog outs down to a preamp, power amp and speakers) you will have to upgrade those as well. Otherwise, 20%-$30 of the sound the Brooklyn will get will be simply discarded by the time signal reaches your ears. But if you plan to use it simply as a desktop DAC+HAmp you dont have to worry about that.

hmm okay I see, this is an option for upgrade. Definitely will consider at least trying this out

 

[freesole]

I've had the Brooklyn Dac+ for a few years now and still really enjoy it but the itch has come back. What would I need to upgrade to in order to get an appreciable bump in SQ? Would the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone edition be a good bump up? Or would adding a good amp be good like a MHA150 or HPA1?

 

[alekc]

I've had the Brooklyn Dac+ for a few years now and still really enjoy it but the itch has come back. What would I need to upgrade to in order to get an appreciable bump in SQ? Would the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone edition be a good bump up? Or would adding a good amp be good like a MHA150 or HPA1?

@freesole while I haven't heard Naim, I have been testing Brooklyn Bridge with MHA150 and came up with conclusion that MHA150 is such a great combo that Mytek as a dac only in such setup is actually limiting MHA150 factory sound. Good amp pairing - from my limited experience - can be achieved with:

• AuroraSound HEADA - very nice transparent sound
• ifi Pro iCan - you will get a bit different solid state sound than from Mytek, especially if you put it in bypass mode and a bit of tube magic, but just a bit - do not expect night & day difference

If you like Mytek analytical and detailed sound signature you may want to research Mytek Liberty THX AAA Headamp. Very clean, very transparent but has a set of drawbacks. First of all for some the sound may be too analytical or even too bright and/or dry. Secondly IMHO you can't really use it with IEMs despite what the product page says - it is too powerful.

Overall it all depends on headphones you are using. For example even easy to drive Audeze LCD-1 can have noticeable gain when used with dedicated amp instead of Mytek directly.

For me the step up is Rockna WaveLight but still love Mytek, it is brilliant combo with great sound signature for critical listening. Rockna is on the other end of spectrum: it is detailed but completely effortless when listening to the music. On the other hand even in NOS mode with some rock, grunge tracks I do wish it had a bit of more sharp edges like Mytek. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I've had the Brooklyn Dac+ for a few years now and still really enjoy it but the itch has come back. What would I need to upgrade to in order to get an appreciable bump in SQ? Would the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone edition be a good bump up? Or would adding a good amp be good like a MHA150 or HPA1?

I don't like Naim gear on general principle, but have not heard more than one piece and that was a fair while ago.

Anyway, it seems to me the Mytek is kinda clinical at times and not in a good way. The RME seems distinctly more musical whenever I listen to them both one after the other. I don't use either headamp section though, just as DACs. Neither have enough amp to do a good job with 300 ohm Sennheisers IMHO.

I got a nice surprise in that the Phonitor 2 I picked up recently seems to make everything sound better except for my TH900s. I was listening to a pair of LCD-2C off the Phonitor 2 driven by the Brooklyn DAC+ last night and it was just super. One of the great things for me with the Brooklyn is that the UI and MQA support make it a great diagnostic tool that I don't think can be beaten unless you pay a lot more for something else. I have not heard the HPA-1 but there have been some very positive comments here from @project86 and I think, @Skylab

So one suggestion would be to take your Brooklyn to a shop that sells amps and see how you like it out of various amps. Another option would be to look into something that isn't a chipdac, like R2R from Audio-gd, Holo, or FPGA DACs from Chord. It is probably important to know what you like and don't like about the Brooklyn to be able to help.

 

[iFi audio]

ifi Pro iCan - you will get a bit different solid state sound than from Mytek, especially if you put it in bypass mode and a bit of tube magic, but just a bit - do not expect night & day difference

Agreed, tubes in our Pro iCAN are there to inject some of tube flavor but not overpower the product's solid-state core. Thanks!

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Listening to a new pair of HE400i 2020s off the Brooklyn DAC+ out of the Phonitor 2 all evening. Superb!

 

[alekc]

Listening to a new pair of HE400i 2020s off the Brooklyn DAC+ out of the Phonitor 2 all evening. Superb!

@gimmeheadroom I need to find time to listen to Phonitor amps eventually. While I'm not in a quest for another head amp for my Brooklyn Bridge I can imagine it can be a real treat and comparing to some other vendors the price tag seems to be quite reasonable Have you tested it with other cans as well?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

@gimmeheadroom I need to find time to listen to Phonitor amps eventually. While I'm not in a quest for another head amp for my Brooklyn Bridge I can imagine it can be a real treat and comparing to some other vendors the price tag seems to be quite reasonable Have you tested it with other cans as well?

Yes, when I first got it I immediately tried it with a pair of DT880/600 ohms and I was happy with the power the amp had. Next up was some time with my HD 800s (plural, not S version) and I was very happy with the sound. I think I can describe the Phonitor as warm, I listened to a variety of music and I didn't feel the need for EQ at all, which is not always the case with these cans for me, with some music. I spent some time with the LCD-2C and I'm not sure it's a good pairing. Then tonight I spent a few hours with the HE400i 2020 and I was very impressed.

The Brooklyn is cold and if I listen to it side by side with the RME I usually have a clear preference for the RME. And I confirmed this whether using internal headamps or not, and into a V280. The RME won. But now with the Phonitor, I feel like the musicality I wanted in the Brooklyn is there.

One caveat, I have had a few instances when I first turn the Phonitor 2 on that the left channel does not seem to work. The input side is working, the VU meters are both responding. If I throw some switches (balance, mono etc.) the left channel starts working and seems normal after that. So, I have some concerns. It does not have the tank-like build of Audio-gd or to a lesser extent, Violectrics. If you have the room, I'd suggest Audio-gd Master 9 or 9P since they offer the best build, best connectivity, and the most power. Otherwise I think the Phonitor 2 is a good addition to my desktop system where my Master 19 won't fit- as long as it doesn't break

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Guys, I never noticed it before but my Brooklyn DAC+ really runs hot. I think it's the hottest piece of gear I own.

Has anybody else noticed this?