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jandl100
07-06-2012, 13:50
Mine arrived today, so I thought I'd kick off a review thread. :)

I know that StanDACs need to run in, but just out of the box it's a stunner! :wowzer:

Stereo focus and fine detail is a step-up from what I have heard before - from StanDACs or anything else for that matter.

Delicacy, fine detail, articulation - all exemplary.

Blimey, Stan - at first listen, it's a stonker! :thumbsup:

Tim
07-06-2012, 16:08
As we have two threads with the exact same name, could we call this something different. Maybe Beresford Busmaster DAC - Review or something similar would be more appropriate?

StanleyB
07-06-2012, 16:33
Stereo focus and fine detail is a step-up from what I have heard before - from StanDACs or anything else for that matter.

Delicacy, fine detail, articulation - all exemplary.

I did promise to raise the stakes as far as DAC musical progression goes, and make a mini statement with the Bushmaster ;).

The Grand Wazoo
07-06-2012, 16:58
As we have two threads with the exact same name, could we call this something different.

Done

MCRU
07-06-2012, 18:16
Mine arrived today, so I thought I'd kick off a review thread. :)

I know that StanDACs need to run in, but just out of the box it's a stunner! :wowzer:

Stereo focus and fine detail is a step-up from what I have heard before - from StanDACs or anything else for that matter.

Delicacy, fine detail, articulation - all exemplary.

Blimey, Stan - at first listen, it's a stonker! :thumbsup:

Stunner compared to what though? For a review there has to be a benchmark from which to judge the performance of the DAC surely? Please :)

StanleyB
07-06-2012, 18:21
Stunner compared to what though? For a review there has to be a benchmark from which to judge the performance of the DAC surely? Please :)
As Jerry said: Stereo focus and fine detail is a step-up from what I have heard before - from StanDACs or anything else for that matter.

Fi-Wi
07-06-2012, 19:15
And to you Bushmaster owners: please elaborate on its headamp performance compared to the Caiman's.

webby
07-06-2012, 19:17
As Jerry said: Stereo focus and fine detail is a step-up from what I have heard before - from StanDACs or anything else for that matter.


Yes but we don't know what else he's heard do we?

icehockeyboy
07-06-2012, 19:21
Yes but we don't know what else he's heard do we?

More than most here I would guess...........:lol:

Gazjam
07-06-2012, 19:31
Against the Mdac, Young and Rega would be intresting...

chelsea
07-06-2012, 19:35
I would think jerry has had dozens of dacs so he should be in a pretty good position to judge.

sq225917
07-06-2012, 22:03
Unfortunately Jerry suffers from a major case of emperors new clothes every time he gets anything new. Has he ever had anything new that wasn't a million times better than whatever he had previously? I'm not saying he doesn't genuinely feel like that each time, but it doesn't make him a compelling source of objective reviews, IMO.

I'm sure Stan's new dac is very good indeed and I look forward to hearing one soon.

Spectral Morn
07-06-2012, 22:25
Unfortunately Jerry suffers from a major case of emperors new clothes every time he gets anything new. Has he ever had anything new that wasn't a million times better than whatever he had previously? I'm not saying he doesn't genuinely feel like that each time, but it doesn't make him a compelling source of objective reviews, IMO.

I'm sure Stan's new dac is very good indeed and I look forward to hearing one soon.

Frankly I think that is a tad rude Simon and amounts to thread crapping.

jandl100
08-06-2012, 05:20
Ah well, it's just the sort of stuff that Simon comes out with. He can't help it. ... "magic beans" anyone?

"Emperor's new clothes ... every time he gets something new."

"Has he ever had anything new that wasn't a million times better than whatever he had previously? "

Yes, sadly, loads of times.

Due to my box-swapping ailment, and now my reviewing for the Hifi Pig webzine, I get a LOT of gear passing thru my system. The forum barely gets to hear about a small fraction of it, because frankly most of it is a bit of a yawn or explicitly unpleasant in some way.

Yes, I do make a fuss about some gear - but that is because it is GOOD when compared to the vast majority of gear that I get to audition. And being a helpful and enthusiastic sort of a guy, I like to share good news, especially when it comes at a good price. :)
_______

A lot more listening to the Bushmaster last night, still early days, of course, but it strikes me as being truly exceptional, regardless of cost.
My thoughts at the moment are that all of Stan's outrageous pre-launch hype is justified! :lol:

The copious quantities of naturally presented detail, the spot-on amount of sibilance in vocals, the separation of instruments/voices from the recording acoustic ambience .... oh, and the bass - wow, very deep, controlled, powerful, vibrant. All aspects of the sound strike me as being of true excellence.
I had been concerned about the passive output stage of the Bushmaster, and that it might dampen out the dynamics a bit as one seemed to do for the Neko D100 DAC that I recently reviewed, but that doesn't seem to be the case with my listening so far with the Bushmaster. But I haven't really stretched and challenged it with 'big' music yet.

I know StanDACs - they do need to run in - but my experience previously is that they just get better and better. I can't wait! - I've left it running overnight - will be a few hours before the wife gets up and I can listen again thru speakers, but the headphone output will soon be sampled. That could be interesting as I've only recently finished a review for Hifi Pig of a pair of rather nice headphone amps, and their performance is fresh in my memory.

Nice one, Stan - you have excelled yourself yet again. :)

MartinT
08-06-2012, 06:53
Mine has been left running and I've already given my initial thoughts in another thread. To recap: it's that unusual combination of detailed but not harsh which impresses. Jerry has it spot-on about sibilance: it's a sign of a great product when sibilance is not accentuated and it's a particular bete noire of mine. The soundstage is well focussed and detail is spread throughout width and depth.

Sound from both optical (Sky HD) and co-ax (Blu-ray and Logitech Touch) is excellent and the switching works well, although there are tiny switching noises through the system when the volume is left high, confirming the capacitor-less direct coupling.

Bass is a revelation, quite staggering when I was playing Avatar last night with its transient thumps and huge waves of deep bass.

The Bushmaster is already a decided step above the performance level of my previous DAC.

My baseline comparison: highly modified Caiman with Gator, Elna Silmic II caps and Paul Hynes PSU internal and external modules running at 16V.

Werner Berghofer
08-06-2012, 07:57
Jerry,


Stereo focus and fine detail is a step-up from what I have heard before - from StanDACs or anything else for that matter.

is “anything else” meant to be relative to the Bushmaster’s price category or is it intended absolute? Does this “anything else” also include the performance and sonic qualities of DACs like the Weiss DAC2 for example?

http://www.berghofer.com/photos/gear/weiss_dac2.jpg

I’m sure the “Bushmaster” offers excellent performance in his price range, but I would be cautious with a wording like “anything else”.

Werner.

jandl100
08-06-2012, 08:11
Ah, we are off again, are we, Werner? :(

"Anything else" means exactly that.

OK, to keep things explicit, herewith a list of DACs and CDPs I have owned or am familar with ... in no particular order .... well, some of them anyway!

Young DAC, RA Opus 21, RA CD50, Theta DSP Pro GenV, Burmester CD006, Ayre CX-7E, MF A5 (the best of many MFs), Audiolab 8200 & MDAC, TAG DAC20, AVI LS, a passle of Beresfords, Neko D100, Lampizator Level4, Arcam CD23 (Ring DAC), DPA PDM2, Krell 280CD & KPS-25c, EE Minimax, Linn Unidisk SC, Perpetual Technology tower, Quad CDP2, EAD 1000/3, Wadia 830, Opera Droplet 3.1, Marantz SA-KI Pearl, various Meridians ... and the rest!

They all sound different and likes/dislikes will be a matter of personal taste - but imho the Bushmaster is up there with the best of them.

webby
08-06-2012, 08:27
Ah, we are off again, are we, Werner? :(

"Anything else" means exactly that.

I think it's a valid point Jerry, but just to clarify, you did say:


Stereo focus and fine detail is a step-up from what I have heard before - from StanDACs or anything else for that matter.

jandl100
08-06-2012, 08:29
Fair enough - I've extended my post #17 above. :)

RichB
08-06-2012, 09:08
Thanks for your initial impressions Jerry, they are important to those of us haven't been able to afford this upgrade quite yet.

It was the favourable reviews i read on this site of Stan's other DACs which led me to purchase one in the first place and these reviews came from a variety of members who didnt always agree on other matters so I knew they were more than shills for Stan's products.

Keep the opinions coming, it is important that you do.

icehockeyboy
08-06-2012, 09:24
Loving the reviews on the Stan dac, and thinking how at another cloth type shelter forum, praise like this would definitely bring forth accusations of shilling, not taking into account anyone's enthusiasm for a great piece of kit! :scratch:

In fact, they (the moderators) even banned any reference to Beresford dacs!:steam:

Long may AOS live! :)

StanleyB
08-06-2012, 09:35
Guys, no need to snap at each other.

As for the price versus performance of the Bushmaster: it worried me tremendously where I should position the DAC in terms of price based on its performance. I realized very early on that a more appropriate price might have been £999.99. But I would have to add some boutique components, come up with a very expensive case, and have it sent in an engraved wooden crate. But after deducting the cost of those extras I still could not justify a £499.99 price.
But if it would make a few people feel far happier to pay £499.99 or more for a DAC that sounds better than the Bushmaster then good luck finding that DAC. And please let the rest of us know the make and price afterwards.

Jamtoast
08-06-2012, 11:07
Mine is languishing in a post office somewhere in Taipei... torture hearing everyone's comments knowing it is on its way. Looking forward to lining up the 7510, 7520 and 7530 for a side by side (by side). Will post my impressions.

DSJR
08-06-2012, 12:10
I think the Bushmaster proves just how far DAC costs have come down in the last ten years. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that I suspect that £200 really is "Top End" for the basic technology now and paying vastly more NOW is basically buying a very fancy case, socketry and packaging as Stan has indicated. Bearing in mind so much is done on the chip itself these days, perhaps it's very short sighted for other manufacturers to attempt to short circuit these on-board parts and custom make their own, possibly inferior ones to justify the high costs?

I also wonder if the Bushmaster is really going to need fancy and expensive add-on power supplies too?

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 12:16
Not need, but Stan has already indicated a battery supply (not sold by him) will improve matters.

Gazjam
08-06-2012, 12:18
and that battery supply isn't expensive either.

StanleyB
08-06-2012, 13:15
Imagine sitting in the garden with your laptop and Bushmaster listening to headphones.

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 14:15
Or even a smartphone with a suitable lead.

Pieoftheday
08-06-2012, 15:18
its a cracker and no mistake stan! im now getting a click through my speakers when i change channels on my sky+box though, any ideas anyone?? havnt changed any settings since removing the caiman

StanleyB
08-06-2012, 15:51
No Idea about the channel switching clicks from your SKY box James. But the Bushmaster doesn't have a muting circuit so it won't suppress any decoder edge digits as the decoder switches from one encryption to another when you change channels.

Pieoftheday
08-06-2012, 16:00
thanks stan, done a bit of research and it seems some sky boxes are well known for this via optical connection. on a more positive note, the bushmaster has given my modest set up a real lift, so much more 'life' to cds and tv is much easier on the ear.a quick blast on modern warfare2,xbox360,a huge improvement especially in the clarity of dialogue, you should be well chuffed, i know i am!!!!!

MartinT
08-06-2012, 16:32
the Bushmaster doesn't have a muting circuit so it won't suppress any decoder edge digits as the decoder switches from one encryption to another when you change channels.

As I noted earlier, Stan, but it's very low level and you can ignore it once you expect it to happen.

magiccarpetride
08-06-2012, 16:33
Unfortunately Jerry suffers from a major case of emperors new clothes every time he gets anything new. Has he ever had anything new that wasn't a million times better than whatever he had previously? I'm not saying he doesn't genuinely feel like that each time, but it doesn't make him a compelling source of objective reviews, IMO.

This is very typical in audio circles. According to the urban mythology, only 'experts' who never ever get excited about quality components are to be trusted. Things get even worse than that, inasmuch as if you'd like to be regarded as a trustworthy peer, you ought to insist that there is no freaking possibility under the sun that two different DACs, or two different digital transports, or even two different power amplifiers could ever sound different. Support that outrageous claim with some half-baked theory borrowed from the field of thermo-dynamics etc., and that stupid stance will, for some silly reason, buy a lot of street cred.

This is false math, folks, and is a pathetic attempt to get recognized as a hard core 'objectivist'. Please, let's disregard the naysayers -- I'm really enjoying the honest, sincere, empirically based reviews here:)

StanleyB
08-06-2012, 16:52
I'm really enjoying the honest, sincere, empirically based reviews here:)
Sounds even better when in front of you and in operation ;).

MartinT
08-06-2012, 16:54
I'm really enjoying the honest, sincere, empirically based reviews here:)

Amen to that - member's opinions here are highly valued and it's easy to filter according to taste. Remember - the final arbiter is your own ears and no-one else's!

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 17:16
thanks stan, done a bit of research and it seems some sky boxes are well known for this via optical connection. on a more positive note, the bushmaster has given my modest set up a real lift, so much more 'life' to cds and tv is much easier on the ear.a quick blast on modern warfare2,xbox360,a huge improvement especially in the clarity of dialogue, you should be well chuffed, i know i am!!!!!

Try the S/PDIF instead?

Pieoftheday
08-06-2012, 17:45
My sky+ box only has optical,havn't gone hd yet,its I minor irritation, just gone through the whole of 'marshmallow lane' by the real people,fantastic!!!! Best money I've spent in ages !!

northwest
08-06-2012, 18:06
I have just seen the price of this. Bloody HELL! A hundred and fifty quid? You can't afford to ignore it at this price no matter what your prejudices are.
I'll be getting one for the living room AV system.

StanleyB
08-06-2012, 18:09
I have just seen the price of this. Bloody HELL! A hundred and fifty quid?
That is excluding VAT and delivery.

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 18:15
Even so, if SPPV is anything like your previous offerings Stan, it'll be stonking value.

MartinT
08-06-2012, 18:20
My sky+ box only has optical,havn't gone hd yet

The HD box only has optical too, unless of course you count the digital stream in the HDMI connection. Nevertheless, it sounds superb through the Bushmaster, really good on HD material where the audio has been carefully mastered.

