I would like to start this review by getting rid of any doubts or suspicions this dac was not sent to me for the purpose of review but was purchased with my own money and I have no affiliation to Stanley beresford apart from being a good friend on the aos I haven’t even met Stan face to face and if I ever do the drinks are on me and a big breakfast if you’re peckish haa haa. Right that’s that oooot the way now onto the review. Having spoken to Stan earlier on in the week I asked a little bit advice is it much different than my current dac the bushmaster mk 2 and can I still use a battery on the seg blah blah blah and after talking with Stan I put the order in sharp like (no spelks on my backside). Only took a few days to arrive and within 5 minutes I was ready for take off now here’s how she’s hooked up
Oppo to seg via qed coax
Rega Apollo to seg via atlas optical
Sony tv (built in netflix) to seg via belkin optical
Caiman seg to hegel integrated amp via rca van den hul
Beyer dynamic dt770pro headphones
Deben tracer powering the caiman AWESOME BATTERY
first up was the walking dead blu ray season 7 my first impressions were wow very quiet compared to the older bushmaster2 loads more headroom even after an hour or so the caiman just got better and better then it was onto some good old underworld live now this was the best i have ever heard in a digital system absolutely sublime no overhang on the bass plenty of detail and no digital harsh nasties atal. Next up a few cds through the cd player now i am no expert in describing or analysing sound but all i can say is i thank my sweet lord that i no longer take mind altering substances because there would be no coming back OUCH!!!!
Simply unreal how you have managed to pull it of Stan its a headscratcher for sure. What stands out for me is a well defined bass especially with headphones this thing just reaches so deep not flabby or resonant just deep and fast,superb mids with no recess, top end awesome cymbals arent splashy just well defined and i know there is a lot more to come off this dac. Now here is the important thing would i recommend this dac bearing in mind just over a couple hundred quid isnt cheap you bet your pink dyed hoopla socks i would what about replacing an older bushmaster dac which is what i did yes there is improvements across the board and a positive upgrade more functions and looks awesome in black. So well done Stanley you have suprised me its way better than i thought possible real high end sound for reasonable money.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Thank you mr s beresford