Beresford Bushmaster DAC

[synsei]

Which is absolutely fine Stan. By the way, that wasn't a criticism more a comment on the cost of additional bling which is being requested by some...

[StanleyB]

Which is absolutely fine Stan. By the way, that wasn't a criticism more a comment on the cost of additional bling which is being requested by some...

It's forward thinking. Once the initial development and production cost have been amortized over a period of time or through brisk sales, it becomes possible to drop the price or add extra features without increasing the price. The variable output circuit itself would only cost an extra £20 to £30 (including VAT) to have implemented from scratch. But that would have taken the total price over the £200 bracket, and that might be a red line for many people.

[synsei]

Fair enough...

May I just say that I think you have done an excellent job here and I am looking forward to hearing one at some point with a view to buy

My partner is still insistent that she wants one in pink...

[Werner Berghofer]

Stan,

The Bushmaster was designed to be used as a digital headamp capable of driving even difficult loads like the K701 and HD800 with ease and confidence that would put many stand alone headamps to shame.

you see, I really don’t want to tear open old wounds, but I fear this is exactly the kind of bold statement that could make it difficult for you to establish and maintain a good reputation in the growing and important market of headphone aficionados. Anybody who’s into serious headphone listening is pretty aware that a DAC with an integraded headphone jack is in a completely different league than a true, stand-alone headphone amplifier.

Werner.

[synsei]

No disrespect meant Werner, but maybe such statements are best left until you have heard one for yourself...

[Mr.Ian]

.

Personally I think this looks rather good, a clear improvement on the two tone version posted earlier. I quite like the gold too.

[Werner Berghofer]

Dave,

but maybe such statements are best left until you have heard one for yourself

that’s very true, but after purchasing overall five DACs from two different generations of Stan’s products (TC-7520 and gatorized Caiman) and comparing their performance to a stand-alone headphone amplifier, I fear I’ve lost the trust. With every new incarnation of Stan’s DACs it was promised that the headphone performance now really would be improved, but after trying a dedicated headphone amp I eventually found something better meeting my expectations.

I do know that my current combination of stand-alone DACs and headphone amplifiers is more expensive than Stan’s integrated, all-in-one products, but anyone using AKG K701/702 or Sennheiser HD 800 headphones expects certain levels of performance and probably might be disappointed. Let’s hope and wait for the Bushmaster.

Werner.

[synsei]

Dave,



that’s very true, but after purchasing five DACs from two different generations of Stan’s products (TC-7520 and gatorized Caiman) and comparing their performance to a stand-alone headphone amplifier, I fear I’ve lost the trust.

I know that my current combination of stand-alone DACs and headphone amplifiers is more expensive than Stan’s products, but anyone using AKG K701/702 or Sennheiser HD 800 headphones expects certain levels of performance and might be disappointed.

Werner.

That maybe so, or it may not but either way Stan has developed a product that in his estimation will outperform most if not all products at the Bushmasters target price and a fair few higher up the ladder. Also, not everyone has the wonga to spend on a separate DAC and headphone amp, so if the Bushmaster DAC fulfils what is promised then there are going to be many happy customers and some seriously startled major players

You said it yourself Werner, the products you have purchased are not the Bushmasters natural competitors so therefore if the head amp performance is just a few percent off then the target customer is going to be satisfied and VFM is guaranteed...

[DaveK]

Hi Stan,
Just out of interest, 'cos I don't think I'm in the market for a Bushmaster myself ATM (but that may change when the reviews start coming in ), are you able to offer AoS members and/or previous customers any discount as you have been able to do with your earlier DACs? I appreciate times are difficult for most of us and you have made us aware of what a good price it is as it now stands and why, but I just thought I'd ask .
Apologies if this has been asked and answered before .
Good luck with the launch, you deserve it!
Dave.

[jandl100]

Mmm - that gold trim will match nicely with my slightly blingy MBL speakers.