Beresford Caiman SEG (TC-7535) - Upgrade from Bushmaster MKII - What a difference!

[atumshie]

Hi Everyone,

I rarely post on here but felt compelled to do so today after receiving my replacement DAC this morning.
In fairness my broader knowledge of how other systems sound is sparse, I have nothing to compare it against so I can only offer completely subjective view.

Previous set up:

PC>Asynch-1>coax>Bushmaster mkII>RCA>5-pin DIN > Sugden A48>Monitor Audio Bronze BX2

Now:

PC>Asynch-1>coax>Caiman SEG >RCA>5-pin DIN > Sugden A48>Monitor Audio Bronze BX2

So you see it's a fairly low budget set up...but previous config was genuinely okay, I blamed a lot of the issues I had on the way the room is set up - it's definitely not optimal - but thought I would embark upon a gradual upgrade of components to see where I can get to.

First thing I found after incorporating the SEG was that my PC generates quite a bit of high frequency buzzy noise when connecting going PC>USB out of the tweeters, but even with that constant niggly buzz, everything sounded clearer, the bass was much tighter (again, room is not optimal).

I was in the fortunate position of being able to identify where the issue was occurring and change the source. When played through the laptop (on battery), just the insertion of the DAC made a huge difference to the previous config.

I was able to A/B the sound between the Caiman and the Bushmaster and, (forgive me, I have neither the hearing nor the lingo to describe it in quantifiable terms) there was a substantial difference in the detail...the definition, bass MUCH tighter, a broader sound-stage I thought. With the Bushmaster everything seemed closer together and a bit kinda mushy; with the SEG - more separation, more space.

I asked Stan Beresford for all the upgrades he could squeeze into it. I felt somewhat apprehensive at how much that might cost, but the full 9-yards was around £80 extra.

I also bought the Dorado II power supply - I honestly can't comment on that as I really can't compare it to anything.

However, that's probably enough. I can clearly hear a substantial difference between my 6 or seven year old DAC an my new Caiman SEG.

I think (for what that's worth) that any substantial, tangible improvement to one's set up is an absolute result. I can't comment on the difference the upgrades made over the stock version but I swear I couldn't be any happier with this Hi-Fi upgrade.

Thanks to everyone on this forum that turned me on to Stan's gear, it really has revitalized my listening experience and improved it to the point where, for the next few months at least, I couldn't be happier with the set-up.

Thanks AoS and Stan, top job everyone.

I apologise for a less than objective post but really tangible changes, really beneficial changes are rare and often very expensive, so I think, AoS and Stan B. should be lauded.

P.S. ...I'm gonna buy one of those cheap single-ended Chinese Valve amps next to see how that works out, might be several months down the road but I will surely post how I get on with it.