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 18:24
My HD box has S/PDIF Martin.

MartinT
08-06-2012, 18:27
Ah, must be a different series then. I used to have a Thompson HD which became unstable (due to the horrid Chinese caps used in the switched mode PSU) and now I have a Samsung.

StanleyB
08-06-2012, 18:30
Funnily enough I am not really tied to the value for money side of things. I am more interested in whether the majority agrees that I have managed to overcome a couple of crucial deficiencies that DAC designers have been struggling with for years. So I look forward to anyone else with a DAC, irrespective of how much that DAC costs, performs against the Bushmaster in those key areas of treble harshness, sibilance, bass extension, and signal separation.
So far I had the Bushmaster checked out by a couple of trusted people against the likes of my most frequently mentioned British brand names competitors. Guess which one they preferred in terms of sonic performance ;). But I prefer those findings to be backed up by several independent reviews.

Pieoftheday
08-06-2012, 18:41
Mines an Amstrad,which seems to crop up a lot in this regard. Sir Alan , you're fired !!!

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 18:50
The Amstrad is apparently one of the best now. Who'd have thought it??

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 18:50
Anyone near me getting a Bushmaster?

Pieoftheday
08-06-2012, 18:57
I'll have to get a new one then and go hd at the same time! Any views on the headphone amp ? Havnt had a chance yet

StanleyB
08-06-2012, 19:11
I'll have to get a new one then and go hd at the same time! Any views on the headphone amp ?
I assume that some people are right now listening to the Bushmaster via headphone instead of clocking in at AoS. A few regular contributors who should have had their Bushmaster DAC by now have not shown any sign of life over the last few days :scratch:.

Stratmangler
08-06-2012, 19:18
My Bushmaster arrived this morning (thanks for the prompt response Stan), and I'm currently running 24/192 files through it, which it's coping with admirably on input 4.

It's not been so happy with input 3 playing 24/192 (random distortion), but has been fine with lower resolution material through input 3.
So, puzzler there for you Stan.

The TV is hooked up via optical to input 1, and that sounds and works fine too (the max the TV can throughput is 24/28).

I've had a brief blast with the headphone output too, and it sounds very good.
Headphones are Goldring DR150.
I like the way that the main outputs mute when the headphone jack is inserted too.

Val33
08-06-2012, 19:27
My Bushmaster arrived yesterday and has been playing ever since.

I can only compare it with a passive output Caiman with modded caps/regs and linear supply (now doing duty with the Bushmaster) and a chinese dual CS4398 with output transformers.

The Bushmaster beats them both with ease. Excellent clarity, separation and positioning and bass that is crisp, controlled and very very low :)

This is all through a NVA P90 passive pre > Leak Stereo 20 > Edingdale Floorstanders by Toppy


Val

MartinT
08-06-2012, 20:30
I assume that some people are right now listening to the Bushmaster via headphone instead of clocking in at AoS

I've just given my HD668Bs a blast through the Bushmaster and I'm very impressed. The difference here with the Caiman is huge: they sound vivid, dynamic and involving with cracking bass whereas I could never get enough gain from the Caiman without it becoming busy and harsh.

I'm not a great headphone listener but I would be very happy with your laptop, Bushmaster, battery pack and headphones in the park idea :)

Stratmangler
08-06-2012, 21:41
Just playing 24/48 files of Porcupine Tree's "Deadwing", and I'm hearing things I've never heard before.
And the whole thing boogies like a bastard!!! :eyebrows:

DaveK
08-06-2012, 22:17
And the whole thing boogies like a bastard!!! :eyebrows:

Which is how exactly? :lol: ;)
Dave.

Ali Tait
08-06-2012, 22:29
Like a bastard boogying silly.

jandl100
09-06-2012, 05:51
The headphone output is great, bass is on a par with the Custom Hifi Cable HA10SE with the top DC2 PSU. And the bass on that is superb. Excellent clarity and dynamics, too, from the Bushmaster -- and without harshness or treble emphasis.

On the line-outs, the clarity from the Bushmaster is fantastic, genuinely world class imho in the way that you can see/hear into the recording acoustic. I've heard a few good'uns in my time and the closest I have heard in this respect is from the Krell KPS-25c (rrp £25k) and Opera Droplet 3.1 (£2.5k-ish, I think), those are superb imagers and the Bushmaster is defo in the same league. The Krell and Droplet had a bit more 3D depth to the image, but the Bushmaster is still burning in and audibly improving in that regard ....

Real boogie factor, too. Listening the other day, pre-Bushmaster, to Villa-Lobos' string quartet #1. The 2nd movement felt like it should have my butt gyrating around the room with its syncopated funky rhythms, but it just didn't happen. It was all a bit murky and subdued. Listening last night with the Bushmaster - the murk has gone and I could be seen jiving around in my listening chair making a total middle-aged idiot of myself. :booty: :D. The Bushmaster just latches on to rhythms like there's no tomorrow. Fabulous.


I did promise to raise the stakes as far as DAC musical progression goes, and make a mini statement with the Bushmaster ;).

A "mini statement"? Bloody hell, Stan - what will your mega statement DAC sound like! :stalks:

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 08:51
The headphone output is great, bass is on a par with the Custom Hifi Cable HA10SE with the top DC2 PSU. And the bass on that is superb. Excellent clarity and dynamics, too.
There were a couple of heated exchanges between myself and a few AoS members about whether it was possible to pull this off in a DAC. It is generally accepted that headphone circuits in DACs are no match for stand alone headamps. I have done my best with the Bushmaster to demonstrate that it need not be so.



On the line-outs, the clarity from the Bushmaster is fantastic, genuinely world class imho in the way that you can see/hear into the recording acoustic.

You got good ears and a great level of observation ;). It took me a while to figure out how to kill or suppress any power supply and circuit noise so that the recording acoustic was not lost amongst the signal to noise ratio of the Bushmaster. Mark (R_M) picked up on the circuit layout that I employed when he commented on an early prototype board. Taken into account that I use a SMPS, which many consider to be the weakest link in a DAC, I went out of my way to show that it is possible to use a SMPS, as long as the right amount of care is taken in separating the SMPS noise form the rest of the circuit. My own VirtualDC power supply design is the key factor in keeping the SMPS noise sidelined by using it as a charger instead of a direct supply to the DAC.
Because the circuit is so quiet, it didn't need any muting circuit to mask any noise when there is no music playing.



The Krell and Droplet had a bit more 3D depth to the image,
I did come up with a design layout that has more 3D depth, but it would have likely taken the finished design pass my £200 retail barrier. But I intend to continue working on that version and very likely release it as a Caiman MKII since I think it is deserving of that "honour" and position in my range. As I mentioned before, the Bushmaster is a mini statement after all ;). The full statement will have to wait for another time.

DaveK
09-06-2012, 09:22
I was going to ask you guys to stop waxing lyrical about the Bushmaster :lol: as I have a Caimanised 7520 ( ;) ) which I am very happy with but despite this I was beginning to yearn for a Bushmaster. I think I can 'put up with' the 7520 for the time being until the "Full Statement" becomes available - gives me time to save up for it as well :lol:
Dave.

jandl100
09-06-2012, 09:26
Mmmm .... you might turn an interesting shade of blue if you hold your breath and wait for the Full Monty Beresford DAC to come out. :eyebrows:

You may (or may not) have noticed a change to my system signature - my 'high end' CDP is sold and the Bushmaster is in full control of the digital aspects of my system. :thumbsup:

wee tee cee
09-06-2012, 09:34
Ordered one last night.....really looking forward to hearing what it can do in my set up.

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 09:48
I was going to ask you guys to stop waxing lyrical about the Bushmaster :lol: as I have a Caimanised 7520 ( ;) ) which I am very happy with but despite this I was beginning to yearn for a Bushmaster. I think I can 'put up with' the 7520 for the time being until the "Full Statement" becomes available - gives me time to save up for it as well :lol:
Dave.
It took four years between me showing the first PCB that ended up being called the Bushmaster, and when it finally got completed. So I shall put you down for a reminder in a year or two :lol:.

DaveK
09-06-2012, 10:37
Mmmm .... you might turn an interesting shade of blue if you hold your breath and wait for the Full Monty Beresford DAC to come out. :eyebrows:

You may (or may not) have noticed a change to my system signature - my 'high end' CDP is sold and the Bushmaster is in full control of the digital aspects of my system. :thumbsup:

Jerry, please, FFS shut up!!!! :lol: ;) .
I'm in the fortunate(?) position of being able to finance the expenditure if I can't resist the temptation but ......
I have the 7520 and a Xonar ST sound card in my PC which also has very good DAC capabilities in my opinion and that of others with more educated ears than mine. How many DACs does one guy need? :scratch:
I'm still going to pass on this for the time being but will monitor the thread and do my best to resist the temptation until ...... :lol: .
Dave.

Gazjam
09-06-2012, 10:38
Ordered one last night.....really looking forward to hearing what it can do in my set up.

Be good to hear what you think Tony compared to your MF M1.
Know you like that a lot in your system.

Your "nae nonsense" approach is always good.

DaveK
09-06-2012, 10:44
It took four years between me showing the first PCB that ended up being called the Bushmaster, and when it finally got completed. So I shall put you down for a reminder in a year or two :lol:.

Mmmm, might not still be around in 4 years - shall have to rethink Plan A :lol: .
Stan, minor point, tried to click on the 'Shop' tab on your web page and I.E. tells me the page cannot be found (don't start packing it yet though :lol: ).
Dave.

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 11:04
Try clearing your browser cache. You are probably viewing the old site pages.

Rubberdog
09-06-2012, 11:04
Just connected everything up which was a bit of a mission as I plan to make use of all the inputs. Sound straight from the box is lovely...just playing ryan adams via my sonos (flacs) and the bass does seem a bit deeper which is nice, without it being boomy. As with my last beresford I'm sure the sound will keep on improving.

My only issue is the auto switching....of which I have no doubt is down to the levels coming from my components.

If i have my sonos ZP90 connected via coaxial it seems to override all other inputs regardless of whether i have music playing....I also get the same from my virgin TV box via the optical....very annoying.

Anybody else having similar issues?

Aside from the above its great!

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 11:14
Hi Sean, you can of course use the manual switching mode instead of the auto mode. Some devices, such as a SKY box, could hug the digital input in auto mode. That's why I provided both options.

Martinh
09-06-2012, 11:27
Sounds like you've got a winner Stan :mex:

Anyone tested the Bushmaster with an Apple TV yet?

Optical output is fixed at 48 Khz, I think. Someone said that something was wrong when they played a 16/44 file?

Just wondering if it's going to be better than my Dacmagic in my setup.

Cheers,

Rubberdog
09-06-2012, 11:29
Hi stan,

I'm quite happy using the manual switch . . I'm more concerned with my other half! She may be a doctor but technology is not her thing! I have a nice remote that when she presses a button, automatically sets everything up...this will kill her!!! Haha!

For me it's not a problem and my post wasn't meant as a complaint! Fortunately she loves her music as much as I do, so I think the dac will win her over in the end!

jonnyd
09-06-2012, 11:37
I'm really very happy with the sound of the Bushmaster, but over on the other BM thread, a few folk have mentioned improving things still more with the addition of mains conditioners, the sBooster or Stan's own battery pack recommendation.

Which of these three do you think would make a bigger difference initially? Is one worth trying one in particular before the others? I currently don't have any of these type of things in my system, and would be looking at spending around £30 on one.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Jamtoast
09-06-2012, 11:38
Imagine sitting in the garden with your laptop and Bushmaster listening to headphones.

http://www.lolgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/huge-headphones.jpg :eyebrows:

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 11:45
I'm really very happy with the sound of the Bushmaster, but over on the other BM thread, a few folk have mentioned improving things still more with the addition of mains conditioners, the sBooster or Stan's own battery pack recommendation.

Which of these three do you think would make a bigger difference initially?
It's horses for courses. If you don't intend to be dragging the Bushmaster about then the Mark Grant filter would be the better bet.
If you do intend to lug your DAC about then the battery option should be high on your list. Mind you, I tend to use the battery option with my laptop and headphone, but the mains with my CDP and amp.

Werner Berghofer
09-06-2012, 11:45
Martin,


I've just given my HD668Bs a blast through the Bushmaster and I'm very impressed. The difference here with the Caiman is huge: they sound vivid, dynamic and involving with cracking bass whereas I could never get enough gain from the Caiman without it becoming busy and harsh.

glad to read that Stan’s new DAC has improved in this area. It was the not exactly overwhelming performance of the Caiman’s integrated headphone amplifier which made me look for more. Eventually that search ended with three stacks of Schiit in my home. I’m relieved that now it’s possible to claim that better performance actually is existing without having to worry to become summarily executed by the AoS public. ;-)

Werner.

webby
09-06-2012, 11:47
The headphone output is great, bass is on a par with the Custom Hifi Cable HA10SE with the top DC2 PSU. And the bass on that is superb. Excellent clarity and dynamics, too, from the Bushmaster -- and without harshness or treble emphasis.

On the line-outs, the clarity from the Bushmaster is fantastic, genuinely world class imho in the way that you can see/hear into the recording acoustic. I've heard a few good'uns in my time and the closest I have heard in this respect is from the Krell KPS-25c (rrp £25k) and Opera Droplet 3.1 (£2.5k-ish, I think), those are superb imagers and the Bushmaster is defo in the same league. The Krell and Droplet had a bit more 3D depth to the image, but the Bushmaster is still burning in and audibly improving in that regard ....


Hi Jerry,

Given your findings so far, what do you think would be a more realistic price for the bushmaster, or what would you be prepared to pay for it?

It appears that, based on its performance, it could sell for over a grand, or at least £699. Is Stan missing a trick?

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 11:53
It appears that, based on its performance, it could sell for over a grand, or at least £699. Is Stan missing a trick?
I am not missing a trick. I am demonstrating how some are tricking you into forking out a lot more than is strictly necessary.

jandl100
09-06-2012, 12:29
Hi Jerry,

Given your findings so far, what do you think would be a more realistic price for the bushmaster, or what would you be prepared to pay for it?

It appears that, based on its performance, it could sell for over a grand, or at least £699. Is Stan missing a trick?

