Mytek Brooklyn Thread

[vintinfinity]

Actually, he has been very helpful. I knew nothing of the RME ADI-2 DAC until he posted:



I was looking for a better DAC, but that RME ADI-2 doesn't look like it.
The ADI-2 specs mention 800 picoseconds jitter , which is very jittery if compared to the Myteks 0.82 picoseconds. A thousand times, literally. The SOtM tx-USBultra uses even a better clock than the one in the Ultra, a reference level sCLK-EX12, so that completely kills the argument.

But I have never heard of it, it may sound like angels or all I know. You may be right.

My bad if I misread any intention. There were some other “Yggdrasil crushes the Brooklyn” type posts that this thread has been largely free of until recently.

The RME is supposed to be nice, exact jitter numbers are likely unimportant if below the correct threshold, and the DAC+ is certainly nice too. I know I love mine.

 

[MikeW]

I think all 3 pieces of gear are great. Brooklyn's the only one with MQA if tha'ts your thing. RME-ADI 2 has EQ and a slew of other features at an excellent price, the Yggdrasil offer's it's own sonic presentation that is unique and unlike Delta offerings, all of them are somewhat, top of their class. Value is arguable however.

 

[vintinfinity]

I think all 3 pieces of gear are great. Brooklyn's the only one with MQA if tha'ts your thing. RME-ADI 2 has EQ and a slew of other features at an excellent price, the Yggdrasil offer's it's own sonic presentation that is unique and unlike Delta offerings, all of them are somewhat, top of their class. Value is arguable however.

Very true on all points.

 

[grigorianvlad]

Let me ask you this. Whoever here owns a DAC+: how would you rate each capability of your unit, on a scale 1-5?
- DAC
- Preamp
- Headphone amp
- Phono preamp
I would love to learn if your ratings are close to mine. Thank you.

 

[vintinfinity]

I was looking for a better DAC, but that RME ADI-2 doesn't look like it.
The ADI-2 specs mention 800 picoseconds jitter , which is very jittery if compared to the Myteks 0.82 picoseconds. A thousand times, literally. The SOtM tx-USBultra uses even a better clock than the one in the Ultra, a reference level sCLK-EX12, so that completely kills the argument.

But I have never heard of it, it may sound like angels or all I know. You may be right.

I don’t see the 800ps value anywhere but the product page says this, “The low phase noise oscillator driving the updated circuit reaches jitter specs lower than a picosecond (ps), an area called FemtoSecond. Hence SteadyClock FS.”

As mikew said, it measured well on ASR for jitter.

At this level I think the feature differences are the selling points.

 

[MikeW]

There's a bit of disconnect at RME between Engineer and Marketing. I think the Engineer are often rolling their eye's at marketing dept. Seems like they loathed the entire "FS" branding.

If you want a truely better DAC then either RME or Brooklyn, you will have to reach much further up the price range, and some of these "Better" options come with pretty annoying limitations. Some options below may be "Better"

Chord: Dave, TT2
Briscati
Dangerous Music: Convert-2 < a clear upgarde, but not consumer friendly at all.

 

[captblaze]

Let me ask you this. Whoever here owns a DAC+: how would you rate each capability of your unit, on a scale 1-5?
- DAC
- Preamp
- Headphone amp
- Phono preamp
I would love to learn if your ratings are close to mine. Thank you.

1- Sabre DAC better implementation than most 3.7
2- no issues balanced to Class D Amp 4.1
3- Balanced much better than single ended for tough to drive headphones 3.8
4- I don't own turntable, but option for both MC and MM cartridge n/a

serves a purpose, just watch out with firmware updates... ever since 1.20 there is an occasional hiccup

intangibles - needs LPS to achieve max result

 

[grigorianvlad]

1- Sabre DAC better implementation than most 3.7
2- no issues balanced to Class D Amp 4.1
3- Balanced much better than single ended for tough to drive headphones 3.8
4- I don't own turntable, but option for both MC and MM cartridge n/a

serves a purpose, just watch out with firmware updates... ever since 1.20 there is an occasional hiccup

intangibles - needs LPS to achieve max result

Thank you Captblaze.
Your post is very valuable. You see, in this case I may lack perspective. You and others here apparently have heard it all. I've been looking for that information (new DAC makers) for years. My experience is rather limited - built in DACs, a Peachtree DAC*it, a Wyred4Sound DAC1 and that is about it. As far as all other more expensive DACs and/or pro DACs are concerned I've only read the reviews, never heard them. That's why my rating is compared to what I've had before, which is not much.
Regarding the phono option in the Brooklyn. It is rudimentary at best. My standalone Pro-Ject Phono Box DS+, which costs just 1/5th of the DAC+, beats it by far. The fact that the DAC+ allows only one phono adjustment - MM/MC - and there is no capacitance/impedance adjustment also tells you it is added as a side feature. The main attraction is the DAC section.
On all other points my rating is very close to yours, except that I'd rate the Brooklyn higher on the DAC point. But once again, I may lack the experience. The Brooklyn is much better than what I have had, but probably is worse if compared to what you have heard.

