I keep telling myself I need to sell my rs3, but it’s just something I always want to have on hand now lol
Why?
And why? Lol
1 Like
Money, but I also feel like I already have 2 dacs that outperform it for what I value most of the time, but the berk still offers something different/unique that I sometimes want instead, but it’s still hard to justify cost wise still lol. That money could either go to funding some non audio things (or more realistically go into a savings account), or go into furthering the performance of the rest of the setup in aspects such as isolation/vibration control or perhaps an even more improved digital frontend for the other dacs. I don’t really have the desire for something “different” and could live without another dac on the side realistically, the main reason I keep using it is more honestly for convenience lol.
It’s become my go to “lazy” dac, when I don’t want to use a streamer and/or wait for the lampi to warm up, but it’s also just an excellent reference dac (one of the few products that imo lives up to the name), and I really appreciate it’s raw and chameleon ish characteristics in what it does which I don’t think the lampi or totaldac do (as well). It’s an extremely reliable benchmark, excellent value for what it is used (less so with the rs3 right now, but absolutely with the rs2), and just a sound that I’ve always been really partial to after hearing a pacific microsonics model 2 when I was younger, and the berk really shares some similarities so a bit of nostalgia bias there too lol. I also already learned my lesson selling the rs2, buying it again, then upgrading to the rs3 lol, so I’ve already broke one of my personal rules on this one too
I would 100% justify keeping it all the time and not even think about it if I was still doing some studio focused stuff, but I already basically have sold off a lot of that and have no desire to return, already sold my lavry, crane song, and forssell, so that ship has sailed in terms of being able to justify it that way lol.
@Eskamobob1 you kinda experiencing some of what I have lol? Also nice that you fixed the etching issue, that is something that can really put some off if they don’t have the source right and can be very apparent on poor setups for the unit. I only get that issue with specific aes and usb cables for the alpha usb, swapping to something a bit smoother and more relaxed for cabling in general really helped to correct the issue for me (also adding a usb reclocker ahead of the alpha usb helped too). But the totaldac reclocker is really good with it, and what I’d rather be using instead of the alpha if it weren’t already in use by the totaldac in another room lol
5 Likes
I still need to write up something proper but yah. It’s hard for me to compare for sure cause I don’t have 2 calistos or 2 of any aes cables. I am tempted to get that, but also tempted to send in the TD for dual outputs from the streamer to just use that as a base line side by side tbh
4 Likes
The more I listen to 12 the more and more convinced I am that I am incapable of judging something’s technicalities without using it on 12. Even coming from berk ref 2 there is just something fundamental about what 12 does that Ive never heard another dac do. Its almost like hearing texture for the first time. I cant explain what it is, but when its gone I am sad.
12 Likes
So, ive needed to write some impressions here for quite a while, but honesly, my chain is so damn good and so precisely tuned for my tastes and music that every time I get a bug up my ass to look at something for audio now, I just use my cans and forget about it as whole. I realy do need to write up some stuff ive already listened to here, but ngl, I think I may be done for a solid bit here. Even though there are still things that can be improves, the constant enjoyment my chain brings just means I should stop fighting and be happy tbh. IDK ive ever been this extremely content with my chain tbh. Its a very very strange feeling.
12 Likes
I was talking with some of the guys in team speak last night and was having trouble putting my thoughts on detail level of berk vs 12 into words. I think I’ve figured out a decent way to put it.
Berkely has higher classical detail. That is to say the same kind of detail as putting on estats for the first time and going “ive never heard that part of the mix!”.
Where twelve pulls far far away however is in the detail of each individual sub track. Stuff like intonation, breathing cadance, any kind of small pauses of mess ups on pacing of instruments. These are the kinds of things that the berkely simply doesnt put on show the same way the twelve can, and showing these things I think is the fundamental tier difference that makes 12 just simply a different tier than anything else ive ever heard. These differences are also what I find missing when switching to something like CFA3 from AIC.
I think id be almost inclined to say the berkely has slightly more macro detailed while the twelve has far far more micro detail, but im not sure how I feel about phrasing it as such since I have always used those two twems to refer to different things than the differences I am hearing between berk and 12.
8 Likes
Would you say one is better fitting for some genres over the other or the twelve is superior overall and across the board as well?
1 Like
The twelve is missing a little bit of impact vs the berk but id basicaly just say the twelve is just better overall tbh
1 Like
I wrote up some of my experience upgrading my sus chain for someone else figured I would post it here.