IMHO it sounds better than many multi-£100 and multi-£k DACs and CDPs that I know well, as previously listed (post #17).

My limit on spending for individual components is generally £1000-1500 or so, used, so I would happily pay that for the sound quality on offer.

Is Stan missing a trick? Well, he does what he always does well, and shows up the competition. :)

Trouble is, as you head upwards in RRP, so folks generally expect more in the way of fit & finish, trendy design, and fancy casework ... so Stan's mission to give the best sound per £ gets hijacked.

The Vinyl Adventure
09-06-2012, 12:50
I'm gonna have to give one of these things a go I think ...
Stan, bar the front plate are the any other planned changes to future runs of the bushmaster ... Ie, is now as good a time as any to get one?
Not sure that now is a good time for me really ... Just enquiring for now

Jabberwocky
09-06-2012, 13:02
I'm stuck in work but my wife has just texted me to tell me that my 'package' has arrived - that wasn't supposed to happen. Hope she doesn't open it before I've had chance to install it all and 'loose' it in the visual camouflage of the rest of my system:eyebrows:

DaveK
09-06-2012, 13:12
Yep, I tend to operate on that principal too :lol: . I wonder how many others are honest enough to admit it :lol: ?
Dave.

icehockeyboy
09-06-2012, 14:44
Yep, I tend to operate on that principal too :lol: . I wonder how many others are honest enough to admit it :lol: ?
Dave.

Hands up.:rolleyes:

And did you know that I only paid £5 a metre for my TQ Black?.........Well, that's what I told her! :eyebrows:

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 15:50
Stan, bar the front plate are the any other planned changes to future runs of the bushmaster ... Ie, is now as good a time as any to get one?

I am not going to tamper with the Bushmaster functionality and method of operation any time soon. It took ages to get it to perform as good as it does, so I don't want to risk putting that in jeopardy.

jandl100
09-06-2012, 16:04
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

And it sure as hell ain't broke! :youtheman:

The Vinyl Adventure
09-06-2012, 16:47
I am not going to tamper with the Bushmaster functionality and method of operation any time soon. It took ages to get it to perform as good as it does, so I don't want to risk putting that in jeopardy.

Righto, need to investigate some way of raising some cash then I suppose ... You got any in stock still?

loonytunes
09-06-2012, 16:50
How much is the Bushmaster dependent on the quality of the transport in order to keep the qualities and musicality intact (especially that underpinning bass mentioned a few times already and boogie factor)? I am rather hoping a simple Squeezebox Touch will be 'plenty' enough to extract the most from the BM without being too extravagant.

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 16:56
You got any in stock still?
Today I do. I can't guarantee that a week from now though. But don't push yourself financially at this moment in time, taking into account that you have an extra mouth to feed these days. The Bushmaster will still be around for a very long time yet.

StanleyB
09-06-2012, 16:59
How much is the Bushmaster dependent on the quality of the transport in order to keep the qualities and musicality intact (especially that underpinning bass mentioned a few times already and boogie factor)? I am rather hoping a simple Squeezebox Touch will be 'plenty' enough to extract the most from the BM without being too extravagant.
The Bushmaster was designed with PC and media players in mind.

The Vinyl Adventure
09-06-2012, 17:00
I'm in no desperate hurry and have a few bits and bobs to sell ... You have email anyway :)

Canetoad
09-06-2012, 19:54
How much is the Bushmaster dependent on the quality of the transport in order to keep the qualities and musicality intact (especially that underpinning bass mentioned a few times already and boogie factor)? I am rather hoping a simple Squeezebox Touch will be 'plenty' enough to extract the most from the BM without being too extravagant.

It sounds pretty special with my Touch! :eyebrows:

MartinT
09-06-2012, 21:42
It sounds excellent with my Touch and I have yet to build a power supply for it (the Touch, that is).

nat8808
09-06-2012, 23:28
Martin,



glad to read that Stan’s new DAC has improved in this area. It was the not exactly overwhelming performance of the Caiman’s integrated headphone amplifier which made me look for more. Eventually that search ended with three stacks of Schiit in my home. I’m relieved that now it’s possible to claim that better performance actually is existing without having to worry to become summarily executed by the AoS public. ;-)

Werner.

I know you think it's purile Werner but surely not many British can pass that one over without laughing out loud .. :rfl:

Ahhhh... :rfl: stop it, you're killing me.. :lol: The imagery of some farcical hifi situation getting out of hand... the mind boggles

ahhh.... I've stopped now :rolleyes:

nat8808
09-06-2012, 23:40
Righto, need to investigate some way of raising some cash then I suppose ... You got any in stock still?

Work from home in the living room and sell the office rig.. simple!

Werner Berghofer
09-06-2012, 23:41
Nat,


surely not many British can pass that one over without laughing out loud

I'm glad to read that at least this time I managed to write a message which is understood exactly the way I intended it :-)

Three audio chains in my home and a cat with an excellent instinct in guessing what comfortable chair I plan to use next — so I need at least two alternative listening locations.

Werner.

nat8808
09-06-2012, 23:48
I am not missing a trick. I am demonstrating how some are tricking you into forking out a lot more than is strictly necessary.

You're a top dude Stan! :yesbruv:

Mr Lampizator seemed to be of that vibe once a long ago - then his true lust for boutique gear got the best of him in a sense. Edit: I certainly don't mean that Fikus is tricking anyone! Not at all! Just talking cost only.

Jerry - could you tell me that the Bushmaster is just as good as the Lampizator 4 please? I keep getting interested in the Lampizator from so many good reviews over the last couple of years but don't think I could justify the cost - I keep promising myself I'll just make one but I doubt that will occur in reality (current idea is to go non-oversampling, non-filtered with an UltraAnalog D20400 unit, making a 20bit/384kHz DAC).

So please tell me that this £200 wonder machine is just as good..

nat8808
09-06-2012, 23:54
Nat,



I'm glad to read that at least this time I managed to write a message which is understood exactly the way I intended it :-)

Werner.

Hehe - start off aiming low and slowly build it up. Don't be dismayed by a few stalls and steps backward along the way..

Barry
10-06-2012, 01:11
I know you think it's purile Werner but surely not many British can pass that one over without laughing out loud .. :rfl:

Ahhhh... :rfl: stop it, you're killing me.. :lol: The imagery of some farcical hifi situation getting out of hand... the mind boggles

ahhh.... I've stopped now :rolleyes:

Taken from their website:

"Is that really your name?
In case you didn’t get it from typing in the URL, reading the home page, reading the About Us section, and, like, every page of this site, YES, that is our name. And yes, it’s pronounced exactly how you think.

Are you guys for real?
Absolutely. Yeah, our name is a fun attention-getter, ...."

Whilst I applaude their mischievousness, I would have thought the name would actually put some people off.

barry-potter
10-06-2012, 08:27
Taken from their website:

Whilst I applaude their mischievousness, I would have thought the name would actually put some people off.

actually i would doubt that schiit give a piss about that

webby
10-06-2012, 08:47
Apparently, Schiit has just gone out of business. Yep, no Schiit.

Just kidding of course!

jandl100
10-06-2012, 09:00
Jerry - could you tell me that the Bushmaster is just as good as the Lampizator 4 please? I keep getting interested in the Lampizator from so many good reviews over the last couple of years but don't think I could justify the cost - I keep promising myself I'll just make one but I doubt that will occur in reality (current idea is to go non-oversampling, non-filtered with an UltraAnalog D20400 unit, making a 20bit/384kHz DAC).

So please tell me that this £200 wonder machine is just as good..

Umm.

That Level 4 Lampi-DAC I reviewed was a stunning sounding piece of kit.
In my review I said it was the best digital I had heard up to then, and I would miss it when it was returned.

Is Stan's little masterpiece as good?
I would say it is different but in the same sonic league.

There's a (valve-induced?) richness to the LampiDACs tonality that the Bushmaster doesn't (quite) attain.

There's a depth to the 3D image that the Bushmaster doesn't quite reach into.

The lateral imaging is just as good, though (i.e. superb) - in fact, I'd give the Bushmaster the nod on this.
I find the lateral image thing quite difficult to describe - it's not just things laid out precisely left to right. There's a wholeness, a 3D integrity, to an orchestral violin section, say, that just makes it look/sound to be there in front of you as a real-seeming entity. Hmm - you have to hear this level of kit to understand what I am on about, I think! It just sounds real, you can literally see it in your mind's eye there in front of you, and you realise that other good sounding kit just doesn't approach this kind of realism once you've heard it.

You can hear more clearly into the recording acoustic space with the Bushmaster. The only digital kit to rival the Bushmaster in this respect that I've heard are the Krell KPS-25c and Opera Droplet. The LampiDAC is good, very good, but still isn't quite as transparently revealing.

The Lampi-bass is just a little slack, in comparison, it seems a bit less taut and tuneful and powerful than the Bushmaster.

The Bushmaster locks onto rhythms better. It's just wonderful in this respect. I suspect it's the hear-thru transpency - the micro-detail that makes live music special is well portrayed by the Bushmaster - you can hear the subtle inflections of beat and pace that makes music come alive.

The Bushmaster is better made and looks superior.

The Level 4 Lampizator DAC that I was lucky enough to play with starts at 4,200 Euros, for the simplest I/O options.
Stan's bag of tricks should set you back a bit less than that.

StanleyB
10-06-2012, 09:16
The Level 4 Lampizator DAC that I was lucky enough to play with starts at 4,200 Euros, for the simplest I/O options.
Stan's bag of tricks should set you back a bit less than that.
You can buy 20 Bushmasters or one Lampizator for the money ;).

icehockeyboy
10-06-2012, 09:57
I wish everyone would stop waxing lyrical about Stans dac!

I have just been fined by the taxman for lateness in my return, and could have bought a Bushmaster and had £60 left over!.....Oh...as well as the £100 they stole off me a month back too!!!!!:steam::doh:

Covenant
10-06-2012, 09:59
Wow, what a review. How does the Bushmaster compare to your Pioneer/Zu Jerry?

Russell Turner
10-06-2012, 10:06
Listening now...

Various "reference albums" all in High Resolution format, the albums so far have included Pink Floyds Dark Side Of The Moon (SACD release), Sgt Peppers (24bit 44.1KHz FLAC release) and I am now on Peter Gabriel's So (24bit 88.2KHz release).

The Bushmaster has now had around 40-50 hours run in time and it is showing, the higher mid frequencies seem to have calmed down a tad and the overall composure of the device seems to be more in control what is being thrown at it.

Have to say Sgt Peppers shocked me, I thought I had heard that album through and through but no the Bushmaster revealed very subtle nuances I had not heard previously, Pink Floyd's DSOTM disappointed me, from a recording perspective it wasn't brilliant, currently Peter Gabriel's So sounds slightly "congested, on the track Don't Give Up though there was a good sense of timing and bass extension, detail as well on Kate's voice was good, with a nice level of positioning, right now on the track Mercy Street the double tracked vocals are very apparent and a real sense of "air" about the mix as it should be, the reverse reverb after the middle eight is right there, it wasn't before, it was just a thing in the mix but now its part of all the musical experience... Question was the So album recorded at different studios? The Bushmaster seems to be reflecting that it was as tracks on the album mix wise are chalk & cheese.

Back to where I first started from, the Kate Bush tune Among Angels (24bit 96KHz FLAC release), woh what's going there, really, really musical now, reverb on the vocal now apparent a lot more, as is the piano sustain, which is now a real significant part of it all, there is that much detail you can hear the piano strings harmonics quite clearly.

String section now sat nicely in the back of it all, is that a Harp I heard then, yes there is definitely something else in that tune now I hadn't heard previous.

Back to Misty now, real depth and bass to the intro piano and the drums are more prominent with ride cymbals clearer, bass drum kicks more now, you feel it, bass coming up with the brushed snares really in the mix now, that bass is controlled and deep.

Another thing is the sense of space and absolute bottomlessness the air in mixes have, it just goes down and down into nothing, more instrumentation happening that I hadn't heard before in the tunes, even with my FiiO E17 DAC, HiFiman EF2A Beyer Dynamic DT1350 headphone set-up for work.

Thing is here...

I can improve this experience (I have some mains upgrades coming and a Squeezebox PSU upgrade from Dave), but I just don't know where to go from this point, and if my system (Leema Pulse Mark II Amp, Celestion SL6S's on Custom Design stands, home brew Belden 89259 audio Interconnect and digital Interconnect, with THE Belkin speaker cables recommended here) warrant any more significant expenditure and divorce proceeds.

And anybody wavering on the Bushmaster DAC purchase I wouldn't waver at all for £189 it's a bargain and that is only with around forty hours burning in time.

StanleyB
10-06-2012, 10:15
but I just don't know where to go from this point,

Rest the wallet Russell:). You can hear a lot more than you could before. Enjoy that experience before embarking on another spending round.

jandl100
10-06-2012, 10:21
Wow, what a review. How does the Bushmaster compare to your Pioneer/Zu Jerry?

Ha ha!! - wot a question :)

The thing is -- Pioneer PL71/Zu103 and .... what?

With my Trichord Dino NCPSU 'stage the sense of space with the Bushmaster is a bit better. Dynamics at the LOUD end are cleaner and free-er with the DAC. Presence and vibrancy in the mids of both are very, very good.

But .... swap out the Dino/NC for a Ming Da 2006 phonostage (£1.6k rrp), like I did for a review a few weeks ago, and the ambience/soundstage just explodes in an awesomely virtuosic 3D extravaganza. :wowzer:.
Tbh - I've never heard any digital come close to that. :(

Was that realistic, a true representation of the recordings? :scratch: Dunno.
Was it marvellous? YES !! :eek:

But realistically, the analog front end, even Ming-Da-ed, was not as transparent or detailed, I was just blown away by the sheer ambience of the thing!

Covenant
10-06-2012, 10:21
Russell do you have 'Scratch my back' by Peter Gabriel? I have it (but only on 16/44) and it's so well recorded it's the first thing I put on when I try new kit.

webby
10-06-2012, 10:32
Listening now...



Russell, how about a review based on 16/44 files?

Russell Turner
10-06-2012, 10:44
Covenant - I haven't go that album, I will endeavor to though, especially if the recording is that good.