 

[captblaze]

Thank you Captblaze.
Your post is very valuable. You see, in this case I may lack perspective. You and others here apparently have heard it all. I've been looking for that information (new DAC makers) for years. My experience is rather limited - built in DACs, a Peachtree DAC*it, a Wyred4Sound DAC1 and that is about it. As far as all other more expensive DACs and/or pro DACs are concerned I've only read the reviews, never heard them. That's why my rating is compared to what I've had before, which is not much.
Regarding the phono option in the Brooklyn. It is rudimentary at best. My standalone Pro-Ject Phono Box DS+, which costs just 1/5th of the DAC+, beats it by far. The fact that the DAC+ allows only one phono adjustment - MM/MC - and there is no capacitance/impedance adjustment also tells you it is added as a side feature. The main attraction is the DAC section.
On all other points my rating is very close to yours, except that I'd rate the Brooklyn higher on the DAC point. But once again, I may lack the experience. The Brooklyn is much better than what I have had, but probably is worse if compared to what you have heard.

your assessment of the DAC reflects your preference... my age (55) and the amount of damage I may or may not have suffered do to spending my youth attending every rock concert I could get tickets for (over 200 by age 40) so my preference (especially for extended listening) is something with a more tame top end. ESS Sabre DACs can be bright and after long listening session becomes fatiguing.

I have no real complaints other than having to add an LPS to squeeze everything out of the DAC sound wise. My goal is long listening pleasure. My nearfield setup gets the majority of use and the Brooklyn+ handled that chore wonderfully and was the anchor of my system for over 1 year. which means I must have enjoyed it although I never really found direct headphone as pleasurable. I have a tube amp I connect to the Brooklyn+ when it is required.

Don't ever sell yourself short when it comes to assessing what sounds best to you.. Nyquist and Harman are guides to what optimum should be, but human hearing does not always match the "curve"

 

[Dobrescu George]

Any recommendations on headphones for the Brooklyn Bridge? I should have it Friday. I have a pair of HD 58X but I'm looking for an upgrade below 1000 USD. Preferably closed back. How does something like the Aeon Flow Closed gel with the DAC+?

I have tried Brooklyn with

- Ultrasone Signature DXP - I love this pairing
- Brainwavz Alara Planar headphones - Absolutely amazing, but they're open back and you said you were looking for closed back
- Crosszone CZ1 - B+ is one of the few DAC/AMPs that have the proper power and authority over CZ1 to make it truly shine.
- HIFIMAN Sundara, but once again, this is an open-back.

I would recommend checking out Ultrasone headphones, especially DXP for a massive upgrade over HD58X

You are just in love with a new piece of gear, that phase passes. Seriously you need to listen to a broken in Yggdrasil A2 next to your Brooklyn DAC+. I consider the DAC+ just one more overpriced ESS Sabre DAC.

I don't know what to say, I have like a ton of equipment, including stuff that is similarly priced, I am still amazed by Brooklyn DAC+ , it is simply cool and cute, and sounds amazing to my ears.

Of course, if we're talking about its price point, that gets slightly more complicated, since it is a high-end product, but man, the soundstage, vividness and clarity it has is quite unique

 

[exdmd]

I lived with a Brooklyn DAC+ for a year, and when I got tired of its deficiencies I bought a Yggdrasil A2 and had both for a month so I could compare both side by side. The Yggy weighs 25 pounds while the Brooklyn DAC+ is only 4 pounds. While you can't equate a greater weight to better sound quality, it does I believe point out that Mytek economized when the DAC+ was developed as a cheaper, little brother to their more expensive Manhattan DAC II.

I am not kidding when I say I would rather listen to CD's played through the Yggy than MQA streamed through the Brooklyn. The Yggy is that resolving, realistic and musical. I consider it an end game DAC.

