Beresford Bushmaster DAC Reviews

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Originally Posted by magiccarpetride

No one responded to some of my previous inquiries, so I'd like to interject again and ask:

Does anyone else feel as if the highs from the Bushmaster are quite rolled off? I still get this lopsided, bottom-heavy presentation from the DAC, even after 24+ hours burn in. I was honestly expecting it to even out a bit, but the highs (i.e. cymbals, chimes, bells, etc.) are, to my ears, still unnaturally muffled.

What seems to be missing is the 'metallic' aspect of these metallic instruments. Like, the bells and chimes are made from metal alloys, and yet through the Bushmaster they sound more murky, more 'wooden' if you will. Also, they appear quite receded into the background, whilst with the Caiman they're more in your face, projected in front of the speakers. A quick switcharoo between the Bushmaster and the Caiman confirms that.

Is this typical for the Bushmaster, or have I just received a more 'personalized' copy of this fantastic DAC?

For the reference, I'm feeding digital signal via coax from the Squeezebox Touch, and then from the DAC out into the DSP 2000 preamp and DPA 200 power amp driving a pair of big-ass Magnepan speakers.

Any other DAC I've ever tried with the above configuration was giving me plenty of 'metallic' sounds from the cymbals et al, however the Bushmaster sounds much, much more tame and polite. I'm OK with the dark, coppery presentation of the cymbals (going down to the basement and hitting a few of my Sabian and Zyldian cymbals confirms that they do indeed emit this rich, harmonics laden coppery sheen), but I must say I'm less than pleased with the 'woody' presentation of the chimes and bells. They should be sounding more sparkly, no? I do have some bells and chimes in the house, and striking them gives off the sound that's anything but 'woody'.

I must say I'm extremely baffled by this muffled presentation of the highs. Everything else about this DAC is super fantastic, and exceeds all my expectations, but I'm now stuck with straining my ears to catch the familiar percussive sounds that are the staple of bands such as Santana etc.

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I can only agree about the presentation of the " highs " they are not as they should be ( too laid back )......if you have any chance you should try out the BM against the TC-7510 and you may get surprised

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Originally Posted by StanleyB

Have you got anything else than the SBT to try?

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At the moment only PS3 slim, via the optical. I'll give it a try tonight, Stan, and report back. Thanks for your helpful suggestions.

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Originally Posted by StanleyB

You have become accustomed to the typical bright metallic sound of digital audio and lost the ability to recognize a more analogue sound I reckon.

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There's a lot of truth in what you said here, Stan. Bushmaster is indeed unique in that it does not contain even slight traces of that horrible, glassy digital sound. I've never heard anything like that before, not even from a CD player that retailed at $28,000!

And yes, I agree, I need to reprogram my brain to accept the new reality. Still, I'm finding this new regime lacking with regards to the percussive attacks, especially with instruments made of metal alloys, such as bells, chimes, etc.

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Originally Posted by magiccarpetride

From the DAC into the preamp I'm using the much ballyhooed Belkin 8ft cables, which sound quite stunning with the Caiman.

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Hmm, what's the capacitance on the 8ft interconnects? Don't forget that a Gator'd Caiman could drive just about anything. The Bushmaster is passive - direct from the DAC chip.

Don't worry. Send it back to me for a refund. No need to continue to worry about the issues you are experiencing.

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Originally Posted by DaveK

Just to add a note of reassurance to that delicate natured reviewer on HiFi Pig, yes I do trust your ears as well but the other reviewer has the same sort of kit as me, i.e. perhaps more mid-fi than hi-fi :lol: , so I expect it to be more relevant perhaps to my situation - no offence is to be taken, OK? ;) .

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:hmm: dunno - I'm of a very sensitive disposition. I take offence quite easily. :eyebrows:

Fair enuff, Dave. :) I've got a quite hi-rez system by most folks standards, I reckon, so I can understand that the opinion of someone with the same level of kit as you would be of special interest.

Highs rolled off? No, not in my system. The highs sound particularly well balanced, with (as myself and Martin have noted) particularly realistic vocal sibilance, which is a great test for high freqs.

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Originally Posted by MartinT

Hmm, what's the capacitance on the 8ft interconnects? Don't forget that a Gator'd Caiman could drive just about anything. The Bushmaster is passive - direct from the DAC chip.

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Not sure about the capacitance; I'll see if I have other interconnects lying around. Maybe they'll make a difference.

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Originally Posted by StanleyB

Don't worry. Send it back to me for a refund. No need to continue to worry about the issues you are experiencing.

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You can't be serious?

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Originally Posted by jandl100

Highs rolled off? No, not in my system. The highs sound particularly well balanced, with (as myself and Martin have noted) particularly realistic vocal sibilance, which is a great test for high freqs.

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Same here. Vocals are fantastic, never sounded better. It is just that the high pitched percussion instruments, such as bells, chimes, tambourines, etc. sound recessed and muffled. Everything else is absolutely to die for!