Looking for upgrade advice

[Solrighal]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for advice regarding DAC's.

My system is as follows..

WD external USB 3 drives > Mac mini (late 2012 i5) > FLAC > JRMC19 > ODAC > Project Ember Mk2 > HD 650

I recently upgraded to the Project Ember & it's been a very real upgrade to the sound. However, I'm still experiencing some glare in the treble and I'm thinking it's down to the ESS Sabre in the ODAC. A kind member of another forum pointed me in the direction of Beresford DAC's and this forum in particular.

The thing is I'm not entirely sure where to go for the Bushmaster Mk2 or the Caiman. Am I right in thinking the only difference between the two is that the Caiman has a USB input? My Mac mini only has the four USB 3 inputs and it would be true to say I could do with releasing one of them if at all possible.

Is USB intrinsically better than optical? Is optical even possible from a Mac mini? I think it has a Mini DisplayPort output which isn't used so if I could use that with no degradation compared to USB that would be great.

The big question though is whether the Beresford DAC's would cure my treble problem?

My Project Ember is fantastic & so I won't be using the built-in amp of the Beresford's. What can I say? I like tube-rolling. My current valve sweet-spot is a 1951 Sylvania Chrome Dome 6SNtGTA if that helps anyone imagine the kind of sound I like. It's on the warm side of neutral and my HD 650's are also warm so I don't want to overdo things but the glare in the treble can get annoying with certain recordings. Shpongle springs to mind but even things like Feist & Dire Straits can exhibit the same issue.

Any help or input would be very welcome.

Gordon.

[DreamKing]

BM2 pairs excellently with the HD650. BM2 has has treble glare more prominent on something like the HD800 or any bright headphone, so not a good match with those. HD650 being dark and known to be an excellent pair with the BMII, it is a good choice.

USB is not better than optical. USB still has technical shortcomings these days but a good USB interface should be on par with optical. If USB is your only output option on your MAC, I would go with the Caiman. The Caiman, on its own, is more natural and is more weighty in sound than the BMII so pairs well with more headphones, though I do not know how it compares as a pairing with the HD650 vs the BMII.

DisplayPort is for monitors.

[mkrzych]

Regarding CMII it sounds fantastic, but with newer V6 firmware (however as Stan pointed, this firmware may not be for everyone, especially if you have noisy source). For USD vs. optical, yes it's possible to use optical from the Mac - you have headphone out which is usually also optical out and you need to use mini TOSLINK jack on one side of the cable (don't know what is your run length, but suggest to buy rather good, possibly glass cable).

Another thing is the sound over USB and optical. In my case, I've found that on CMII optical sounds the best. Much better than USB, much better! It all depends on the USB implementation and I also found that USB could be dependant on the operating system, PC/Mac hardware and could leak the computer noise to the DAC as well. Ideal solution for you is to check both and stick to this you like the most.

[Solrighal]

BM2 pairs excellently with the HD650. BM2 has has treble glare more prominent on something like the HD800 or any bright headphone, so not a good match with those. HD650 being dark and known to be an excellent pair with the BMII, it is a good choice.

USB is not better than optical. USB still has technical shortcomings these days but a good USB interface should be on par with optical. If USB is your only output option on your MAC, I would go with the Caiman. The Caiman, on its own, is more natural and is more weighty in sound than the BMII so pairs well with more headphones, though I do not know how it compares as a pairing with the HD650 vs the BMII.

DisplayPort is for monitors.


Regarding CMII it sounds fantastic, but with newer V6 firmware (however as Stan pointed, this firmware may not be for everyone, especially if you have noisy source). For USD vs. optical, yes it's possible to use optical from the Mac - you have headphone out which is usually also optical out and you need to use mini TOSLINK jack on one side of the cable (don't know what is your run length, but suggest to buy rather good, possibly glass cable).

Another thing is the sound over USB and optical. In my case, I've found that on CMII optical sounds the best. Much better than USB, much better! It all depends on the USB implementation and I also found that USB could be dependant on the operating system, PC/Mac hardware and could leak the computer noise to the DAC as well. Ideal solution for you is to check both and stick to this you like the most.

Thanks for the comments and advice guys.

Just to be clear - I'm only interested in the DAC output, not the built-in amp sections. Are we on the same page?

[DreamKing]

Thanks for the comments and advice guys.

Just to be clear - I'm only interested in the DAC output, not the built-in amp sections. Are we on the same page?

Yes, I don't use the headphone output.

[Solrighal]

Yes, I don't use the headphone output.

OK, thanks Jean. Caiman it is then! Now I need to save some pennies.