MSB Discrete vs. Bricasti M1 SE

@rogerhifi, My Bricasti M1SE DAC sounded very, very good and I was happy. I heard the Bricasti M21 DAC and felt its R2R setting sounded clearer and more musical. I listened and listened and was very impressed. I brought the M21 DAC home and listened back and forth between using the USB and the AES/EBU connections. For me, after much listening, I felt the AES/EBU sounded clearer and more musical.

I also switched back and forth between the 24-bit delta sigma and the 20-bit ladder DAC. After several weeks, I found myself using the 20-bit ladder DAC setting most of the time. I felt the sound quality was more musical, with better bass and more open. Please note I did not rush this decision and actually listened for at least a month, back and forth, before I decided.

Bricasti then announced the MDx board upgrade so I installed the Bricasti MDx digital board in my M21 DAC and the sound quality substantially improved. The MDx board is an outstanding upgrade and is included with all current models. BTW, Bricasti supports its customer and this was a great upgrade.

In summary, I felt upgrading from the M1SE DAC to the M21 DAC resulted in a much better sound quality. Obviously, the M1SE DAC use in an audio system results in outstanding sound quality. The Bricasti M21 MDx DAC takes it to the next level. I hope this helps. Do you have any more questions?

@hgeifman thanks for your input!  I am pretty satisfied with my M1se especially after the MDx upgrade.  Just wanted to run by you for your take on the M21 since you are the only person that I am aware to upgrade from an M1 to M21 and I am very interested to see if R2R makes any difference.  Glad to hear it is more musical to your ear from the update to M21.  Appreciate your insightful feedback on this.

@hgeifman How much did the Mdx board upgrade cost ?

@lesmarshall, the Bricasti MDX board cost is $1,000. Please contact Bricasti for more details and how to order.