Webby - When I get back from the Gt Harwood Charter Fair for the Jubilee, I will try some standard red book specification music, you any specific things you want me to try (if I have them)

Werner Berghofer
10-06-2012, 10:48
Russell,


Have to say Sgt Peppers shocked me

since you mentioned it: If you listen really closely and attentively to “Within you without you”, what do you hear in the right channel between the 3:44 and 3:47 time marks? Guess you really need the ears of a cat and a very revealing headphone, but I remember the first time I heard this detail, I really thought the ghost of George Harrison was standing directly behind my right shoulder.

I used to think I knew this song and the whole album quite good, but I had not realized this detail until I heard it for the first time via the Bifrost DAC, a matching headphone amplifier and good headphones. Guess it would not be discoverable at all with loudspeakers.

Werner.

jandl100
10-06-2012, 10:56
Does Werner have shares in Schiit? ;)

How about another pic of some Schiit gear, Werner? You haven't posted one on this Beresford review thread for ages. :(
EDIT: ... oops, my mistake. That was a pic of a Weiss DAC.

... no, I don't have any shares in Beresford Inc. :lol:

Covenant
10-06-2012, 10:58
[QUOTE=Russell Turner;334887]Covenant - I haven't go that album, I will endeavor to though, especially if the recording is that good.

Just a word of warning, it's just P.G singing with an orchestra in the background so very different to his usual stuff.

Werner Berghofer
10-06-2012, 11:05
Jerry,


Does Werner have shares in Schiit?

certainly not. I’m just curious if a detail I’ve never noticed before also is audible with the Bushmaster. Is this kind of question not allowed in this thread?

Werner.

webby
10-06-2012, 11:12
Webby - When I get back from the Gt Harwood Charter Fair for the Jubilee, I will try some standard red book specification music, you any specific things you want me to try (if I have them)

No, anything. It's just that it's sounding like a hi res only DAC at the moment ;)

Stratmangler
10-06-2012, 11:14
Covenant - I haven't go that album, I will endeavor to though, especially if the recording is that good.

Just a word of warning, it's just P.G singing with an orchestra in the background so very different to his usual stuff.

It's very different alright.
To say that the songs have been "rearranged" would be understating things just a tiny little bit.
These songs have been rearranged so that the tune bears little resemblance to the original.

Still, if it floats your boat....:eyebrows:

Val33
10-06-2012, 11:16
All my listening is to 16/44.1 as this is all that the Airport Express outputs.

Val

jandl100
10-06-2012, 11:16
No, anything. It's just that it's sounding like a hi res only DAC at the moment ;)

All my comments are based on 16/44 Red Book CD. :)

MartinT
10-06-2012, 11:19
Various "reference albums" all in High Resolution format, the albums so far have included Pink Floyds Dark Side Of The Moon (SACD release)

If you were using the Bushmaster, I don't see how you could have been listening to an SACD in hi-res. You most probably were listening to the red book 16/44 layer.

webby
10-06-2012, 11:35
All my listening is to 16/44.1 as this is all that the Airport Express outputs.

Val


All my comments are based on 16/44 Red Book CD. :)

Excellent.

alan47
10-06-2012, 11:39
Jerry,



certainly not. I’m just curious if a detail I’ve never noticed before also is audible with the Bushmaster. Is this kind of question not allowed in this thread?

Werner.

It's very audible on my Neco Soundlab V3 with KRK8400's,but can't say i heard it before you mentioned it . Cheers

loonytunes
10-06-2012, 11:41
Stan - would using the Touch volume control be good enough without the need for a dedicated pre-amp between the Touch and a power amp? Again I don't want to 'stifle' the ultimate SQ from the BM.

I ask this because your DAC does not include a pre section anymore more (which is fair enough) - and I would like to make the most of simplifying the connection by drilling direct into a power amp using just the one interconnect and use the Touch volume control.

Some might say that's very bad, but I am only listening to redbook quality CD rips and not at all interested in hi-res stuff.

Rubberdog
10-06-2012, 13:21
Day two of listening to the Bushmaster and I'm liking it more and more. The detail it presents is wonderful and precise, whilst the bottom end seems to have tightened up on many of my favourite tracks...especially as my living room has a suspended wooden floor which does sometimes lead to a slight boomyness to tracks...

Stan - I mentioned about the auto switching yesterday and have the culprit down to the Sonos ZP90 - on both coax and spdif... What reference level did you settle at for the switching selection? I would have thought that digital outputs would be roughly a standard...I wonder if in your work you had looked into (you must have) the levels that different products output at....mainly I'm thinking if there would be a way of 'Trimming' the output level of the sonos to play nicely with everything else as without the Sonos plugged in it all works great!!

Russell Turner
10-06-2012, 13:23
If you were using the Bushmaster, I don't see how you could have been listening to an SACD in hi-res. You most probably were listening to the red book 16/44 layer.

Nope definitely 24bit 88.2KHz FLAC files ripped directly from the SACD two channel layer, streaming from my Squeezebox Touch into the Bushmaster DAC... I have got a 24bit 96KHz MFSL vinyl rip here that I might compare to see any notable differences.


Russell,
Since you mentioned it: If you listen really closely and attentively to “Within you without you”, what do you hear in the right channel between the 3:44 and 3:47 time marks? Guess you really need the ears of a cat and a very revealing headphone, but I remember the first time I heard this detail, I really thought the ghost of George Harrison was standing directly behind my right shoulder.
Werner.

You mean the countdown aye I can hear it, admittedly not as well as my headphone set-up but it's there, I prefer the background "details" on Day in the Life, now they are difficult to hear and my Hifi doesn't pick them out, but it does a good job with the saturated tape and creaking chair on the piano ending.

;-)

Stratmangler
10-06-2012, 13:53
Nope definitely 24bit 88.2KHz FLAC files ripped directly from the SACD two channel layer...

I'm intrigued by this - how did you do it?

Russell Turner
10-06-2012, 14:08
Modified Oppo DV-980H player that offers pure DSD output over HDMI 1.2 but also gives the option for PCM output, the Oppo internally converts the DSD to PCM at 24-bit/88.2kHz and the "mod" captures this PCM signal and outputs it through three stereo S/PDIF (coaxial) jacks (if it is multichannel).

And I didn't do it...

:)

StanleyB
10-06-2012, 14:29
Stan - would using the Touch volume control be good enough without the need for a dedicated pre-amp between the Touch and a power amp? Again I don't want to 'stifle' the ultimate SQ from the BM.

I have no idea at this stage if the Touch volume control will work OK without killing SQ. I use the digital volume control in Mediamonkey myself and all sounds OK to me in my case.



Stan - I mentioned about the auto switching yesterday and have the culprit down to the Sonos ZP90 - on both coax and spdif... What reference level did you settle at for the switching selection? I would have thought that digital outputs would be roughly a standard...I wonder if in your work you had looked into (you must have) the levels that different products output at....mainly I'm thinking if there would be a way of 'Trimming' the output level of the sonos to play nicely with everything else as without the Sonos plugged in it all works great!!
I don't use any output level for the auto switching. The DAC detects the audio presence signal that is part of the audio data transmission. That audio presence signal is generally used in DACs and CD/DVD players to mute or on-mute the audio from the DAC.
However some equipment manufacturers do not appear to have implemented that audio presence command. The Sonos and (some of)the SKY box)es seem to have ignored that rule and transmit a continuous code to say that their box is in operation oven though it is not.

The Bushmaster's operation is partly software controlled. So I shall see if there is any command that I can add to the software so that you can get the Bushmaster to ignore the Sonos altogether when in search mode.
If I do manage to figure one out you'll have to remove the current firmware chip and insert the modified one. Then send back to me the old firmware chip so that I can recycle it.

Rubberdog
10-06-2012, 14:32
If that would be possible stan you could solve all my issues and make this the perfect dac!

Please don't think by any means that I'm moaning! the switching would be a bonus to an already great dac.

StanleyB
10-06-2012, 14:44
See post #336 HERE (http://www.theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14017&highlight=switch&page=34) for discussion on the SKY signal issue, which your Sonos also seems to suffer from.

Werner Berghofer
10-06-2012, 14:59
Russell,


You mean the countdown

exactly! I remember it was a quite spooky moment when I heard it for the first time. Now I know that one does not always hear all the details present in a song at once. The perception is very different, depending on what aspects of a song the attention is focussed: The lyrics, the melody, the rhythm — whatever.

I’m glad to read that this tender detail is revealed by Stan’s Bushmaster. Must be a great DAC!

Werner.

StanleyB
10-06-2012, 15:06
I’m glad to read that this tender detail is revealed by Stan’s Bushmaster. Must be a great DAC!
I'll see if I can find an excuse to put the price up :D.

Rubberdog
10-06-2012, 15:06
Stan,

If the polling of the inputs is controlled via software, rather than looking it as a single case for my self....would it be possible to tweak the software?

If all users were to use the first input of the dac for their problem input and then the ones with the correct signal makeup in the other positions...if there were no valid signal to input 2, the dac would default back to input 1? So basically the dac ignores the first input if any of the other 3 had valid inputs? Does that make sense to you??

I'd happily pay for an upgrade to this and Im pretty sure many other users would too if it got their switching to work with these annoying inputs.

loonytunes
10-06-2012, 15:14
I was intending to keep to using a laptop into an asynchronous DAC which theoretically is superior to spdif, but I am so glad that spdif from a Touch is giving perhaps better results than some async DACs mentioned here (example MDAC). Sometimes I wonder if all this async USB stuff is nonsense - I am no engineer - but ultimately the ears do tell.

To me, having an SBT as source is so much more convenient and easy to use - rather than chasing the async USB crowd connected to an ugly computer which I have to admit, did bug me for a while.

NRG
10-06-2012, 15:15
First impressions:

Build quality is a step up from the Caimen, I like the front panel and the sleep mode LED’s

Streaming from a heavily modified Squeezebox with 16/44.1 the sound is very clean and detailed. There’s no harshness that I can detect, the balance is just right from top to bottom. Bass is very good, it’s a very engaging DAC to listen to, tone is spot on.

Compared to my modified passive Caimen it brings detail to the fore that the Caimen sort of masks…its there but just not that well defined. The Caimen is a little lean in comparison and doesn’t have the same bounce or drive as the Bushmaster. On some tracks the difference can be quite small but the Bushmaster is never second best.

Not noticed any burn in change, its as good 30hrs later as it was 20mins in…its very good Stan well done….

One question: I take it the Caimen PSU is compatible with the Bushmaster @15v? I might try it later…

StanleyB
10-06-2012, 15:39
If the polling of the inputs is controlled via software, rather than looking it as a single case for my self....would it be possible to tweak the software?

I am not the greatest and quickest coder in the world so don't expect a speedy modified code solution. It took me two years just to get the basic Bushmaster code written.


Sometimes I wonder if all this async USB stuff is nonsense - I am no engineer - but ultimately the ears do tell..
I have been saying that for some time now, but some people have accused me of playing spoil sport. So I have given up trying to get them to understand that the science behind async USB doesn't add up. Lousy designers have been blaming SMPS, adaptive USB, etc for all sorts of failings, when in fact it is the designer who is coming up short. If you look at all the outrageous claims I made about the Bushmaster and its performance many people considered it to be pure BS and sales hype or impossible to achieve without spending a fortune on a DAC. I genuinely feel sorry for the poor punter who has nothing else to go by than a big price tag. I did say the Bushmaster will set a new standard of expectation for any potential DAC buyer, and I am glad to see that it does.



One question: I take it the Caimen PSU is compatible with the Bushmaster @15v? I might try it later…
The pug is different, but Mark Grant mentioned that he is selling an adapter plug.

MartinT
10-06-2012, 16:00
Nope definitely 24bit 88.2KHz FLAC files ripped directly from the SACD two channel layer

So you can extract the DSD stream from the hi-res layer of SACDs and convert them to PCM? Cool - what software do you use?

Russell Turner
10-06-2012, 17:00
So you can extract the DSD stream from the hi-res layer of SACDs and convert them to PCM? Cool - what software do you use?

DVDAexplorer

And I didn't do it.

:-)

MartinT
10-06-2012, 17:02
DVDAexplorer

Thanks, checking it out now.

DaveK
10-06-2012, 17:19
I am not the greatest and quickest coder in the world so don't expect a speedy modified code solution. It took me two years just to get the basic Bushmaster code written.


Stan,
Just a thought: -
Given the amount of help and advice that was forthcoming from the forum on the design of the front panel, is there anyone you could trust with the software code on here to help you with modding that also? Any volunteers?
Dave.

StanleyB
10-06-2012, 17:25
Given the amount of help and advice that was forthcoming from the forum on the design of the front panel, is there anyone you could trust with the software code on here to help you with modding that also?
Nope.

nat8808
10-06-2012, 22:05
Umm.

That Level 4 Lampi-DAC I reviewed was a stunning sounding piece of kit.
In my review I said it was the best digital I had heard up to then, and I would miss it when it was returned.

Is Stan's little masterpiece as good?
I would say it is different but in the same sonic league.

There's a (valve-induced?) richness to the LampiDACs tonality that the Bushmaster doesn't (quite) attain.

There's a depth to the 3D image that the Bushmaster doesn't quite reach into.

The lateral imaging is just as good, though (i.e. superb) - in fact, I'd give the Bushmaster the nod on this.
I find the lateral image thing quite difficult to describe - it's not just things laid out precisely left to right. There's a wholeness, a 3D integrity, to an orchestral violin section, say, that just makes it look/sound to be there in front of you as a real-seeming entity. Hmm - you have to hear this level of kit to understand what I am on about, I think! It just sounds real, you can literally see it in your mind's eye there in front of you, and you realise that other good sounding kit just doesn't approach this kind of realism once you've heard it.

You can hear more clearly into the recording acoustic space with the Bushmaster. The only digital kit to rival the Bushmaster in this respect that I've heard are the Krell KPS-25c and Opera Droplet. The LampiDAC is good, very good, but still isn't quite as transparently revealing.

The Lampi-bass is just a little slack, in comparison, it seems a bit less taut and tuneful and powerful than the Bushmaster.

The Bushmaster locks onto rhythms better. It's just wonderful in this respect. I suspect it's the hear-thru transpency - the micro-detail that makes live music special is well portrayed by the Bushmaster - you can hear the subtle inflections of beat and pace that makes music come alive.

