Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 3

I just installed my alpha 3 last night.  Fed by a blue sound Node 2i.  Tested last night with spotify and will test Tidal MQA today.  Sounds great out of the box.

What filter are you using?  I tried the 1.16 and 1.24 so far.  The 1.24 was louder.

I'm using mine with an Oppo 103D feeding the new Vanity Pro. The Alpha DAC 3 is my first DAC, I've been using a Marantz SA10. 

I have a fairly high end two channel system and I've always preferred analog. My dealer, Galen Carol Audio, thought the Berkeley might be the one to convert me to digital. He was right. Massed strings on Bruno Walter recordings, always a problem, now sound far less edgy. Not quite RCA strings, but close and more than acceptable. The tell is I'm listening to more and more digital.

The Alpha DAC 3 is a fantastic product and I cannot recommend it enough.

At twice the price roughly, I’d estimate that it’s 15-20% better sounding

if it’s only 15-20% better, you can easily close the gap and surpass it with a good isolation stand, Entreq grounding, and a good power cord.

Has anyone compared  the Alpha 3 to the reference 3?  Was it better?  How and by how much?

thanks

I know I'd love to give the dcs stack a try, along with the expensive Berkeley, Mytek, EMM, and Meridian units. But I haven't listened to enough expensive DACs to choose one.

Tutuapp 9Apps ShowBox

If there’s a more appropriate thread, please provide a link.

What’s the most costly known DAC AB tested vs. BADA Series 3 in which users preferred the latter?  

If known: did the AB test include BAD’s USB to SPDIF convertor?

My streamer/music player is state of the art or almost, with USB output only.  I use Audirvana Studio which I’m almost positive allows all programs to upscale to 176.4k.  (Is DSD to 176k PCM best defined as "downscaling?") 

Is it ideal to upscale/downscale all source programs to 176.4k feeding BADA Series 3?

My phone conversation today with Mike @ BAD was pleasant and inspiring. Mike states that BAD’s 176k PCM outperforms any DSD format, something my past experience contradicted: I prior owned a particular renown and technically good DAC (unnamed, between $5k and $10k) with a good PCM section but a superb proprietary DSD section (with NOS option) designed by HQ Player author Jussi Laako.  Upscaling all programs to DSD > DAC set to DSD NOS absolutely incinerates native PCM programs > DAC set to PCM; the latter sounds forgettable and irrelevant. 

BAD’s pedigree adds gravitas to Mike’s words.  Two of my lifetime music reproduction high points included the Berkeley-designed PCM-only Pacific Microsonic DAC.  One of those events was (likely) native 4.0 DSD downscaled to PCM to feed two PM DACs.  The other event was good ole-fashioned 2-ch recorded and reproduced with the same PM ADC/DAC, Boz Scaggs solo in his SF home singing and playing his grand piano, My Lovely Valentine.  The latter rivaled the Studer half-track master deck (1/2" IIRC) @ Different Fur Trading Company.  DFTC co-owner with Dr. Patrick Gleeson/Engineer John Viera upgraded that 7.5ips deck to 15ips.  

Needless to say, I must audition BAD’s Alpha Series 3.    

There is actually a new version of this dac called the 3P that has just been released.

@spkrplus DSD dac’s that have a PCM stage ( such as the recent the T&A dacs) focus on the DSD. So yes it will be better than PCM.

But the BADA stuff is all about PCM and that’s what they specialize in.
This is the dac to compare against those DSD dac's.