What’s your sus chain? What would you say improves on the sus with better amps/dacs? I’ve heard it’s one of the most scalable headphones but it has never been clear what exactly gets better.
My sus chain is totaldac d1-stremer-mk2 → totaldac d1-twelve-mk3 → Rivera AIC-10 → (speaker taps out) Sus. Including cables and the like (which total maybe 2k including pretty isolation feet) Im about 35k in, which is nearly exactly what I paid for HE1.
As for what improves on sus, its a little hard to explain, but what i would say is that as sus scales it has less and less tradeoffs. For a “cheap” chain like a spring 3 → AHB2 you will get astonishing image separation and image placement that I havent realy found a chain that gets outright better at. Unfortunately I find that comes at the cost of some smoothed over texture, only ok timber, poor “believability” (blanking on the term I usualy use, but think kinda how real something sounds as a whole, not just timber), and IMO, quite a boring experience once the initial wow wears off.
Just as a side note, this “boringness” factor of sus makes it very hard for me to recommend to people as its a trait I find super had to explain and properly warn people about. This trait becomes less of an issue with an amazing chain, but I find it takes a lot of money to remove it entirely
Getting AIC removed the boring trait nearly entirely, seriously filled out the bass, and increased the realism of the entire presentation but at a slight loss to how articulate the bass was and worse image clarity. This articulation was brought back and the image clarity greatly improved with tube rolling (G73r and french mazda 12au7 are my current go-tos). Honestly, it was a pretty fundamental change that I dont realy know how to describe accurately, because the sum of the changes was way way way bigger than I can get across in text. Overall I was super happy with this chain and a lesser dac (ran totaldact d1-dual, wavedream edition, and a few others for quite a while).
The next thing I upgraded was the dac. I did this I think 8 or 9 months ago and I honestly am still not super able to describe what exactly it did, but the change was far more fundamental than just getting AIC was. Objectively, image clarity and separation is worse than a lot of lower end sus chains, but everything sounds almost aggressively real now. Detail retrieval was an absurd jump and another just fundamental level of change (for reference, sus detail now out scales estats on everything but the highest end chains like viva stx with a comparable dac, even over taking shang SR on Z10E and BHSE using my same dac). The stage placement, texture, and timber are just utterly perfect as well. You need an amp like AIC or viva or masskobo to realize the gains that are possible with a dac of this tier (lots of stuff just stopes scaling and doesnt take full advantage), but I think the change from ~5k used dac to what I currently have was larger than the change from AHB2 to AIC.
Overall, sus can work for a lot of people on lower end chains (still wouldnt req going below spring 3 → ahb2 or gold note ds-1 → GSX mini at the absalute lowest for sus), but it wont have enough of its tradeoffs removed to be a more universally appealing experience until you get to the AIC, VIVA Egoista, Masskobo 465 tier of amps. From there the dac doesnt as much reduce tradeoffs as it does just highlight what sus does amazingly.
14 Likes
Got the Thrax Maximinus in house and finally got it all hooked up. Still warming up, but its definitely some good shit so far.
5 Likes
Is this a newer one and do you have it as part of a pre purchase consideration? One of the DAC I’ve wanted to hear so looking forward to your impressions.
Its the newest one (mk2s iirc) and yah, it is a contender for a new purchase. Im considering going estats and the 12 doesnt play well with the viva (which is likely what I would end up with). This demo and buying the driver are kind of my first two tests to see where i want to end up.
1 Like
That’s a sweet looking DAC!
Looking forward to hearing your impressions.
The dual clocks they use are good ones, IMO. They’re the same ones that my Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 3 use.
Thrax Maximus.
Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 3
4 Likes
You been in DC for a hot second and already have a dealer hooking you up! Or is it a private seller letting you demo?
1 Like
Hahaha. Its a dealer ive worked with for a while, not someone new
2 Likes
Ah, that’s great. You know I’m literally down the street, and @NickMimi is a bit down south odd us.
5 Likes
I keep forgetting how many people are so damn close. Ill have to set something up a weekend when im free
5 Likes
welcome to the neighborhood. I’m a ways south and just time the traffic when visiting your neck of the woods. Good luck w/ work and settling in, etc. a few of us are around if ever you desire a day of geeking-out over gear 
1 Like
I’m a bit farther but I’m always good for some good bagels or Philly pretzel. You’ve probably never had a Philly pretzel, they’re soft. 
2 Likes