The Bushmaster is better made and looks superior.

The Level 4 Lampizator DAC that I was lucky enough to play with starts at 4,200 Euros, for the simplest I/O options.
Stan's bag of tricks should set you back a bit less than that.

Thanks for taking the time to write that Jerry! Very informative.

And Stan says he has ideas for better 3D too for a super version..

Hmm... I'm not one for buying new nor acting on a wave of other's enthusiasm but the Bushmaster is sounding very intreaging indeed.

loonytunes
10-06-2012, 22:52
I have been saying that for some time now, but some people have accused me of playing spoil sport. So I have given up trying to get them to understand that the science behind async USB doesn't add up...


Yes Stan, and I am glad the simplicity of spdif can still be engineered to make digital sound at its very best. I had been toying around with async not helped by all the 'hype' and this Computer Audiophile YouTube video about Pocket Server v.2 from Chris Connaker...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iORZDo_Bh8

wee tee cee
11-06-2012, 10:34
Just got mine....hooked it up.....Its very good without any reservations.
First impressions are that it does low frequencies better than I have heard (rega dac/ mf m1/ CA dac magik/ a couple of chinese jobbies ). Great soundstage, detail and pace. Slight sibilance to the treble but its not even at room temperature yet.
Report back once its had a couple of days to settle down....will give it a whirl in comparison with my m1 head amp with the hd 650s and various superluxes I have.
A great machine Stan, well done.
Regards Tony.

sondale
11-06-2012, 11:02
Please Note - you may want to ignore this post as I will be using my DIY dac to compare to the Bushmaster - I am doing this partly in response to the comments about USB async dacs - be warned! :D

I have been running the Bushmaster for a couple of days now using both the headphone outputs (into Sennheiser HD280 Pro's) and line outputs into Sony TA-VA777ES / Geddes Abbey clones. I will report on how this performed in a later post.

My setup for the comparison in this post is a Mac Mini (2009) via Kimber USB cable into a Balanced-output asynchronous USB Dac (exau2i/EUVL built ESS9022 dac) into Stax SRM T1S/ Lambda Nova Signature headphones. Optical out goes via vdH cable to the Bushmaster and to the Stax via Grover Huffman cables. The BM is running on the supplied psu - I am awaiting a replacement 12v battery. I am using the Stax as it has both Balanced and Single-Ended inputs.

I am running PureMusic on the Mac with no upsampling, all music is in AIFF format.

I have used two albums for most of the listening - 'Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor' by Caro Emerald and 'The Girl in the Other Room' by Diane Krall. The listening was done after about 20 hours running in on the Bushmaster - the USB dac has been running for many months.

The output from both USB and Bushmaster is very good - each with its own strengths - USB has more attack(!) than the Bushmaster, the BM has more space round instruments and the bass-lines are clearer / possibly a little deeper, brush strokes on drums (on the Diane Krall tracks) come over very cleanly on both Dacs. Voices on both units come over very clearly with no trace of sibilence or harshness.

It is difficult to comment on soundstage depth/width via headphones - what I would say is that the BM is very capable at separating instruments and musical themes - after Caro/Diane I listened to some piano music - Beethoven/Debussy and the interweaving threads of the music are clearly presented.

From an Intellectual point of view (i.e. using my brain analytically) I would say the the Bushmaster had the edge in that I could hear more detail through it - HOWEVER - listening to Caro Emerald / 'Just One Dance' on the Bushmaster I could hear her saying she 'could make my dreams come true' - on the USB dac I knew she could. Both dacs made my feet tap - the USB dac makes me want to get up and dance.

From a Financial point of view the Bushmaster makes a great deal of sense - although my USB dac is DIY there is a similar / commercial version available at $2000.

From an End User perspective I have a couple of minor niggles with the Bushmaster; firstly with my Sennheisers(64 ohms) I barely have to move the control to get full volume - note that I have not reduced the volume settings in PureMusic - I will try this and see if there is any loss in sound quality.

Secondly if I change setting on the computer software (e.g. to try upsampling) I seem to lose connection and I have to power the Bushmaster off/on - I do not know whether this is the Mac or the BM. When the Mac comes to the end of the selected music there is a 10-15 second gap and then a beep - I guess it has something to do with the BM not seeing a signal anymore.

Reading the above you may wonder why I bought the Bushmaster - the main reason is that software is needed on the computer to drive the USB to I2S convertor and this is not always compatible with other music software running on the Mac. The Bushmaster is plug'n'play - simple!

I have some SLA batteries I can probably use whilst I wait for the Li-Po battery to arrive.

Gazjam
11-06-2012, 11:23
Anyone near me getting a Bushmaster?

Tony (Wee Tee Cee) in Glasgows ordered one.
Be interested in hearing it myself..gimme a shout if you organise a visit Ali?

(assuming thats ok Tony!)

wee tee cee
11-06-2012, 11:50
sounds like a plan, I'm working conventional hours mon-fri just now so a weekend would be fine. Best get a few hours on the beast to let it have a fair fight. Straight out of the blocks it has passed everything else I have heard. Might even give Ali's audio note that I really liked a square go. Let me know how you two are fixed and we can get together and have a wee session.
Regards Tony.

worrasf
11-06-2012, 12:08
As I "swapped" my Gatorized Caiman (with which I had been very happy) for a REGA DAC some months ago, and as I have not found any other AoS members post on a comparison between the 2 I felt honour bound to pay my dollar to Stan and order one - that's my excuse if anyone at home asks and I'm sticking to it :)

So, just placed and paid Stan - looking forward to hearing your new DAC.

Steve

Ali Tait
11-06-2012, 12:41
sounds like a plan, I'm working conventional hours mon-fri just now so a weekend would be fine. Best get a few hours on the beast to let it have a fair fight. Straight out of the blocks it has passed everything else I have heard. Might even give Ali's audio note that I really liked a square go. Let me know how you two are fixed and we can get together and have a wee session.
Regards Tony.

Cheers chaps, Bernie has kindly offered to let me borrow his. I'm interested in how it compares to the valve dac as I've now fitted O'Netics output transformers to it, which are rather special.

Still up for a get together sometime soon though, be good to meet up with you gents again. Can't do this coming weekend as we've a wedding on. how about the following one?

Gazjam
11-06-2012, 13:09
As I "swapped" my Gatorized Caiman (with which I had been very happy) for a REGA DAC some months ago, and as I have not found any other AoS members post on a comparison between the 2 I felt honour bound to pay my dollar to Stan and order one - that's my excuse if anyone at home asks and I'm sticking to it :)

So, just placed and paid Stan - looking forward to hearing your new DAC.

Steve


This will be interesting Steve, know you love the Rega Dac in your system and the improvements it had over the Caiman.

StanleyB
11-06-2012, 13:45
From an End User perspective I have a couple of minor niggles with the Bushmaster; firstly with my Sennheisers(64 ohms) I barely have to move the control to get full volume - note that I have not reduced the volume settings in PureMusic - I will try this and see if there is any loss in sound quality.
That's the one problem with headamp. With impedances from 12 Ohms to 600 Ohms, it is a hard job picking the right gain for every type of can. Maybe a variable preset gain control would be a good addition in a future upgrade of the Bushmaster?



Secondly if I change setting on the computer software (e.g. to try upsampling) I seem to lose connection and I have to power the Bushmaster off/on - I do not know whether this is the Mac or the BM. When the Mac comes to the end of the selected music there is a 10-15 second gap and then a beep - I guess it has something to do with the BM not seeing a signal anymore.
The Bushmaster's anti-jitter circuit (don't mention it too loud or those Far Eastern guys will be poking around inside to see how it is designed ;)) doesn't mess about. If it thinks that the incoming digital circuit is way out of spec the data receiver will drop the signal. You should be able to recover by just advancing the input selector. Or if you leave it in auto mode the DAC would normally try to find a better signal from a different input.

RichB
11-06-2012, 14:13
As I "swapped" my Gatorized Caiman (with which I had been very happy) for a REGA DAC some months ago, and as I have not found any other AoS members post on a comparison between the 2 I felt honour bound to pay my dollar to Stan and order one - that's my excuse if anyone at home asks and I'm sticking to it :)

So, just placed and paid Stan - looking forward to hearing your new DAC.

Steve

Please keep us posted Steve, I'd be interested in hearing how the BM compares to the Rega (as a self confessed Rega fan).

For a while I've been considering a sideways move from my Arcam to Rega Brio/Dac combo to match my RS3s, the bonus of a decent phono stage perhaps being the enticement i need to go beyond dipping my toes into vinyls.

If similar, or better performance could be achieved at lower cost with the BM then I could be persuaded to make the switch.

loonytunes
11-06-2012, 14:16
Stan - from the Squeezebox should I use the s/pdif or toslink connection to your DAC? Or is there no audible difference between the two (apart from complete electrical isolation using toslink from the SBT if that matters).

Are the interconnect cables that you sell on your website high enough up the audiophile food chain to deliver the musical goods, or do I need to buy some 'bling' or invest in some rare earth metal such as palladium :)?

Have you considered the deleterious affects (if any) of vibrations making there merry way through your DAC? Or do you use some super duper highly expensive isolation platform/feet (such as Vertex) when you assess your own equipment? You might already have damping material within the confines of you box.

worrasf
11-06-2012, 14:29
Please keep us posted Steve, I'd be interested in hearing how the BM compares to the Rega (as a self confessed Rega fan).



Will do. Already had an email from Stan and my BM is on it's way - now that's what I call customer service :)

I'm also really keen to check out the headphone amp in the BM. Since getting the REGA I have been using my self-build SOHA II headphone amp.
I've just moved from 12v to 6v valves with good effect and have upgraded the PCB with a few tweaks as suggested by the designer. Even managed to find a NOS Nobel 100K pot to replace the vanilla Alps blue - this is still in transit so not installed yet. The SOHA drives my 600 ohm Beyerdynamics with ease so it will be interesting to see how the BM performs with them.

Steve

RochaCullen
11-06-2012, 15:29
That's the one problem with headamp. With impedances from 12 Ohms to 600 Ohms, it is a hard job picking the right gain for every type of can. Maybe a variable preset gain control would be a good addition in a future upgrade of the Bushmaster?


Hey Stan,

What impedences are you recommending?

Regards,

Nathan

StanleyB
11-06-2012, 15:37
I got headphones from 25 ohms to 300 Ohms and I am happy to play them loud once I am in full swing. My HD800 at 300 Ohms and D7000 at 32 ohms are in their elements either way, but higher impedance cans are best if you don't listen at deafening levels.

StanleyB
11-06-2012, 15:40
Stan - from the Squeezebox should I use the s/pdif or toslink connection to your DAC? Or is there no audible difference between the two (apart from complete electrical isolation using toslink from the SBT if that matters).
Try both for size I reckon.


Are the interconnect cables that you sell on your website high enough up the audiophile food chain to deliver the musical goods, or do I need to buy some 'bling' or invest in some rare earth metal such as palladium :)?
My interconnects are priced at cost plus a bit of profit. But equivalent types of the same construction would easily cost 4 times as much.



Have you considered the deleterious affects (if any) of vibrations making there merry way through your DAC? Or do you use some super duper highly expensive isolation platform/feet (such as Vertex) when you assess your own equipment? You might already have damping material within the confines of you box.
I use wave guides :eyebrows:.

Bonky
11-06-2012, 15:58
Initial impressions of the Bushmaster:

1. Very good service from Stan; emails are replied very promptly and the package arrived next day.

2. After 48 hours warm-up (one doesn't need to burn-in all 4 inputs separately) the sound is smooth, accurate and with a noticeable bass extension (cf my Gatorised-Caiman). It also appears to 'free-up'' the lower parts of the mid-range too - an added benefit, these being much better defined.

3. Headphones: a difficult one as it appeared I changed my mind several times. I hadn't burnt-in this part of the Bushmaster initially.

I listened to J Warnes' "Blue Raincoat", and my favourite for testing SQ, live recordings of "Show-of-Hands" (esp. the "Blue Cockade" track). I tried comparing this to my Caiman and a separate Headphone amp - the M-Stage HP-1, using my Senns 598 and 650s.

a) The Bushmaster is better than the Caiman in all areas.

b) Bushmaster v. M-Stage using the 598s: almost indistinguishable, a little more sibilance on the M-stage; slightly better separation of instruments on the M-Stage.

c) Using the 650s. Again, very little difference. First impressions are that the Bushmaster goes lower but I think this is a bit of an illusion as it seemed to me later that the Bushmaster was seemingly amplifying this part of the audio spectrum more than the M-stage - rather than going 'lower'.

d) After another hour of burning-in and on further reflection I still find the M-Stage marginally smoother and clearer, the Bushmaster just a little 'boomy', but one has to admit that these differences are subtle and to some extent, a matter of of what one is used to and expects, as well as taste.
Overall I think that the Bushmaster's headphone amp is a wonderful extension to an admirable DAC.
Obviously the M-Stage was being fed by my Sugden A21a amp. Also please note that I'm 64 years old and thus have lost some of the HF end of the audio spectrum.

I'll post again if further burn-in alters my perceptions.

BW

Richard.

StanleyB
11-06-2012, 16:11
c) Using the 650s. Again, very little difference. First impressions are that the Bushmaster goes lower but I think this is a bit of an illusion as it seemed to me later that the Bushmaster was seemingly amplifying this part of the audio spectrum more than the M-stage - rather than going 'lower'.
I shall have a look at that in more detail. But once I have a reasonable amount of feedback on the headphone section I can make a better judgement as to whether this is headphone dependent or whether I need to make any components adjustments.

Pieoftheday
11-06-2012, 17:15
Watching the England game via the bm and my hd-555,NICE !!! Rarely use headphones but I think I'll be using them more now,no harshness at all via the bm,it just keePs on giving!

Pieoftheday
11-06-2012, 17:22
Loads of detail,apparently the ref Plays with himself !!