I feel MQA is irrelevant now that Qobuz is becoming widely available, with better sound than Tidal and a large catalog of 24/96 and 24/192 titles. Warranty on the Yggy is five years and the unit is fully upgradeable. The DAC+ is only warrantied for two years and can not be upgraded. As Schiit is coming out with their own proprietary USB implementation being able to swap out USB boards on the Yggy is a big plus.

The sound quality on my DAC+ was not even equal on all inputs: it was not possible to listen using optical in because the sound quality was poor compared to USB. I sent the unit back to Mytek in New York and was told the unit was fine, which it definitely was not. The switching PS on the DAC+ is so mediocre even Mytek recommends you use an external LPS.

I recommend anyone contemplating buying a DAC over $2000 read the thread here called Life after Yggdrasil and also search for more independent reviews on top tier DACs. I sold the Mytek at a substantial loss and kept the Yggy I now own. Do your own research before you buy any expensive piece of gear. Also consider buying from a dealer that allows you to return if not satisfied.

 

[grigorianvlad]

I consider it an end game DAC.

I am very happy for you. Whatever your DAC preferences are, it is a true blessing to be able to say "this is so good, there is nothing to upgrade to anymore".
Now you can upgrade other components, hopefully to the ones that also will be an end game. What are you upgrading next?

 

[exdmd]

My system is finished except for adding powered monitors for those days I don't care to use headphones, and will also get back into vinyl when Schiit introduces their Sol turntable.

 

[grigorianvlad]

A word of caution regarding the Brooklyn. These issues drove me nuts. The reason I am sharing them is so you can learn from my mistakes.
1) Try not to set maximum brightness for the LED display and more importantly dont put it on top of components that may overheat.
My barely year DAC+ started to show some LED display issues. Mostly yellowish spots on the white text and menu options. These can only be seen from a couple of feet away. When I bought it I set the display at max brightness. Naturally, I assumed that it simply wore out. But then I noticed that the external power supply Keces P8, which always ran cold to lukewarm, became hot over the past month and the Mytek has been on top ever since. So, I am not sure if the heat issue contributed to the LED display issues. Probably it did because I know old Brooklyn DAC owners that had kept them running for years without any issues. Another advise is to keep the display timeout set and/or turn the unit off if not in use. I got my unit fixed a month ago and I also installed a small rack for digial components so no heat is passed between them.
2) If you happen to have the Mytek connected directly to a PC using a USB cable (with or without Mytek Control Panel) and the PC happens to have a Virtual Machine running and you happen to use anything the VM that produces a sound - a youtube video, play a track in a media player - the PC forgets the Mytek and loses the ability to play to it. The unit shows "No Lock" and refses to play anything. The only solution is to reupdate the latest Mytek drivers from Mytek Control Panel or reinstall them entirely. Then everything starts working again. I just encountered it after starting a Linux VM inside VMWare.

 

[vintinfinity]

A word of caution regarding the Brooklyn. These issues drove me nuts. The reason I am sharing them is so you can learn from my mistakes.
1) Try not to set maximum brightness for the LED display and more importantly dont put it on top of components that may overheat.
My barely year DAC+ started to show some LED display issues. Mostly yellowish spots on the white text and menu options. These can only be seen from a couple of feet away. When I bought it I set the display at max brightness. Naturally, I assumed that it simply wore out. But then I noticed that the external power supply Keces P8, which always ran cold to lukewarm, became hot over the past month and the Mytek has been on top ever since. So, I am not sure if the heat issue contributed to the LED display issues. Probably it did because I know old Brooklyn DAC owners that had kept them running for years without any issues. Another advise is to keep the display timeout set and/or turn the unit off if not in use. I got my unit fixed a month ago and I also installed a small rack for digial components so no heat is passed between them.
2) If you happen to have the Mytek connected directly to a PC using a USB cable (with or without Mytek Control Panel) and the PC happens to have a Virtual Machine running and you happen to use anything the VM that produces a sound - a youtube video, play a track in a media player - the PC forgets the Mytek and loses the ability to play to it. The unit shows "No Lock" and refses to play anything. The only solution is to reupdate the latest Mytek drivers from Mytek Control Panel or reinstall them entirely. Then everything starts working again. I just encountered it after starting a Linux VM inside VMWare.

I figured that out pretty quickly to set the screen brightness to a low level. Mine had a tiny bit of OLED screen burn in really quickly after purchase when using stock brightness and 30 second display off timer. Set it to lowest or second lowest value and 15 second timer and it has been fine for months.