Quite a few Bricasti M21 DACs for sale cheap

But most cases ($10K dac?) it is hard to do.

I have thankfully found there is usually a way to audition DACs, regardless of price. There is usually a cost. Maybe shipping both ways. A deposit. It’s worth it to me.

If I am not mistaken, the M21 also has a third DAC - which is a one-bit converter for DSD streams. This additional DAC is ideal for utilizing the DSD output of SACDs as well as for converting high-resolution audio files downloaded from sources such as HD Tracks.

That’s correct, @jmeyers. I haven’t listened to the DSD DAC. It offers the possibility of pairing with a Bricasti M19 CD/SACD transport (presently only possible on an M21), and of course playing downloaded DSD files as you mentioned. I do have a couple. I will it give a try soon.

EDIT: Yes, @audphile1, both the M3 and M1 have the 1 bit DSD DAC.

In my experience, the source dictates a big portion of audio system’s sound.

Interesting viewpoint.

I prefer to compare components in my system because it offers a familiar baseline.

I can’t make heads or tails of systems’ sound from YouTube videos, and I definitely can’t tell what a particular component sounds like. I don’t have that skill.

I tend to think a system’s sound is holistic, although I ascribe the largest influence to speaker/amplifier pairing.

I would say the Delta Sigma DACs in the M1 Series II and M21 sound identical to me. 

The M21 has a ladder DAC, which sounds marginally different than the Delta Sigma, so it’s an additional option for the listener. 

The M1 has many more filter options, if that’s important. 

@mihorn, I am impressed at your ability to discern differences between DACs playing in two different rooms (one a hotel room), on two different systems apparently without any similar components between them, from YouTube videos.

I recently added a Bricasti M21 to my system. The M21’s ladder DAC is an interesting option to have.

I have to say, comparing the M21 to my M1 Series II shows how close the two Delta Sigma DACs are in every aspect. The M1 Series II is for sale, but I could easily decide to keep it and sell the M21. They’re that close.

@sksos, I edited my post to correct M21 to M12. Your clarification is duly noted.

If having both LAN and i2S inputs is not standard, and an additional input was added by machining the rear plate and adding an i2S card, then I consider this customization. You might consider it upgrading. I think it’s semantics. The take-away is it’s possible for a fee.

Had this been offered when I updated my M1 SE to M1 Series 2 a year ago, then I would have done it.

I brought my own M12 to the Bricasti factory and had the back panel machined to add the IS2 port hole and then they installed the IS2 board as well. I do use their new M19 transport with the IS2 connection and it sounds superb!

@sksos, yours must be the customized M12 I read about that informed me of the possibility.

Bricasti can upgrade their DACs to current specs. Current spec would include new display (red dot display is the older version), and current MDX (relatively inexpensive). Having both i2S and LAN inputs is not standard spec (at least it’s not shown on the Bricasti Design website), but I believe they can install both inputs if asked. It’s a custom job that requires machining the rear plate. @sksos may know more about this.

If one is able to buy an older Bricasti DAC at a good price, then it might be cost effective to have Bricasti upgrade it versus buying new.

Reach out first to Brian Zolner for upgrade options and pricing. Have the serial number ready from the DAC under consideration.

A quick search on HiFiShark returns four listings for M21 DACs. Two listings are from the same seller. There are two others listed. A total of three. None are current models (the displays are red dot displays), which explains the pricing. Internally, other than the possibility of an older MDX version, there’d be no difference from a new M21 (but reach out to Bricasti Service with the serial numbers, and Joe can verify configuration and update history).