Bricasti M1 DAC vs PS Audio Direct Stream DAC


I own a PS Audio Direct Stream DAC that I like a lot but heard my friends system with the Bricasti M1 and I am strongly thinking of changing my DAC and would love your feedback from other members that have heard either or both. I know they are both great but really thinking of changing my Dac from PS Audio Direct Stream to the Bricasti M1 DAC. I use a HP Desk top computer as source with Jplay and JRiver Media 19 and the outstanding Tellurium Q BLACK DIAMOND Reference USB Cable. The rest of my system is below. I listen to Classic Rock, jazz, vocal, some modern music and the usual audiophile stuff.

Thanks

My system for reference.

Ascendo C-8 Renaissance Speakers (Germany) Monitor
Purist Audio Design Corvus Praesto Revision 2.5m Bi-Wire Speaker cable
Cardas Clear Interconnect 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Darwin TRUTH Pure Silver Reference 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Darwin TRUTH Pure Silver Reference 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Audio Research REFERENCE 1 w/Rhodium IEC/NOS Tubes Tube preamp
Decware ZSTAGE External Triode Output StageTelefunken ECC801S
PS Audio Direct Stream DSD DAC w/ Bridge DA converter
Tellurium Q BLACK DIAMOND Reference USB Cable
PS Audio PerfectWave PowerBase Vibration Cancelation/AC Condtioner
Conrad Johnson Premier 12 Mono's 140 Watts Tung-Sol KT120's amps
PS Audio PowerPlant Premier AC Regenerator
BMI Shark Pure Jeweler Grade Platinum AC Power Cable
Sablon Audio Petite Corona 2.0M AC Power Cable
Mad Scientist PC-NEO with Power Purifier AC Power Cable
JPS Labs The Power AC+ 2M AC Power Cable
Synergistic Research Labs Tesla Series SE T1 AC Power Cable
Synergistic Research Labs Tesla Series T1 AC Power Cable
PS Audio Noise Harvester (5) Converts noise to light
OYAIDE RI Beryllium Power Outlets (2)
Hubbell Outlet 5362/5262 Deep Cryo Process
Blue Circle Audio The Yalu Balula Industrial Surge/Spike Protection
JPLAY v5.2 hi-end audio player turns PC into a digital transport.
JRiver Media Center 19 Music Software
fsmithjack

Showing 9 responses by jh901

M1, DirectStream (Yale), Modded Yggy, GG, Overdrive SE, etc...

Will the upcoming Chord DAVE wipe them all out?

-Josh
Any hopes we can get some comparisons between the Bricasti and Yale (final)? Have Bricasti hardware (or software) updates completed or are they expected to refine from time to time?
- Josh
Fsmithjack- great stuff! Appreciated. The M1 evolved quite a bit on the hardware side too from the time it was first introduced. Wasn't it? I wonder if they are done looking at possible hardware enhancements. Those filters have a lot of R&D into them I bet.
- Josh
Hoping for some comparisons of YALE firmware upgrade for the DirectStream. Anyone think PS Audio will catch Bricasti or Lampi?

-Josh
Coli- I don't know. Is it really the case that R-2R is the only way? For example, the COS Engineering D1 is a newcomer and compares straight up to the Pavane in the 6moons review. How could that be!?

So we're in a situation where there are some PCM only R-2R, PCM only delta sigma, some DSD only, some DSD only with PCM converted on the fly. There are FPGA chips (both proprietary and off the shelf), various filtering implementations, power supply designs, and unique analog stage approaches. Oh, and then there are the various USB inputs and even a few integrated (or stand-alone) disc spinners. Finally, there are certainly some twists I failed to mention. Whew.

Isn't it more likely that the best overall engineering will rise to the top irrespective of design approach?

Regards, Josh
Coli- meantime, would you mind sharing an idea of what your music collection is like from both a content perspective (jazz, rock etc) and a quality perspective? As to quality, how serious has your effort been to acquire the best mastering work for a given title? Cheers, Josh
Hi Ricred1 - I can't comment on "smooth jazz" as I'm not a fan. There are quite a number of jazz CDs/SACDs originally recorded on analog tape in the 50s to 70s which have superb sound quality. In any event, this discussion would be way off topic here. I just wanted to get an idea of what source material Coli favored. Regards, Josh
I highly doubt that you are alone in your views, Fsmithjack. Something is way, way off with Coli's audition. Hopefully, we can get this thread back on track. -Josh
Well put, Rhanson739. Hopefully, this thread won't suffer from trolling any longer.

-Josh