Beresford Bushmaster DAC Reviews

[Reid Malenfant]

Discharge and recharge in an incorrect fashion could be regarded as abuse. I see and have seen poor performance on handheld radios issued from my workplace, where the user does not carry out the correct discharge and recharge protocol.

God, I just realised how boring that was! Sorry!

You are perfectly correct, the problem is that different battery types require different regimes, just to add to the madness

It's a minefield that only a few people understand, those that read up & follow the correct protocol.

NiCd, NiMh, Lithium Ion, Lead Acid (& then depending on the battery type to), what a nightmare for joe public!

[Martinh]

Discharge and recharge in an incorrect fashion could be regarded as abuse. I see and have seen poor performance on handheld radios issued from my workplace, where the user does not carry out the correct discharge and recharge protocol.

God, I just realised how boring that was! Sorry!

Exactly!

correct, not boring, that is

The charging and low voltage cut off is taken care of by the pack's built in circuits, so no worries there. Discharging at too high a rate is another killer, however ~ 100 mA is nothing for this type of battery, so no probs there either.

Lithium batteries don't have a memory effect, so you don't have to cycle them like the old nicad or nimh types. You can keep them topped up with no Ill effect.

[MartinT]

I think MartinT was doing a test on his with 6 hours a night usage to see how long it lasts. Not sure how he's getting on with that.

Hi Martin - deferred, I'm afraid, as the charger failed while I was trying to put a full charge into the battery to start tests. I've made a claim and await a replacement charger.

[Reid Malenfant]

Hi Martin - deferred, I'm afraid, as the charger failed while I was trying to put a full charge into the battery to start tests. I've made a claim and await a replacement charger.

Sounds like a quality bit of kit

First time & it fails, talk about infant mortality

Thankfully there is that bathtub curve to hopefully enjoy soon I hope number two is a little luckier

[MartinT]

Cheap Chinese charger. What can I say?

[Reid Malenfant]

Cheap Chinese charger. What can I say?

You have said it Martin

As I say, I hope number two (wasn't that Pinkley, or one of my favourite actors - Donald Sutherland) does the business

[nat8808]

Ah, thanks for that!

So 60 hours is a month at 2 hours a day.

Nonetheless, I suspect that I am (and probably most of us are ) sufficiently OCD to keep the thing charged up every couple of days.

Go green and off-grid:

I noticed these were on offer at Maplins recently Solar Powered 12V Battery Charger

Have to check the specs to see if it will charge the Hong Kong thing.

[jandl100]

God, I just realised how boring that was! Sorry!

... mmmm? .... What?! .... Ah, sorry - I must have drifted off ....

[Martinh]

Go green and off-grid:

I noticed these were on offer at Maplins recently Solar Powered 12V Battery Charger

Have to check the specs to see if it will charge the Hong Kong thing.

No, you MUST use the supplied charger or another suitable lithium charger. Using a std charger will overcharge them and will cause damage. If its a lipo, this can result in a fire.

Decent lithium chargers charge at a constant current up to 12.6v and then switch to constant voltage until the charge current falls off to a few mA.

Cheers,

[bostod]

Well i have let my bushmaster burn in for over 150 hours with the occasional listen.
My set up comprises of a thin client computer running win XP and Foobar2000. A Teradac usb to spdif converter with independent power supply, a Tripath amp with valve buffer and some open baffle speakers.
My old Dac was a modified AK4396.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finished-2...item1c1d153156
Swapping to the Bushmaster straight off was an improvement. I didn't realise what digital glare was until the change.
Hopefully after the burn in period the Dac will not change its qualities too much. I can confirm what others have witnessed. The holographic effect is superb. I have had Stans other Dacs including a gatorised Caiman with Maplin P/S and i have never heard this level of holographic quality. The way it places the vocals in their own space and then adds the instruments around it is a revelation to me.
I received the Mark Grant SBooster today and this has taken the Dac to another level. It has not changed any of the characteristics of the Dac, things just sound clearer. you can hear the the plucking of the stings on a guitar and i can follow the separate instruments with ease. for just under £30 its a great upgrade.