DSJR
11-06-2012, 17:48
This may not be useful, but in comparison with its costlier peers, the Gatorised Caiman sounded a bit lean and slightly lacking "expression." Nowt to complain about at all for the price, but rather than "booming," I suspect the Bushmaster might just be more like the very best and far more expensive (when new) since the better digital systems I've heard over the years have bass power and "expression" just not in cheaper products of yore. Just my tuppence worth obviously, but before people condemn the Bushmaster because of the extra bass it has, may I please suggest that this is perhaps a more accurate rendition of what is actually there in the source recording?

StanleyB
11-06-2012, 17:55
I think it might be the headphone caps that need burning in a bit more, but I cannot say for sure. I have to check a standard Bushmaster out. Unfortunately I have been messing about with mine and fitted some Silmic caps in the headphone section that I have left over from the Silmic Gator mod.

Bonky
11-06-2012, 18:02
This may not be useful, but in comparison with its costlier peers, the Gatorised Caiman sounded a bit lean and slightly lacking "expression." Nowt to complain about at all for the price, but rather than "booming," I suspect the Bushmaster might just be more like the very best and far more expensive (when new) since the better digital systems I've heard over the years have bass power and "expression" just not in cheaper products of yore. Just my tuppence worth obviously, but before people condemn the Bushmaster because of the extra bass it has, may I please suggest that this is perhaps a more accurate rendition of what is actually there in the source recording?

It's a fair point and well made. I was also comparing the headphone output with my speakers, and my recollection of the live performances (flawed I know this concept of aural memory!). However, when the 'boomy bass' muffles other instruments then I think I prefer the less boomy and more transparent sound.

As Stan says, it may need more burning-in yet. Make no mistake, this is a very good headphone amp.

BW

Richard

Edit: 24 hours of further burning-in - perhaps a little better - but I stand by my original comments with the Senn650s. I prefer them with the M-stage. However, it now seems a different story when I use the Senn598s. I prefer these when powered by the Bushmaster. The M-stage sounds too 'thin' in comparison, the BM being much fuller and with better bass.

I'd be interested if any other Senn owners find the same.

R.

StanleyB
11-06-2012, 18:29
I just noticed that the boomy bass is reported with respect to certain Sennheiser headphones. Having done a search on sites like head-fi it seems that boomy bass is not an uncommon experience with Sennheiser headphones, and many reports go back many years.

Mike g
11-06-2012, 18:44
Stan quick question- are you building any of the Bushmasters which don't have a headphone/variable line out (ie just a dac with fixed out). I like using a separate pre amp with my caiman and rarely if ever use headphones. If such a dac was available, would there be an increase in SQ as there would be fewer electronics to power?

Cheers

StanleyB
11-06-2012, 18:55
Stan quick question- are you building any of the Bushmasters which don't have a headphone/variable line out (ie just a dac with fixed out).
No I am not. There are enough DACs out there without a headphone output to choose from.

loonytunes
12-06-2012, 13:17
Stan quick question- are you building any of the Bushmasters which don't have a headphone/variable line out (ie just a dac with fixed out). I like using a separate pre amp with my caiman and rarely if ever use headphones. If such a dac was available, would there be an increase in SQ as there would be fewer electronics to power?
Cheers

I believe the DAC is a fixed out, and the variable control is for the headphones only...

Jamtoast
12-06-2012, 13:32
Arrived today. Can confirm that the Bushmaster still works hanging upside-down in the Southern Hemisphere.

This evening have been running comparisons against my (ungatorised) Caiman.

You'll have to take my word for it when I say I'm not usually one to gush about new gear - I'm very wary of the psychology of a new box purchase colouring initial opinions. I also don't profess to be an expert. But straight out of the box I'm so bowled over by this DAC I can't resist writing something now.

Mine is not a remotely high end system compared to many here (see below) but fair to say that it loves the Bushmaster. In fact given some of the more reserved comments above I feel I might be getting more out of it than some folk here with really high end systems - perhaps because there is significantly more room for improvement in my set up than those. Who knows?

By far the most compelling thing about the Bushmaster is how analogue it sounds to my ears. The digital sibilance, quite noticeable in my system previously, is all but gone. An understated warmth and presence that not at all fatiguing. Really very nice.

Other improvements: depth of the soundstage is significantly up as is stereo separation. Bottom end tighter, better controlled. More detail revealed in the music.

I'm looking forward to hearing how it evolves as it burns in and also to try the headphone amp.

I debated whether to make this purchase given I have a Caiman. I also worried, given my modest system, that I wouldn't notice any improvement. Absolutely worth it. A few hours in and I'm already recommending to my brother than he get one immediately. Call me a fan boy if you wish, I could not care less. This thing sounds unbelievably expensive and is as cheap as chips. Buy one.

Well done Stan. :cool:

Test tracks: All 16/44.1 CD rips.
Tord Gustavsen Trio - Blessed Feet
Codex - Radiohead
By this River - Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto
Red Right Hand (2011 Remaster) - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Lover's Leap - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
Ragmuffin - Michael Hedges
Invisible Riverside - Ryan Adams
Hoochie Woman - Tori Amos

Russell Turner
12-06-2012, 16:08
Russell, how about a review based on 16/44 files?

OK listened to a series of sources now at 16bit 44.1KHz, these being either FLAC on the Squeezebox Touch or CD's being played on the crappy LG DVD player acting as a CD Transport connected to TOSLINK2 using some optical lead I have had knocking around for years...

All I can say is that it doesn't seem to have any issues with your standard Redbook type files, has the same level of competence sound wise it does with your higher resolution files. Like for instance I am listening to The Art of Noise's The Seduction of Claude Debussy in CD, I am hearing excellent detail, soundstage and bass, in-fact I am uncertain if CD's still have the edge on the Squeezebox as a source and I will endeavour to do a analysis of this at some stage when everything beds in.

One thing though I am considering now... Is looking for a good 2nd hand CD Transport, instead of using this LG DVD Player for CD playback and upgrading my digital cables to something a bit more worthy of the set-up I have now.

p.s. I haven't had the time to really consider the Mains Cables R Us PSU upgrade I have just fitted today, but I guess this will be a good comparison as well with CD sources (if this makes sense).

loonytunes
12-06-2012, 16:27
One thing though I am considering now... Is looking for a good 2nd hand CD Transport

Why bother using any CD Transport at all when Stan replied to me that the full potential of his DAC is realised through the Squeezebox Touch which you already own? It was specifically designed for media players in mind.

MartinT
12-06-2012, 19:24
Why bother using any CD Transport at all

Because round shiny things can sound very good and are nice to have?

wee tee cee
12-06-2012, 20:12
A few hours on the headamp....its very good.
More bass than I am used to. Certainly worthy of direct comparison with my mf m1 headamp. Its continually improving.....my foot has been tapping an awful lot.
Given a couple of hundred hours I think it may turn out to something really special.

Werner Berghofer
12-06-2012, 20:13
Tony,


A few hours on the headamp....its very good.

which headphones are you using, and what’s their impedance?

Werner.

wee tee cee
12-06-2012, 20:23
Werner,
HD650S,superlux 330,440,660 and 668b. They are all getting driven hard at just over the first quarter of the dial.....sorry dont know the impedance ratings.
Tony.

edmondwolfman
12-06-2012, 20:29
Hey guys, newbie here...at least to this forum. I've been looking at replacing my current DAC and came across this brand in different forums. I currently have a CA DACMagic and while I've liked it I've always felt maybe something else would sound better. My budget for now is $1000 or under. I've been looking at PS Audio DAC III, Schiit Bifrost, MF DAC1, Rega DAC, Monarchy (may be too old technology), Peachtree, and on and on.

Can anyone here compare the Bushmaster to the DACMagic? I'm not hung up on cost, if a DAC sounds great and it costs $250 it wouldn't bother me to purchase and use it. I don't have to be able to tell someone "I spent $2500 for my DAC"!

Also if any of you live in the US did you have extra duty and taxes or was the price on the website accurate (I understand their is an rate exchange).

Any feedback welcome.

wee tee cee
12-06-2012, 20:36
Bobby,
I have a dac magic in my other system....Its very good. The Bushmaster is in a different league entirely. As a dac it has surpassed my mf m1 ....as a head amp it betters the mf m1/hpa combo at an eighth of the price. It is a bit special regardless of cost.
Regards Tony.

edmondwolfman
12-06-2012, 20:44
Bobby,
I have a dac magic in my other system....Its very good. The Bushmaster is in a different league entirely. As a dac it has surpassed my mf m1 ....as a head amp it betters the mf m1/hpa combo at an eighth of the price. It is a bit special regardless of cost.
Regards Tony.

Tony, can you compare their sound to one another? My music seems a little bright sometimes and while not harsh I would like to get rid of the brightness.

StanleyB
12-06-2012, 20:51
Werner,
HD650S,superlux 330,440,660 and 668b. They are all getting driven hard at just over the first quarter of the dial.....
I think that I should somehow build in an impedance selector, which will adjust the headphone gain accordingly. A 32 Ohms headphone needs less of a turn on a volume knob compared to a 300 Ohms headphone before they both produce the same output level in dB. But this in turn means that if you only need a quarter turn on the volume knob to be satisfied with the output level at full turn you'll probably go deaf if you maintained that level for too long.
I do listen to my HD800 at full blast on occasions, but I don't think that is good for my hearing... The air pressure levels produced by bass heavy tracks is truly head shaking. I know that many HD800 owners have reported that the HD800 is bass light, but not when used with the Bushmaster :eek:.

StanleyB
12-06-2012, 20:54
My music seems a little bright sometimes and while not harsh I would like to get rid of the brightness.
Brightness? Surely there must be something wrong there. Don't you get any bass out of your system when you play your music?

edmondwolfman
12-06-2012, 20:58
Brightness? Surely there must be something wrong there. Don't you get any bass out of your system when you play your music?

I do get bass, it's just that sometimes with female singers or upper register notes it seems a little bright to me. I've read in a few places that the DACMagic can be a little bright and was thinking maybe changeing DACs might help.

I use a Logitch Touch and stream flacs (and sometimes mp3s) from my Synology. A lot of my music is high res.

When I play albums that don't go through the DAC I don't seem to get that "brightness". Maybe it's not bright, maybe its a little hard on top...I'm not very good with describing what I hear:doh:

I was using Axiom M60v2 speakers with Titanium tweeters and I changed to Dana 640i's and that helped a lot but there is still just a bit of brightness on some music.

StanleyB
12-06-2012, 21:16
I do get bass, it's just that sometimes with female singers or upper register notes it seems a little bright to me. I've read in a few places that the DACMagic can be a little bright and was thinking maybe changeing DACs might help.
The Bushmaster was designed to deal with those kind of issues. It is not about changing DAC. It is about applying a known solution. Otherwise you could be changing DACs just about every month till you find a solution.

magiccarpetride
12-06-2012, 22:05
The Bushmaster was designed to deal with those kind of issues. It is not about changing DAC. It is about applying a known solution. Otherwise you could be changing DACs just about every month till you find a solution.

I was testing the Bushmaster tomorrow (correction: I will be testing it yesterday).

What I'm trying to say is that the postman attempted to deliver the Bushmaster today, he was at my front door at 11:10 am, but we weren't answering. This is what I just found out by checking the Canada Post site; time to go huntin' for the darn reptilian!

brian2957
12-06-2012, 22:14
Same here . My teenage daughter was sleeping when the postman rang the bell at 12.30 PM today to deliver the Bushmaster. Excellent service from Stan as ever BTW. He did leave a calling card . So instead of getting the Bushmaster up and running it is lying locked up in the local sorting office:(
I will be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning banging on their door:D
Brian.

magiccarpetride
12-06-2012, 22:31
Same here . My teenage daughter was sleeping when the postman rang the bell at 12.30 PM today to deliver the Bushmaster. Excellent service from Stan as ever BTW. He did leave a calling card . So instead of getting the Bushmaster up and running it is lying locked up in the local sorting office:(
I will be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning banging on their door:D
Brian.

I can't believe that it shipped the day before yesterday from Taiwan and it arrived this morning in Vancouver???

The Vinyl Adventure
12-06-2012, 22:33
The benefits of working in an office in a block with a Linda on front desk ... Parcels always arive when they are supposed to ... Not to mention then not arriving at home where this missis sees them first!

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 06:10
I can't believe that it shipped the day before yesterday from Taiwan and it arrived this morning in Vancouver???
It didn't ship it the day before yesterday. Customers who previously expressed an interest in ordering a Bushmaster were sent a note and a Paypal money request last week Wednesday. Those who paid were then sent their order. UK buyers started receiving theirs on Thursday, and those outside the UK started receiving theirs this week.

worrasf
13-06-2012, 06:31
My BM arrived yesterday less than 24 hours after ordering - thank you Stanley - stunning service :)

Currently it's being fed a continuous loop from my iPod via Wadia 170i (Audiocom Signature) to let all bed in before I do any serious listening.

Steve

Canetoad
13-06-2012, 07:13
I had a DacMagic and compared it directly with a Caiman (modified). I found the DacMagic had a smoother delivery than the Caiman. The latter had slightly better bass and, overall, more detail (some of this would have been due to the mods made). I did like the sound of the DacMagic though. I thought it sounded a bit more analogue if you like. I didn't think much of the different filters offered though. Couldn't really hear much difference.

Now my new Bushmaster beats the modified Caiman by quite a large margin. Detail and soundstage is much better and bass impact is impressive. So, I'd say get a Bushmaster as it will easily outperform your DacMagic. :)

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 07:53
I might have to stick this somewhere on my site as well, but I considered it important enough to mention it here.

Many of you with a laptop and no USB output might be stuck as far as using the Bushmaster with your laptop is concerned. Well help might be at hand.
If your laptop has an express card slot then have a look if it is the wide version. If so, get one of THESE (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Creative-X-Fi-Xtreme-Audio-Notebook-Laptop-Sound-Card-/310222798807?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_So undCards&hash=item483ab83fd7). It has an optical output, which goes up to 96KHz. I have one fitted to several of the laptops at home and at that price it is a far better and cheaper option than anything else that I have tried as an interface to the Bushmaster. I even used it with my Caiman, instead of using USB.

