Anyone have experience with the Bricasti M1or M1/SE, with or without network card upgrade?
Seen references to the M1 with the caveat older model, not sure what that is supposed to reference as there have been several iterations during its evolution.
From the Bricasti page, the SE has these specific upgrades:
M1 Special Edition incorporates Stillpoints feet that are engineered and optimized exclusively for the design. The added stability improves isolation from vibration which translates to a more transparent sonic presentation. Point-to-point wiring, a labor intensive process, improves signal flow by eliminating various connectors which can degrade a signals performance. Finally, the next generation power improvements have been incorporated in this edition to further improve filtering of unwanted noise and power ripple.
Thanks in advance for any insights and sharing your experience in the positive or negative.
The big thing to note would be if the M1/SE had the MDX upgrade or not, thatās a definite improvement overall sound wise. I did think the SE was better than the regular M1, but Iāve only heard the SE before mdx, and the M1 both non mdx and mdx upgrade
Personally I really like the dac for both itās more neutral and almost get out of the way character yet having strong macro capabilities. Just very refined and well balanced but can get in your face if demanded
The manner in which you describe its signature seems to allow this DAC to be compatible with a variety of options such as tube and solid state amps. So is the max upgrade more than adding a network card and streaming capability?
For context, Iām now narrowing down my DAC search between the total dac, the Bricasti, and the Aqua La Voce as the top contenders. Second tier is a bit of a jumbled mess of usual suspects in the $7-$12k range.
I think itās a generally well rounded dac, although if you have an already forward and already a bit hot amp thereās a chance it could go too far at times. Itās weird, itās overall pretty smooth, but it can also get a bit hot with an already hot amp depending on the music. I honestly kinda think of it as a bit more smooth and wide and a bit less technical Berkeley sort of sound. Preamp is pretty good on it
What exactly are you asking for the last part? Newer units will already have the mdx board but you can send in older units to get them mdx upgraded as well
So the la voce s3 isnāt in the same league as a m1 mdx or unity imo, what exactly sound wise are you looking to focus on, and what would the rest of the chain be?
You mentioned the mix upgrade as better, was wondering if that was because there is more to the upgrade than adding the streamer, or the integration of streamer allows for a more direct and clean input?
Oh, Iām sorry I meant the La Scala . Call me a semi-tube whore , itās r2r, NOS, and seems under the radar.
Main Chain: DNA Stratus/DSHA-3F/Pass HPA-1/Eddie Current Black Widow 2 ā Utopia 22/RAD-0/HD650, and maybe Caldera in futureā¦
Focus on: great balance in depth/width/height (avoiding forward leaning, definitely not my cup of tea), organic tonality, micro dynamic without sacrificing the organic tonality. Those would be the big ones, as Iāve said before, take the SFD-2 and put it on steroids, while improving some of its weak spots like micro dynamics.
From the little I looked into it, itās a rework of their digital input and dsp board which generally just results in better sound overall regardless of input
Ah gotcha lol
So, knowing that, I donāt know if Iād suggest the bricasti as much as the other options, I do think itās a slight bit macro focused and is going to be more forward than youād want, Iād probably look for other options than the bricasti tbh
Iād really look more toward the totaldac, mojo, and others for that goal
Iām curious about the ānew mdxā board mentioned in regards to the M1S2, itās possible itās just the regular MDx but might reach out to Bricasti to ask
MC1 has returned and the MDX board does look different then what was in there previously. Hereās what the board looks like now. Note that the network card is the same as it was before.
Been thinking about trying another dac for awhile as a departure from the MC1. This could either be an upgrade over the MC1 or just a different flavor. Having a good quality volume control would be nice to have so I can ditch the serene. The new dac needs to have a built in streamer. Budget is around 10k used or new but flexible. I have a bunch of things for sale now to help with the cost.
I was pretty much set on the Meitner MA3 until @Draaly was giving some impressions on it . Iād like to get more tonal density, slam, depth, and imaging out of this new dac.
The options Iām considering are:
Bricasti M1 series 2
Bricasti M21
Meitner MA3
PS Audio DS Mk2 (probably not but it does meet my criteria)
Sonnet Pasithea (no streamer)
Other dacs Iāve considered:
Berkeley Ref 2 and 3
Playback design dacs
DCS Rossini
DCS Lina
MSB Discrete (I donāt like how many different options and extra boxes there are for this)
WD Sig balanced
I tried Dave recently and didnāt care for it, lacked some weight especially to vocals vs the MC1. I like the idea of sticking with Bricasti but just going up the line and getting one with a volume control.
Any thoughts or suggestions? I might be able to demo the MA3, havenāt reached out to other local dealers of some of these dacs but can see if I can line up any other demos.
how about saving a bit more for a TD Unity with streamer add-on?
re: the WD Sig - I wouldnāt expect its volume control to get you to ditch your pre fwiw but it will get you density slam depth and imaging
oh and @Souldriverās mojo X can be a good option too
Canāt speak as to the volume control because Iām sure a good volume adjustment implementation can be found in a DAC in the price range. I will say however that a good streamer is more than likely NOT going to be found and IMO youāre likely to get better results going for a good external streamer or perhaps even a great bridge and youāre going to get better performance.
Speaking only from my experience with the Weiss 502, a quality external streamer (I was using a dCS bridge) was head and shoulders better than the built in streamer in the Weiss.
Thatās interesting. To be honest I havenāt considered an external streamer since the one in the Bricasti seemed like a pretty solid implementation. Itās pretty much the same as the M5 they sell but with the power supply unit shared by the other internal dsp the dac does. However I have been interested in some of the sonore products, especially the signature rendu se.
Iād be up for giving something like that a try and I do have temporary solutions like a pi2aes if I ended up with something without a streamer.
I like the idea of having less boxes especially on the digital side but itās also fun to experiment with new components so I am a bit more flexible then I might have sounded.
The WD does sound like a really solid choice, the volume control is not a big deal. If I didnāt have the upcoming T2 payment Iād be seriously considering the WD you are selling.
I havenāt given much thought to any of the TD products since I have an issue with the looks but Iāve only heard good things so will reconsider that.
When I tried the M1 SE it had the integrated network streamer, compared to my Pi2AES it blew it away, I may not know much about streamer implementations and how other DACs handle it internally, in my opinion Bricasti nailed it with the mdx upgrade module and streamer combo.
The volume control was quite nice too, either via remote or the knob.
Didnāt mean it to be a blanket statement but simply something to consider. The more all in one the more something is likely to be compromised. The Briscati may very well be an exception to the streaming quality.
Didnāt mean it to be a counter to your statement, apologies if it came across that way. Was offering my loose change, your knowledge and experience of streamers/ddc far exceeds mine.
, itās r2r, NOS, and seems under the radar.
. Iād like to get more tonal density, slam, depth, and imaging out of this new dac.