Beresford Bushmaster DAC Reviews

[Gazjam]

was going to recommend the Vlink II but then I saw you were looking for something cheaper - sorry!

[nat8808]

Or one of these if you have a USB port but no card slot:

I would have thought that a more direct connection to the main bus of the computer via a PCMCIA card etc would be better - avoid problems of USB altogether.

Better still, my latest laptop aquisition, some dual core Toshiba 13" jobbie, has the audio codec chip right there under the case in the corner with a s/pdif out on the corner leg. As it was being thrown out, I don't mind trying to directly wire up an output from that (maybe I could add in a small buffer externally) directly accessing a digital stream from the sound chip itself! I'd install a mini coax socket on the side with some coax cable linking to the pin and shield to earth (internal cable from an old wireless router).

Ignoring the delicate soldering job, any thoughts on that anyone? Will it work? Will I get a digital stream of ALL and any audio output from the laptop?

[nat8808]

Out of interest, Stan, do you recommend optical for such things like laptops? Is noise on coax out from a computer interface ever a problem (or does your jitter busting magic mean it's not an issue)?

[StanleyB]

Out of interest, Stan, do you recommend optical for such things like laptops? Is noise on coax out from a computer interface ever a problem (or does your jitter busting magic mean it's not an issue)?

I can only go by my own tests and design criteria. And that is based around the use of optical and coax, which is why the Bushmaster has those kind of inputs. I know that some recent designs use galvanic isolation etc to kill the noise in those designs, but my method is cheaper and going by the listening tests that many of you have done so far it is also superior than the galvanic isolation method. To be able to hear the sound echo in the background when someone is singing requires a super duper quiet and clean signal decoding process. The Bushmaster passes that with flying colours.
Don't forget that the primary reason for the development of the Bushmaster was to be able to handle PC and media players, which are notorious sources of spurious noise. So when you use say a CDP or DVD you'll have an even bigger edge and added SQ.

[John]

After hearing the difference between a good DAC using a usb to SPDIF converter and dedicated USB I say it will give you good sounds but will not allow you to hear the full potential of the Bushmaster
I will just wait till the Caiman II as I am hopeful Stan will have come up with a good adaptive solution for USB

[magiccarpetride]

It didn't ship it the day before yesterday. Customers who previously expressed an interest in ordering a Bushmaster were sent a note and a Paypal money request last week Wednesday. Those who paid were then sent their order. UK buyers started receiving theirs on Thursday, and those outside the UK started receiving theirs this week.

True. I was merely referring to the information on the http://postserv.post.gov.tw site, where it said that my package was dispatched from Taiwan on June 10, and arrived at my doorstep on June 12. That's amazing (to me), considering that if I try to ship a package to my next door neighbour, Canada Post will take its sweet time and it will probably arrive no sooner than a week later!

Go figure...

[StanleyB]

My speed of delivery has been legendary for years so there is nothing to figure out about my commitment to customer service . I have personally vetted a range of couriers etc and selected the fastest and most reliable ones. Did you know that in the UK I can even assure customers before what time on what day their parcel will arrive? Go figure that one .

[magiccarpetride]

Jerry - could you tell me that the Bushmaster is just as good as the Lampizator 4 please? I keep getting interested in the Lampizator from so many good reviews over the last couple of years but don't think I could justify the cost - I keep promising myself I'll just make one but I doubt that will occur in reality (current idea is to go non-oversampling, non-filtered with an UltraAnalog D20400 unit, making a 20bit/384kHz DAC).

So please tell me that this £200 wonder machine is just as good..

Just out of curiosity (and I hope this will not seem as if I'm hijacking the thread), but has anyone been in the position to compare Bushmaster with the NAD M51 DAC? There's been a lot of hoopla recently surrounding this DAC, and some people I know have been lately raving about it. At $2,000 price tag, it is almost 10 times more expensive than Bushmaster, and I'm pretty sure I won't be coveting it, but still... Anyone heard these two DACs side by side? What's the conclusion? I'm asking because I'm curious about NAD's allegedly patented technology where they preemptively convert PCM signal into the DSD pulse or something. Suppose to give it a different sonic signature. True, or yet another high falutin' mumbo-jumbo?

[magiccarpetride]

My speed of delivery has been legendary for years so there is nothing to figure out about my commitment to customer service . I have personally vetted a range of couriers etc and selected the fastest and most reliable ones. Did you know that in the UK I can even assure customers before what time on what day their parcel will arrive? Go figure that one .

So it's a double whammy! No, wait, a triple whammy:

1. Ball-busting quality components
2. Competition-destroying affordability
3. Shockingly fast delivery

There's probably the fourth whammy (excellent after-purchase support), but I never had the need to try that one, so I'll take other people's word for it.

Impressive!

[StanleyB]

I suggest that you go and wire up the Bushmaster and re-acquaint yourself with your amp and speakers for a while. Then let us know if you are emotionally overcome by it all, or whether the experience has left you deflated .