MartinT
13-06-2012, 08:11
Or one of these if you have a USB port but no card slot:

http://www.mercateo.co.uk/images/products/InLine/89909d.jpg

http://www.mercateo.co.uk/p/560U-89909D/InLine_USB_to_optical_audio_converter_USB_IN_tosli nk_analog_OUT_black.html?showSimplePage=NO&ViewName=live_gb~showGrossColumn&utm_source=product-search&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=Sonstige

brian2957
13-06-2012, 08:31
I'm using one of these at the moment with no complaints.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-FANMUSIC-USB-to-SPDIF-COAXl-Converter-PCM2902E-/250734022377?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a60e98ee9

Brian.

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 10:17
or one of these (which im currently using)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/3068516636_cd73bbba5c.jpg

im just gonna say ooooooooo for now :)

loonytunes
13-06-2012, 11:43
Seeing as we are on the subject of recommending converters, can anyone recommend a low cost high quality USB to S/PDIF converter - seeing as Stan's DAC does not have a USB input (I don't think)?

I know you can get the Musical Fidelity V-Link, and Halide Bridge - but both seem a bit expensive (especially the Halide, although that does include the fancy USB cable..); unless of course you think it's necessary to splash out that sort of cash.

Gazjam
13-06-2012, 12:17
was going to recommend the Vlink II but then I saw you were looking for something cheaper - sorry!

nat8808
13-06-2012, 12:28
Or one of these if you have a USB port but no card slot:

http://www.mercateo.co.uk/images/products/InLine/89909d.jpg


I would have thought that a more direct connection to the main bus of the computer via a PCMCIA card etc would be better - avoid problems of USB altogether.

Better still, my latest laptop aquisition, some dual core Toshiba 13" jobbie, has the audio codec chip right there under the case in the corner with a s/pdif out on the corner leg. As it was being thrown out, I don't mind trying to directly wire up an output from that (maybe I could add in a small buffer externally) directly accessing a digital stream from the sound chip itself! I'd install a mini coax socket on the side with some coax cable linking to the pin and shield to earth (internal cable from an old wireless router).

Ignoring the delicate soldering job, any thoughts on that anyone? Will it work? Will I get a digital stream of ALL and any audio output from the laptop?

nat8808
13-06-2012, 12:36
Out of interest, Stan, do you recommend optical for such things like laptops? Is noise on coax out from a computer interface ever a problem (or does your jitter busting magic mean it's not an issue)?

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 12:44
Out of interest, Stan, do you recommend optical for such things like laptops? Is noise on coax out from a computer interface ever a problem (or does your jitter busting magic mean it's not an issue)?
I can only go by my own tests and design criteria. And that is based around the use of optical and coax, which is why the Bushmaster has those kind of inputs. I know that some recent designs use galvanic isolation etc to kill the noise in those designs, but my method is cheaper and going by the listening tests that many of you have done so far it is also superior than the galvanic isolation method. To be able to hear the sound echo in the background when someone is singing requires a super duper quiet and clean signal decoding process. The Bushmaster passes that with flying colours.
Don't forget that the primary reason for the development of the Bushmaster was to be able to handle PC and media players, which are notorious sources of spurious noise. So when you use say a CDP or DVD you'll have an even bigger edge and added SQ.

John
13-06-2012, 13:59
After hearing the difference between a good DAC using a usb to SPDIF converter and dedicated USB I say it will give you good sounds but will not allow you to hear the full potential of the Bushmaster
I will just wait till the Caiman II as I am hopeful Stan will have come up with a good adaptive solution for USB

magiccarpetride
13-06-2012, 16:38
It didn't ship it the day before yesterday. Customers who previously expressed an interest in ordering a Bushmaster were sent a note and a Paypal money request last week Wednesday. Those who paid were then sent their order. UK buyers started receiving theirs on Thursday, and those outside the UK started receiving theirs this week.

True. I was merely referring to the information on the http://postserv.post.gov.tw site, where it said that my package was dispatched from Taiwan on June 10, and arrived at my doorstep on June 12. That's amazing (to me), considering that if I try to ship a package to my next door neighbour, Canada Post will take its sweet time and it will probably arrive no sooner than a week later!

Go figure...

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 16:44
My speed of delivery has been legendary for years so there is nothing to figure out about my commitment to customer service :). I have personally vetted a range of couriers etc and selected the fastest and most reliable ones. Did you know that in the UK I can even assure customers before what time on what day their parcel will arrive? Go figure that one ;).

magiccarpetride
13-06-2012, 16:48
Jerry - could you tell me that the Bushmaster is just as good as the Lampizator 4 please? I keep getting interested in the Lampizator from so many good reviews over the last couple of years but don't think I could justify the cost - I keep promising myself I'll just make one but I doubt that will occur in reality (current idea is to go non-oversampling, non-filtered with an UltraAnalog D20400 unit, making a 20bit/384kHz DAC).

So please tell me that this £200 wonder machine is just as good..

Just out of curiosity (and I hope this will not seem as if I'm hijacking the thread), but has anyone been in the position to compare Bushmaster with the NAD M51 DAC? There's been a lot of hoopla recently surrounding this DAC, and some people I know have been lately raving about it. At $2,000 price tag, it is almost 10 times more expensive than Bushmaster, and I'm pretty sure I won't be coveting it, but still... Anyone heard these two DACs side by side? What's the conclusion? I'm asking because I'm curious about NAD's allegedly patented technology where they preemptively convert PCM signal into the DSD pulse or something. Suppose to give it a different sonic signature. True, or yet another high falutin' mumbo-jumbo?

magiccarpetride
13-06-2012, 16:52
My speed of delivery has been legendary for years so there is nothing to figure out about my commitment to customer service :). I have personally vetted a range of couriers etc and selected the fastest and most reliable ones. Did you know that in the UK I can even assure customers before what time on what day their parcel will arrive? Go figure that one ;).

So it's a double whammy! No, wait, a triple whammy:

1. Ball-busting quality components
2. Competition-destroying affordability
3. Shockingly fast delivery

There's probably the fourth whammy (excellent after-purchase support), but I never had the need to try that one, so I'll take other people's word for it.

Impressive!

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 17:01
I suggest that you go and wire up the Bushmaster and re-acquaint yourself with your amp and speakers for a while. Then let us know if you are emotionally overcome by it all, or whether the experience has left you deflated ;).

Pieoftheday
13-06-2012, 17:17
Well the bushmaster is brilliant! Due to space constraints Ive hand to sell the monitor audio rs6 and go small,so I bought some Dali zensor1 as a stop gap cos they were cheap but sounded pretty good,however since hooking up the bm the dali's have shown they're metal,detail,clarity and good bass,a giant killer!who else could do that for less than£200, well bar stan..

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 17:36
I happen to own a pair of NS1000M speakers and they are widely reported to be bass shy below 50Hz. I can however confirm that those reports are widely off the mark and frankly slanderous, as my next door neighbour would be wiling to testify to in court :D.
Since I wired in a Bushmaster into my recently refurbished old skool Aiwa AA-8700 amp there have been rather weird knocking noises coming from the other side of our adjoining wall :scratch:.

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 17:45
http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/hamish_gill/6f3f20ae.jpg

Hannah's words "sounds deeper and less harsh"
Currently I'm bowing to her 23 year old female ears ... But I think she may have a point!

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 17:45
Wow that's an aweful pic ...

MartinT
13-06-2012, 18:00
Wow that's an aweful pic ...

I was about to say something but you saved me from the bother :eek:

DaveK
13-06-2012, 18:10
Wow that's an aweful pic ...

I'd 'bury' it quick Hamish if I were you before any of your rivals use it as an example of your professional work :lol: :lol: ;)

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 18:23
I'm not that pleaed with the one I actually tryin to take either

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/hamish_gill/_NIK3984.jpg

Another slightly better iPhone shot

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/hamish_gill/53c1003f.jpg

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 18:43
It's amazing how popular that LED auto dimming function has turned out to be.

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 18:44
Yeah! It's mint that is ... I like it how it winks at you when you turn it in too!

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 19:14
My opinion so far ... Vs. the majik dsi
It's more showy! the sound stage and presentation is very different ... The linn welcomes you into the music, the bushmaster sorta projects it at you, it is more exciting to listen too!
I don't think I could say with any authority which is "better"! The bushmaster is easily as good as the linn, and Hannah would tell you it's better, and I think most listening to my system would agree with her... I just really like what the linn does and have done since the "Dynamik PSU" ... For me it's different and I think I would listen to one or te other dependant on mood really ... But that's with only maybe 5-6 hours on the BM.
I think the supprising thing about it is, without wanting to sound like I'm repeating what others have said ... It does the much more involving and "all there" bit without being a dick about it ... Ive heard a few dacs in my system that at first listen sound all exciting but then after a time you realise your being conned - the v-dac springs to mind - this thing gives you that initial excitement in the music then just keeps on giving it!

Listening to Imogen Heap 'speak for your self' on it at the mo and it sounds absolutely stunning!

Pieoftheday
13-06-2012, 19:15
Indeed stan,it seems the bm has the ability to bring the very best from seemingly 'budget ' kit, a+++++

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 19:50
@ Steve ...
If you wanna pop toys have a listen giz a shout and I'll try and turf out the missis on early evening again ...
This would definitely show you my points about various dacs and my system!

StanleyB
13-06-2012, 19:57
Have you tried the headphone amp section yet Hamish?

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 20:01
Yeah, quite a bit at work!
It's hard to comment as I was really just listening to the music whilst I worked ... Was good though! Loud through the grados, that's for sure! Got told off a couple of times for having it too loud ;)
It's better than the caiman that's for sure!
I noticed the low level channel inbalance you mentioned too but it's below listening level so no worrys there!

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 20:02
... Anyone who has 'dear science' by tv on the radio should get it on the BM ... This is the sorta music that it does justice ... Lots of little sounds and noises coming through nice and separate from the rest!

magiccarpetride
13-06-2012, 20:11
My opinion so far ... Vs. the majik dsi
It's more showy! the sound stage and presentation is very different ... The linn welcomes you into the music, the bushmaster sorta projects it at you, it is more exciting to listen too!
I don't think I could say with any authority which is "better"! The bushmaster is easily as good as the linn, and Hannah would tell you it's better, and I think most listening to my system would agree with her... I just really like what the linn does and have done since the "Dynamik PSU" ... For me it's different and I think I would listen to one or te other dependant on mood really ... But that's with only maybe 5-6 hours on the BM.
I think the supprising thing about it is, without wanting to sound like I'm repeating what others have said ... It does the much more involving and "all there" bit without being a dick about it ... Ive heard a few dacs in my system that at first listen sound all exciting but then after a time you realise your being conned - the v-dac springs to mind - this thing gives you that initial excitement in the music then just keeps on giving it!

Listening to Imogen Heap 'speak for your self' on it at the mo and it sounds absolutely stunning!

What's your digital transport into Bushmaster, Hamish? I'm truly impressed if Bushmaster can match (or possibly exceed) Majik?!? I always felt Majik to be out there as a good reference player, so if Bushmaster can top that, wow!!!

magiccarpetride
13-06-2012, 20:17
I suggest that you go and wire up the Bushmaster and re-acquaint yourself with your amp and speakers for a while. Then let us know if you are emotionally overcome by it all, or whether the experience has left you deflated ;).

I'll pick it up from the local post office tonight after work. Still debating whether I should listen to it straight out of the box, or should I first leave it on in a continuous loop, to give it a few hours of burn-in? Any recommendations?

I'm especially pleased to read that you've designed it to deal with notorious Squeezebox Touch harshness and hardness in the upper-mid and highs region. I've invested copious (read: insane) amounts of time tweaking the config files on the Touch, aiming at the much coveted 'analog' liquidity and warmth. We'll see tonight what Bushmaster can add to that area;)

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 20:17
The majik is the transport ... I'm only replacing the dac section on it with the BM

magiccarpetride
13-06-2012, 20:21
The majik is the transport ... I'm only replacing the dac section on it with the BM

Ah, that gives you potential advantage over some of us who are using Squeezebox Touch as a transport (pretty much ten times cheaper box). Have you tried different (less fancy) transport into Bushmaster, and compared it with Majik? (you can tell I have a big respect for Majik, can't you?)

MartinT
13-06-2012, 20:23
I'm especially pleased to read that you've designed it to deal with notorious Squeezebox Touch harshness and hardness in the upper-mid and highs region. I've invested copious (read: insane) amounts of time tweaking the config files on the Touch, aiming at the much coveted 'analog' liquidity and warmth. We'll see tonight what Bushmaster can add to that area;)

I've only installed the direct digital out add-in, nothing else. The Touch through the BM is not harsh, it simply reflects the source quality of the selected music. Hi-res FLACs are fab, 320k mp3s and Spotify hi-bitrate streaming surprisingly good overall.

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 20:59
Ah, that gives you potential advantage over some of us who are using Squeezebox Touch as a transport (pretty much ten times cheaper box). Have you tried different (less fancy) transport into Bushmaster, and compared it with Majik? (you can tell I have a big respect for Majik, can't you?)

It doesn't supprise me you like it if you crave some warmth ... the majik definitely does smooth and musical!

Ive listened to the BM with my pc and soundcard as a source but as I said to Stan I wasn't critically listening really ...
I've not plugged anything else in at home as it all goes through the majik ...
I might bypass te majik if I keep the BM in the system for digital sources as the auto switching will make life easier for Hannah

Russell Turner
13-06-2012, 21:11
Have you tried the headphone amp section yet Hamish?

Reminds me Stan I should really plug my Beyerdynamic DT1350's into this DAC sometime soon matey...

Russ

loonytunes
13-06-2012, 21:22
Just out of curiosity (and I hope this will not seem as if I'm hijacking the thread), but has anyone been in the position to compare Bushmaster with the NAD M51 DAC? There's been a lot of hoopla recently surrounding this DAC, and some people I know have been lately raving about it.

I thought you might be interested in this YouTube vid magiccarpetride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ7IWvw4YUA

Amazingly - I don't know how - but you get the sense that it sounds good even through PC loudspeakers. Someone do a similar vid with their Bushmaster :)

magiccarpetride
13-06-2012, 21:24
It doesn't supprise me you like it if you crave some warmth ... the majik definitely does smooth and musical!

