Bryston BDA-1 se dac

It is very, very warm and liquid in my setup. It sounded better, more tube like, than any DAC I had in my system. The Berkeley I had was a bit more extended, but not as warm, and it cost more than twice as much so I choose the Bryston.

I'm not familiar with the "se" designation. Is that something new?

This must be the signature modded dac, not the stock dac with the "se" designation. So a logical question is the modded dac worth the extra 500 dollars or so? Anyone heard the dac pre- and post-mods.

Based on what I have read and the feedback from end users, the Berkely dac does not appear to merit its several thousand dollars in extra cost though it seems to be a fine dac for many.....

Jaymark,
I think that I'd go with a Weiss DAC2 before the Bryston, especially if you are interested in computer audio. FWIW, I tried a Berkley in my system, and didn't feel it was a significant step up from my Benchmark- a better soundscape, but with less PRaT. FYI, the unit I bought used was slightly damaged in shipping due to the original packing being rather limited. It appeared as if the foam supporting the sides was inadequate, and the BNC socket became slightly bent. In dealing with this I got a taste of Berkley's customer service via the original owner forwarding emails to keep me informed. Not only were they going to charge him $200-300 to replace the socket (completely accessible $5 part on a 6 month old product), but they wanted a similar amount to upgrade it to the current product. Forgive me if I am off base, but as a manufacturer myself (non audio) I feel as if they should have updated it for free to current specs and be grateful for the opportunity. A DAC isn't an amp or something that has a lot of pricey components. A lot of what you are paying for is the design. If after less than a year they are already making changes, then their design was fully executed in the first place.

I'll wrap up my rant, but keep in mind that if you were to buy a Berkley, don't expect much service for your $5000 DAC (as opposed to Bryston's warranties).

Touching on the Bryston warranty - If you purchase the "SE" version of the DAC-1 from that modding company you may have to have all the issues dealt with by the modders themselves as modding the DAC-1 "may" negate the factory warranty...

I didn't realize the question was about the SE version. I have the standard Bryston version. I love modded gear, in general, but I don't see any reason to mod this piece.

I own the Bryston DAC after having owned a Benchmark, a Lavry and the Bel Canto DAC3. I prefer the Bryston to those others. I would characterize its sound as clean, neutral, open, highly detailed and resolving. It has an appropriate touch of warmth, but it's probably not one of the DACs that people would call "analog-like." I think it's very musical, though. Might be a touch bright in some systems. It's well built, a joy to use, and a screaming bargain IMHO. These comments do not apply to the USB input and if computer audio is your main focus, you may want to look at one of the dedicated USB or Firewire DACs.

I have not heard it in a head-to-head with the Berkeley, nor have I heard the Berkeley in my system, so I can't comment on that.

Thanks so much for the additional responses. I will not be using the USB port (which I hear is not so hot). I am going to hook it to a music server. Probably the Music Vault Diamond although the QSonic server seems enticing given the big screen, ease of use, and ability to do 24-192.

I am big into modding my equipment, however, I think I will stick with the stock Bryston unit unless my ears tell me otherwise.....

Can someone please indicate who is modding the BDA-1? A search produced no additional referenses to the mod. Thanks

search member trueharmonic or email trueharmonix@gmail.com

Thanks, shot an email.

Still trying to find the source of this mod. If your out there shoot me an e-mail. Thanks