Any insight with the Berkeley Alpha DAC ..??

I got mine a couple of weeks ago, but due to a hectic schedule have not yet been able to spend enough time with it to make any definite determination about whether I like it best with or without a preamp in the chain. It sounds really great both ways. I am using it with a Dell Inspiron 530 and a Lynx AES 16 sound card. I am slowly but surely ripping all my CDs to the hard drive--about 500 so far. What I can say is that this is the best, most liquid and organic sounding digital I have heard in my system by far. This much is apparent pretty much immediately. It is truly breathtaking, even on good old redbook CDs. I was listening to the Stones' Sticky Fingers last night, and just got goosebumps listening to "Moonlight Mile"--the Berkeley just uncovers nuances in the music I have not experienced, at least not with digital.

In short, I could not be happier with the Berkeley Alpha DAC, and look forward to experimenting with it over the next few weeks and months until I figure out what sounds best to me.

I hope others will keep posting their impressions.

I am working on it. I already have a Dell Inspiron 530 with the Lynx AES 16 sound card installed. I am using Media Monkey to rip and manage my CD collection. The computer will be used solely as a music server.

I should be receiving the Berkeley Alpha DAC late next week or shortly thereafter. This is my first foray into PC Audio--it is a bit nerve-wracking, but I have simply run out of space for further CD storage, so this is a move I was going to have to make sooner or later. Also, I like the idea of having my collection available at my fingertips, and the Berkeley sounds intriguing enough to take a chance on.

Sorry I don't have anything more to report. Maybe in a couple or three weeks, I'll have some impressions to share...

I am using the Lynx with the XLR breakout cables. I am under the impression that the Berkeley sounds best running direct to the amplifier, but my experience has always been that a good preamp adds body and texture, so I will be trying it both ways--direct, and with my preamp--to see what I prefer.

Maxx2man,

Are you running straight into the amp, or do you have a preamp in the chain?

Thanks.

Drubin,
It is going swimmingly. I was really struggling with making a decision between the Berkeley/Computer-based music server, the Marantz SA-7S1, or the Abbingdon CD-77. I couldn't really arrange any auditions in my own system--which is really the only kind of audition that would tell me much (in someone else's system, how does one sort out the characteristics of the digital player from those of the preamp, or the speakers?).

I decided to take a chance on the Berkeley, primarily because I have a fairly large CD collection (4,000 or so), and I liked the idea of putting it all on a hard drive and having it available at my fingertips. I figured I could always punt and sell it if the Berkeley did not meet my expectations.

I would still love to hear those other players, but it is really hard for me to imagine that they would deliver more than the Berkeley is delivering. It really is astonishing, even on redbook recordings. The sound is just so liquid, yet detailed and spacious. The separation and layering of instruments is excellent, without being exagerrated. Images are the size and shape they should be, and the timber and texture of the music--the harmonics--sounds just right to me. Unlike other players I have had, it excels on all types of music, which is very important to me, as I have wide-ranging taste and need a player that can do Joni Mitchell, John Coltrane, Nickel Creek, or the New York Dolls, and sound equally adept with all of the above. I guess you could say it is equally capable of finesse and impact, grit and subtlety.

I'm certainly no reviewer, and lack the audiophile vocabulary to accurately describe its attributes. I just can't think of anything the Berkeley is not doing that I wish it would or could do.

By the way, I really love the computer-based approach as well. Being able to change albums instantly, or being able to play a couple of particular tracks I may be in the mood to hear while getting ready for work in the morning has really been amazing. I am really an album guy at heart, and tend to listen to albums all the way through, but it is really nice to just have it all right there in front of you when you are feeling impulsive. I've played a lot of music I haven't heard in years due only to the convenience factor.

Sorry for rambling. If you get a chance to try the Berkeley, I would be surprised if you weren't impressed with it. It is exactly the digital upgrade I've hoped for for the past several years (and there have been a few disappointments in there, believe me).

I hope this has been somewhat helpful. It would be great to hear updates from others who have some experience with the Berkeley.