Ive listened to the BM with my pc and soundcard as a source but as I said to Stan I wasn't critically listening really ...
I've not plugged anything else in at home as it all goes through the majik ...
I might bypass te majik if I keep the BM in the system for digital sources as the auto switching will make life easier for Hannah

Well, I'm only a few hours away from hearing it for my self... Your review gave me insanely high hopes.. I do hope and desire it won't be a let down. Anything approaching that smooth liquidity of Majik would be a heaven sent! Especially for the piddly sum I forked out for the Bushmaster. It's way less than I paid for my speaker cables, for crying out loud!!!

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 21:42
The BM is approx 2% of the value of my system and fits in just fine ;)
Concidering some circles will tell you to spend 10% of the system value on cables it's doing ok ;)
I'm sure you will love it ... I guess it can't correct what's upstream, that may well be my advantage(???) but by the sound of some of the comments it makes the best of what's upstream at very least :)

RichB
13-06-2012, 22:29
I might bypass te majik if I keep the BM in the system for digital sources as the auto switching will make life easier for Hannah

My Mrs still hasnt figured out that if she wants to hear the telly through the stereo she has to press the button marked optical on the DAC.:lol:

Bloody hell, reading this thread has me itching for one these BMs even if it means having to use a usb-spdif converter. I'm off to rattle the penny jar...

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 22:45
My missis has managed to work out how to get the hifi sound out of the tele, but not the other way round ... Purly because she listens to spotify and I often leave it on the mode to listen to the majik ... I've even labled the input on the majik to say "TV" .... Still no good ...

The Vinyl Adventure
13-06-2012, 22:45
I think she plays daft to annoy me

magiccarpetride
14-06-2012, 05:15
The BM is approx 2% of the value of my system and fits in just fine ;)
Concidering some circles will tell you to spend 10% of the system value on cables it's doing ok ;)
I'm sure you will love it ... I guess it can't correct what's upstream, that may well be my advantage(???) but by the sound of some of the comments it makes the best of what's upstream at very least :)

Finally got it in and spent some time listening to it. Right off the bat it was super easy to tell that Bushmaster is in a completely different league. It simply changed everything, and in a very dramatic way.

I got a hunch that it needs some burn-in time. This is because I felt that it seems somewhat lopsided. What I mean by that is that Bushmaster sounds a bit bottom-heavy to me. Not that I don't enjoy the seemingly bottomless bass extension and the unbelievable extra weight and substantiality, but a lot of familiar passages with prominent highs now sound quite muffled and pushed way back into the sound stage. Is that how Bushmaster usually sounds out of the box, or am I actually now learning how was the original master actually recorded and mixed down?

I'll give it some more burn in time before I jump to any conclusions. For now, I must report incredible improvement in detail retrieval, stunning coherence, all the instruments are now gelling in a way I've never ever heard before, not with any high end system. This forces my entire body to keep swaying and making funny gyrations in my chair. The voices-to-instrument separation is outta sight, so clean and incredibly articulate.

I can now follow the bass melody without straining even a bit, it sings and gyrates and actually carries the entire song, track after track. I couldn't believe hearing how George Duke's "Love Reborn" from his 1979 album "Brazilian Love Affair" now comes to full life, as if the entire band is performing right in front of me.

Ella Fitzgerald "Embraceable You" -- I was holding back tears, her voice is divine. The shrill and shrieky violins that Caiman was giving me are now a distant unpleasant memory...

I had no idea that Amy Winehouse had such a gorgeous voice! I mean I knew she was fantastic, but this good? You need a high end converter, such as Bushmaster, if you want to hear the whole story.

Big disappointment -- Annie Lennox CD "Medusa". Gone are the icy cold crystal highs I'm so used to hearing on her "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". Is that supposed to happen, or is Bushmaster just warming up for the task of delivering icy cold highs?

Huge improvement -- Amandina Beyer's hi-rez Vivaldi's Four Seasons. What used to sound harsh and almost unlistenable is now the most gorgeous classical sounding piece! What an accomplishment!

Overall, not even a trace of harshness, hardness or sibilance. But at the expense of losing some crystal clarity in the highs I was getting from the Caiman (I must say I kind of miss that glassy hardness, I guess I inadvertently became the victim of another Stockholm syndrome). Or was it just jitter and digital noise that Caiman was giving me and I was interpreting it as a musical signal?

Bravo, Stanley!

NRG
14-06-2012, 06:06
I've not noticed any burn in, it sounds as good now as it did when I got it. One thing I've found puzzling is that recorded vinyl played back via the same system sounds a little 'enhanced'...I cant put it into words yet but theres something different between playing the LP live and playing the recorded version.

Listening to my modified Caimen in isolation is very good, its not until the BM is switched in do you hear the slight hardness and slightly lean presentation. Its very good, battery pack on the way so hoping for a further improvement.

StanleyB
14-06-2012, 06:17
Overall, not even a trace of harshness, hardness or sibilance. But at the expense of losing some crystal clarity in the highs I was getting from the Caiman (I must say I kind of miss that glassy hardness, I guess I inadvertently became the victim of another Stockholm syndrome). Or was it just jitter and digital noise that Caiman was giving me and I was interpreting it as a musical signal?
The Caiman relied on a receiver chip that has a old style jitter performance (i.e. not state of the art). The Bushmaster uses a crystal locked oscillator instead, which has also been kept away from any other nearby oscillation circuits. This is one of the reasons why the so "familiar" jitter harshness in digital music files isn't present in the Bushmaster. I expect other designers to copy that section of my design once they have figured out how it operates.

StanleyB
14-06-2012, 06:28
One thing I've found puzzling is that recorded vinyl played back via the same system sounds a little 'enhanced'...I cant put it into words yet but theres something different between playing the LP live and playing the recorded version.
I casually raised this point in a thread many months ago after noticing it as well. What I have managed to deduct so far that the analogue to digital converter used to rip the vinyl track has a bearing on the sound.

The Vinyl Adventure
14-06-2012, 06:38
By the end of last nights sesion I was wondering if it was my familiarity with the Majiks dac that was swaying my opinion ...
The 4 1/2 hours of listening lead to a sound from the bushmaster that seemed calmer than it did when I first turned it on... But I wasn't sure whether that in its self was familiarity with it?
There is one conclusion that I definitely came to and that is that its staying in my system for the foreseeable future...
The biggerst thing that it does for me is sound like its not failing at what it's trying to do where as I say, compared to the majik ds most other dacs ive heard either don't try or sound like yet are failing at what they try
My missis absolutely loves it too ... She looked at me in disbelief when I said I though both sounds had equal merits ... She also looked at me is disbelief when I said that to get the sound I was getting both boxes ha to stay :)

The Vinyl Adventure
14-06-2012, 06:48
I casually raised this point in a thread many months ago after noticing it as well. What I have managed to deduct so far that the analogue to digital converter used to rip the vinyl track has a bearing on the sound.

Someone told me once that vinyl recorded to digital can often sound better then the record spinner playing due to the fact that when you record the vinyl you often listen to it at a much lower level (or through headphones or not at all) thereby reducing the effect that playback has on the sound of the spinner and the recording. Ie you listen to vinyl loudly and the sound/vibrations influence what you hear by interfering with the player it's self. So when you record then play back the digital file at the higher volumes it is like listening to your record player without the normal impact the sound has on the player ...
I could think of no argument against that ...
He used a cheap sound blaster (the one I linked to in the other thread) for recording his vinyl ... And yeah, to me the recordings sounded better ...
The referance system was the at the time fully tricked out lp12 with some sort of dynavector cart on it vs the linn klimax ds through Adam tensor betas
The lp12 was on its own wall shelf too ... But the betas moved to much air that the door to the bathroom that was behind and to the side of them gently swung back and forth ... The music was by infected mushroom ... Which has just reminded me, I really should play some through the BM, see how it likes that sort of bass! ;)

NRG
14-06-2012, 07:01
I casually raised this point in a thread many months ago after noticing it as well. What I have managed to deduct so far that the analogue to digital converter used to rip the vinyl track has a bearing on the sound.

Interesting, its by no means unpleasant, I was curious as to why. The passive Caimen doesn't appear to do the same but then it tends to be a little lean in direct comparison and perhaps not as revealing. :)

NRG
14-06-2012, 07:03
Someone told me once that vinyl recorded to digital can often sound better then the record spinner playing due to the fact that when you record the vinyl you often listen to it at a much lower level (or through headphones or not at all) thereby reducing the effect that playback has on the sound of the spinner and the recording. Ie you listen to vinyl loudly and the sound/vibrations influence what you hear by interfering with the player it's self. So when you record then play back the digital file at the higher volumes it is like listening to your record player without the normal impact the sound has on the player ...


Shouldn't affect my system as my amp/Phono and decks etc are in a different room to the 'speakers! ;)

The Vinyl Adventure
14-06-2012, 07:21
May be worth a try none the less ... It's not like it's a hard concept to prove or disprove ... Assuming the rooms are connected there might still be some influence at play
The only other thing I could think of was that the cheap sound blaster is actualy a work of audiophile genius ;)

StanleyB
14-06-2012, 09:14
I have actually started to play my TT through the Bushmaster :eyebrows:. I got a phono stage (TC-760) wired into an ADC that I picked up cheaply on eBay and the digital out from the ADC goes into the BM. Once I manage to add a variable output on the BM I shall be able to retire my analogue preamp for good.

RochaCullen
14-06-2012, 09:48
I have actually started to play my TT through the Bushmaster :eyebrows:. I got a phono stage (TC-760) wired into an ADC that I picked up cheaply on eBay and the digital out from the ADC goes into the BM. Once I manage to add a variable output on the BM I shall be able to retire my analogue preamp for good.

Hi Stan,

Any chance you could point me to a similar ADC?

Nathan

synsei
14-06-2012, 10:16
I have actually started to play my TT through the Bushmaster :eyebrows:. I got a phono stage (TC-760) wired into an ADC that I picked up cheaply on eBay and the digital out from the ADC goes into the BM. Once I manage to add a variable output on the BM I shall be able to retire my analogue preamp for good.

I suggested doing a similar thing using the Caiman when I discovered how capable it was as a pre-amp a little under a year ago. I was informed that such a course of action would be to the detriment of SQ from the TT, how are you finding it Stan?

nortot
14-06-2012, 11:33
I also started to play my Rega 3 through my then Caiman, and now BM,(better again) but never breathed a word nor sought Forum opinion/advice as this could/should be seen as heresy. Analogue to digital through ADC , then to DAC then amp!! Well I have always been knocked out by the quality of the end result , the sound quality is stonking..... I can also route the TT through the amp with a switcher a (the switcher may be the culprit) but it's night and day. My vinyl has never sounded so good, and it's just when I see the likes of Stan posting he does this too that I realise that really really really we should listen with our own ears and believe what they tell us.
On the BM, (thanks Stan for the Courier advice) I'll just add to what has already been said. This product is a revelation. For such small money I am getting detail I never heard before, and I really like that, soundstage, imaging and bass like never before. Absolutely stonking product, and my CDP (Arcam 73) is also producing the goods again.

webby
14-06-2012, 12:01
I also started to play my Rega 3 through my then Caiman, and now BM,(better again) but never breathed a word nor sought Forum opinion/advice as this could/should be seen as heresy. Analogue to digital through ADC , then to DAC then amp!! Well I have always been knocked out by the quality of the end result , the sound quality is stonking..... I can also route the TT through the amp with a switcher a (the switcher may be the culprit) but it's night and day. My vinyl has never sounded so good, and it's just when I see the likes of Stan posting he does this too that I realise that really really really we should listen with our own ears and believe what they tell us.
On the BM, (thanks Stan for the Courier advice) I'll just add to what has already been said. This product is a revelation. For such small money I am getting detail I never heard before, and I really like that, soundstage, imaging and bass like never before. Absolutely stonking product, and my CDP (Arcam 73) is also producing the goods again.You haven't read your welcome email have you?

MartinT
14-06-2012, 12:23
Tom (nortot) - you've already been asked once (as well as in your activation e-mail) to please visit the welcome area and introduce yourself. Please do that before you make any further posts.

nortot
14-06-2012, 12:23
oh oh, will do now.....

Marco
14-06-2012, 13:13
Yes, Tom, please do. We wouldn't like to think that you were ignoring us (not an option) ;)

Marco.

StanleyB
14-06-2012, 13:47
Hi Steve, seeing that you have a stand alone headamp, what about doing a review of the Bushmaster headphone section against your stand alone headamp as well? I am sure loads of people would find that of similar interest as well.

Martinh
14-06-2012, 13:55
OMG the Bushmaster is a triumph!

Took the Dacmagic out and its never going back in again.

Bloody well done Stan!

1st time I've heard a digital source sound non-digital.

Awesome,

worrasf
14-06-2012, 13:58
Hi Steve, seeing that you have a stand alone headamp, what about doing a review of the Bushmaster headphone section against your stand alone headamp as well? I am sure loads of people would find that of similar interest as well.

Good idea Stan - happy to do that. I'm just waiting for my Beyerdynamics to go off for service/repair - like an idiot after I'd completed the latest upgrade to the SOHA II I had accidentally left the vol pot on Max with the cans connected and blew the speakers! Before that the brief few minutes of listening revealed a worthwhile improvement in SQ following my tweaks various.
I dont think my Grado's good as they are are revealing enough for such an A/B demo but watch this space.
Steve

edmondwolfman
14-06-2012, 14:13
OMG the Bushmaster is a triumph!

Took the Dacmagic out and its never going back in again.

Bloody well done Stan!

1st time I've heard a digital source sound non-digital.

Awesome,

Hey Martin, you may be the person I'm waiting to hear from.

I too have a DACMagic and while I like it I've never been completely satisfied and was wondering if replacing the DACMagic with another DAC might be what I'm looking for.

Would you describe the differences you are hearing between the Bushmaster and the DACMagic?

StanleyB
14-06-2012, 14:21
I dont think my Grado's good as they are are revealing enough for such an A/B demo but watch this space.
Get to try a Sennheiser HD800 with the Bushmaster :eyebrows:. Ignore any online comments about weak bass on those. The BM has the kind of output current capability to cause some serious air displacements from those big drive units. And if I ever publish my Bushmaster HD800 mod (which will unfortunately make battery operation impossible) you could do some serious damage to your skull with bass heavy tracks. The low frequency response capability of the Bushmaster coupled with the large drivers from the HD800 is frightening to say the least.