New DAC with streamer


Hi I'm looking for a DAC to replace a modified PS Audio DirectStream MK1.

I currently use MConnect on a Samsung S20 phone to stream Qobuz.  The preamp is a Spectral DMC-30SV and the amps are Spectral DMA-400 monoblocs.  Speakers are EgglestonWorks Rosa.  

 

My choice for a new DAC is the Bricasti M21.  It has a built-in streamer for ethernet, and gives you the choice of playing music using a ladder dac, delta sigma dac or 1-bit DSD.

 

Let me know your thoughts, if you have any experience with Bricasti and if it is worth the price at about $16K.

   

bigby

Showing 1 response by welcher

I have a Bricasti M21 and Lampizator Baltic 3. I also compared the M21 to a Berkeley Ref 3. The Berkeley had greater resolution but could be bright and edgy on some tracks. On the M21 you have four decode paths: PCM ladder; PCM delta sigma; DSD delta sigma and DSD native. I was under whelmed by the DSD native performance but other people like it. I really enjoy the ladder DAC.

At this price point there are lots of great DACS and I believe it comes down to personal preference. The value aspect for the M21 comes in its network interface. On the M21 I did a comparison between USB input from an Arunder N200 and network input from a cheap PC running Roon. I used a fiber optic media converter on the network interface prior to the M21 (cost about 100.00). The media converter eliminates electrical noise being transmitted into the M21 from upstream devices and copper Ethernet cables..

I found the two interfaces to be comparable. There might have been some sonic differences but I found them negligible. So with the M21 you do not have to invest in an expensive streamer to get good sound.