Beresford: 7520 or 7510

[el_santo]

Hi All!

I'm new in this forum.

I have a modest equipment (Marantz PM-48 amplifier and Infinity EL-20 loudspeakers).

I want to purchase a DAC to listen music files through the computer s/pdif output.

I've read good reviews of the beresford 7510, and now there is a new model 7520.

I don't need the USB input, and i won't use headphones. All that I want is to listen music through loudspeakers.

Some people that have tried both says that 7520 sounds better than 7510, but I don't know if that improvement affects only the headphone output or also normal line output.

It seems strange to me that 7520 sounds (through line out) much better than the recently awarded 7510, which is supposed to have a very good quality.

Respecting line output: ¿does 7520 sounds better than 7510?

Perhaps by bottleneck is amplifier and loudspeaker and both DACs (7520 and 7510) will sound similar on my system....

¿what do you think?

Thank you and regards.

[Gazjam]

They are both great dacs.

Given that you dont need USB I'd go for the 7510 - buy some music with the difference in cost!

Dont feel your missing out getting the 7510 over the 7520, both are fantastic sounding - just aimed at different markets.
The 7520 DOES sound better - through both headphone AMD line output - its just whether given your system at the moment you would actually benefit from it.

I think the 7520 would be overkill in your system. I take it your playing Lossless files from your PC and not just MP3?
That'll make a bigger difference in your system than the 7520 vs 7510 I feel.

Also, something else to think about...
If you use USB rather than spdif from your PC, it will bypass the computer soundcard and the windows audio drivers, which can affect sound too.
Google a thing called ASIO4ALL, if you want to use spdif you will want your signal running into the dac to be "bit-perfect", which this software can achieve.



Hope this helps.

[Dougr33]

I'd like to offer a differing opinion if I may. I'm not sure where you're located, but it seems to me that after shipping and VAT is added, the price difference, 50GBP or 75USD, is only about 25% difference.

Think future! The 7520 does sound better than the 10. It sounds even better with a very easy $10 opamp upgrade. You may someday want USB ability and the headphone amp (that you don't think you'll use now) on this is very good. And while both can be used as a preamp straight into a power amp (or powered speakers), the 20 is designed to be better in this regard. You may someday want that feature... I'm in my glory now: I sit next to a whisper-quiet deck (pioneer elite dv-45a), the 7520, and a computer monitor and mouse on a table. In a drawer is hidden a tiny, quiet computer. Selling my decent CDP and integrated amp, I was able to double my power (the NAD C272) AND pay for the Beresford, and be able to sit next to my music collection from computer and a pile of CDs I keep changing. I've never had so much fun.

So just a thought... not too much for choices in the future, and the quality of sound of the 7520 with the easy-switched 4562na opamps won't be the bottleneck as you improve your system in the future.

Good luck.

[el_santo]

Thank you for your responses.... I think I will decide in a few days...

I take it your playing Lossless files from your PC and not just MP3?
That'll make a bigger difference in your system than the 7520 vs 7510 I feel.

I used to have my collection as ogg and mp3, but nowadays i store music as flac files.

Also, something else to think about...
If you use USB rather than spdif from your PC, it will bypass the computer soundcard and the windows audio drivers, which can affect sound too.
Google a thing called ASIO4ALL, if you want to use spdif you will want your signal running into the dac to be "bit-perfect", which this software can achieve.

I have an integrated ac97 codec, which, as almost all integrated boards audio chip, only can output through s/pdif at 48KHz. Most of my records are 16/44.1 so it had to resample them on the fly.

To solve that I purchased a trust sc-5250, that has c-media 8738, a very cheap card (22€) that can output through s/pdif at native 44.1KHz,without resample.
I use linux where the alsa driver enable bit-perfect output with this card.
If someone else is interested there is a alternative windows driver for this card that can enable bit-perfect s/pdif at 44.1KHz among other features. The driver is at http://code.google.com/p/cmediadrivers/

Regards

[Gazjam]

As Doug says,

it ight be useful to get the 7520 anyway for futureproofing.

[roscoeiii]

Is it as easy to upgrade the opamps on the 7510 as it is on the 7520, or is the 7520 much preferable if one wants to implement some of the mods discussed on these forums?

[ReachtheSky]

The 7520 has sockets for opamp changing - relatively easy (see the 7520 mod thread for details how to change 7520 opamps). You need to be a soldering expert to do the same on the 7510.

[el_santo]

I received the 7520 last tuesday....

I am very happy.
When I first connected it, I was hoping some kind of "spectacular sound", but its not the case.
What provides, in my opinion is a very clear sound and, above all, better "resolution"
I can hear much more "detail" from recordings that I had listened a million of times before....

besides my "normal" computer, i decided to connect also my eee pc to the usb port of beresford. both input sound great.
So i'm glad to have purchased the 7520 instead of the 7510. I though that I wont use the usb port but I change my mind after one day of use.

the beresford brings new life to my modest equipment.

I wont do any mod.... I am fully satisfied with out of the box settings.



Regards!

[Dougr33]

The $12 / 10 minute LM4562 opamp change is really, really worth it. Then you can stop, 'cause now you've got one of the great audio deals available anywhere!

[Gazjam]

Seconded!
(Although the 4032's ARE a fair bit better than the 4562sI found.

This dac with 4032 Op Amp (and 4562) upgrade is a STUPENDIOUS bargain, amazing sounding bit of kit.