Beresford Bushmaster DAC

[howlindawg]

Agreed, 3rd variant is the most attractive.

[synsei]

I'm still not comfortable with the icons but it's Stan's baby at the end of the day. Rockwell Italic for me too...

[icehockeyboy]

3rd for me too!

[webby]

I'd agree with that. Good work Werner.

The only adjustment I'd make is moving the Beresford logo to the left slightly to align it with the power button.

[synsei]

The only adjustment I'd make is moving the Beresford logo to the left slightly to align it with the power button.

Agreed. I recognised that problem when reworking Werner's earlier designs and fixed it accordingly.

[Lee]

Having looked at all the different ideas, I just looked back at my Caiman, which I quite like the look of in comparison. I know others seem to think the gold is too much bling, but looking at the gold on the Caiman, it adds a feeling of warmth to the presentation. Looking at Werner's most recent submissions, I get the opposite feeling, a look that is hard, cold, even brutal. I also think the symbols feel heavy and a bit "in your face."

I prefer a very minimalist look. I really don't see the need to label the power button, nor the headphone socket. Both are self-explanitory. Watch any three year old pushing buttons to realize these simple functions are well within the grasp of anyone who would consider buying a DAC in the first place. The select button's function, being much smaller than the power button and located next to the LED's, is easily worked out as well, without the need for text or symbol. It's special functions (dimming of LED's and switching of auto mode) are really only understood after reading the user manual, anyway. The only text that is possibly needed is the numbering of the LED's, with corresponding labels printed next to sockets on the back.

The Beresford logo is fine, unless Stan feels ready to rebrand. For the Bushmaster, I prefer the non-italic, plain thin fonts, the same as the numbers, to differentiate it from the logo. Having the logo and model name both italic and of a similar or same font makes the eye uncomfortable, wondering which is the company brand and which is the model. As far as the DAC description, I'm not convinced it's needed at all, but if it is, it should be in the same plain font, only smaller than the Bushmaster, of the same size and weight as the LED labels.

Just my opinion. ... All a matter of different taste for different folks.

[StanleyB]

Hi Lee, welcome to AoS and I would strongly suggest that you leg it to the welcome area and post an introduction before the murderators arrive on the scene with their baseball bats.

I prefer a very minimalist look. I really don't see the need to label the power button, nor the headphone socket. Both are self-explanitory. Watch any three year old pushing buttons to realize these simple functions are well within the grasp of anyone who would consider buying a DAC in the first place. The select button's function, being much smaller than the power button and located next to the LED's, is easily worked out as well, without the need for text or symbol. It's special functions (dimming of LED's and switching of auto mode) are really only understood after reading the user manual, anyway. The only text that is possibly needed is the numbering of the LED's, with corresponding labels printed next to sockets on the back.

It's one of those things that the EU regulators insist that you make clear on your equipment in case consumers get confused as to what a knob or switch is supposed to be for.

[Marco]

Hi Lee,

Welcome to AoS

Before going any further, please pop into the Welcome area and post a new thread there, introducing yourself to our members, telling us what system you use and what music you like. This procedure is now required of all members.

Cheers!

Marco.

[tizer2000uk]

I like the 3rd variant.

Touching on the design argument, I can see both sides here:

On the one hand the previous designs were basic and not very pretty but for me if they work well then the look is by the by.

On the other hand, when something looks good it automatically becomes desirable and as Werner said, the first bite is with the eye! Apple have this down to a fine art which has made hi tech very accessible to everyone and not just techies!

If you put two devices side by side and test them most people will pick the shiny pretty product over all else even if the sound from the ugly duckling was better. A good friend of mine decided a few years back that he would go out and put together a good hi-fi. The hi fi shop recommended buying all manner of expensive and very pretty cables and interconnects and gave him a case of them to trial at home. I took over a few of my own cables that although were well made did not have shiny connectors or purple sheaths and ran some double blind tests for him to decide, the tests were inconclusive and so I recommended he not shell out £70 quid for an interconnect and instead look around the budget end which is where my cables are sourced from.

Well he went back to the hi-fi shop and came back a few hundred quid lighter with a selection of the prettiest cables you ever did see...

The only issue with the Bushmaster is that my wife will know it cost more than "a couple of quid" when I remove it from the box...

[Labarum]

I think the font used in Bushmaster in the 3rd picture somehow reflects the look of a bushmaster. The flow, variations in thickness, and slanted appearance give a sense of identity between font and name.
Anyone agree with me?

I prefer Syntax Roman, though I was quite taken with the Copperplate script offered by someone earlier.

What does it look like with "Auto" above the LED lined up with the numbers and the lines grouping the inputs omitted?

I still think "24/192 DAC" is a sufficient description of the front panel, and I still think the logo would be better if it lost it ring.