Beresford Bushmaster DAC Reviews

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…

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Originally Posted by Rubberdog

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?

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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.

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Originally Posted by loonytunes

Sometimes I wonder if all this async USB stuff is nonsense - I am no engineer - but ultimately the ears do tell..

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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.

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Originally Posted by NRG

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

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The pug is different, but Mark Grant mentioned that he is selling an adapter plug.

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Originally Posted by Russell Turner

Nope definitely 24bit 88.2KHz FLAC files ripped directly from the SACD two channel layer

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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?

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Originally Posted by MartinT

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?

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DVDAexplorer

And I didn't do it.

:-)

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Originally Posted by Russell Turner

DVDAexplorer

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Thanks, checking it out now.

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Originally Posted by StanleyB

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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by DaveK

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?

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Nope.

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Originally Posted by jandl100

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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by StanleyB

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...

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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

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.