Beresford Bushmaster DAC Reviews

[HarshaDS]

Hi Gents,

After having read 90 odd pages of chit chat about this DAC I too jumped in and ordered the Bushmaster from Stanley myself. My initial worry about voltage issues in North America were allayed by MagicCarpetRides reply in this forum and a call to Stanley directly just to make doubly sure. It came very quickly to NYC to my suprise, others have mentioned the speed of delivery but it is truly astonishing. Mr. Beresford is actually a magician as his mystical powers work on both the transformation of digital input into glorious analogue signal for my tube amplifier and equally the transportation of parcels from the other side of the world.

Long story short, it arrived, I immediately plugged it in replacing a Music Hall 15.2 which managed to force feed my amplifier overly etched highs and a lifeless bottom end. My initial impressions were very promising as there was now BASS but the highs were still quite fatiguing after listening for 45 minutes or so which made me think of the need to burn in the DAC (yes...I read that thread too ). I fed it a constant diet of Pandora and my iTunes library turning the amp on every now and then to see if things had changed, though I would not call that critical listening it certainly seemed to be sounding better. Finally after 11 days or approximately 260 hours of constant burn in I sat down to critically listen.



My musical tastes are somewhat eclectic though it tends to be mostly contemporary jazz with electronica and classical thrown in for good measure. My reference CD's (in fact very slowly all of them) are being ripped to 24/96 FLAC files which I now had plugged in and ready to go. Sophie Milman was first up to bat, she started singing and every instrument was placed precisely on a sound-stage before me, the double bass was distinctly focused and not dissolving into the lush warm background of sound. Her voice was separate but not disconnected from the piano and other instruments, she was singing "There's Something in the Air Between Us".....it felt very intimate, I didn't want to mention Sophie to my wife....she wouldn't understand .

Next came James Taylor's "October Road"....amazing detail, wide enveloping sound-stage and the lower harmonics that made the hairs on my arm stand up. Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Melody Gardot, Keith Jarrett, Adele, YoYo Ma.... At this point I had cancelled my plans for the rest of the day and I had a single malt in hand....it helps me listen better...


I'm pretty sure you've heard it all before but I was always taught to give credit
where credit is due. Mr Beresford, I think to the naysayers that equate price to quality you should repackage the Bushmaster in a solid Titanium/aluminum/stainless-steel CNC'd block. Charge them several grand for the privilege of owning your product and add another 50% on top of the price for burning in.



Ooopps....sorry, I'm waffling, So let me say in conclusion before I get banned for waffling. An amazing product that if the new owners listen to the far wiser members on this forum, who have gone through the process of learning how to get the best from it, will be happy with a superior product for a nominal outlay.

My scotch has run out...the sun is coming up and in NY and I must go to sleep. I shall not write anything so long again in the future.

Harsha

[synsei]

My scotch has run out...the sun is coming up and in NY and I must go to sleep. I shall not write anything so long again in the future.

Harsha

Oh please do, that was excellent and most entertaining

[DaveK]

Oh please do, that was excellent and most entertaining

I could not agree more!! . That's what I call a review - well done!

[DuncanHynes]

Harsha, thanks for your take on the Bushmaster, mine is on it's way very soon. I too was unsure of the price/quality wall we often put up in electronics and prestige of brand name in the same light. I am just hoping there are no voltage USA 110 issues. Are you ok in NYC? Terrible storm.

[Cans]

Hi everyone,
I'm 2 hours into listening to the bushmaster. The sound I've come to expect from my mdac , imod and young dac has been replaced by this meticulously controlled deeper sound. I expected a harsher sound. I was simply not realising I could achieve this through the Bushmaster. Every track has been a joy. I have not yet tried my Audeze LCD2'S. I have been using my Denon AHD2000'S.
Each of the tracks has been a revelation. I have put up a mini review but I am getting a feeling that I can articulate what I like about this product.
The bass is what appealed to me. I like a deep bass. This is the best bass I have heard. I have many hours of listening to my Young Dac and the Mdac and the Caiman gatorised. But I'm hearing rich deep notes which are still leaving space for the rest of the mix.
Listening to Firestarter , the punch and slam is the most obvious thing about that track to me. It has been changed into a precisely controlled deeper experience but leaves more room for the rest of the mix to introduce itself . The separation is what I have been looking for.
Keith's voice does not cut through the swamping bass like I have come to expect . Instead I can hear his voice in a new way which is richer.
Babylon is a track which never fails to move me. The start is a swirling warmth which shimmers from left to right and leaves an afterglow as guitar and percussion continue the track forward. On the Bushmaster I am seeing a bottomless well of sound which took my breath away.
In the upper ranges there is a beautiul clarity which has enhanced the acoustic guitar and percussion without swamping anything.
I am not without criticism of hifi products. The mdac is too harsh but has fine detail . The Young is elegant and effortless listening. The imod is rhythmic but closed. The dacmagic plus was what I was looking for until I listened through the headphone output which was lacking.
This is what I have been wanting. I bought this product because it would enable me to listen to good quality music in the motorhome without setting up my generator. I have a battery pack on order and will update when I get that with my thoughts.
Whether people who read this think that I am suffering from a false impression due to the fact it's new , all I can say is ; that doesn't matter to me. The music overcomes any negativity and invites you to share in an experience you won't forget.

[DuncanHynes]

I have my DT880 Pro's 250Ohm and my BM that only took 4 days to get halfway around the world. I am still waiting on a decent (hopefully) TOSlink cable that's floating somewhere in my domestic postal system so all I have now is a total POS cable from MonoP.com. My motherboard doesn't have coax out only optical S/Pdif, sigh. Even still on that horrible cable where the ends were polished with a chainsaw this DAC/AMP has really put a smile on my face along with my Beyerdynamics. This is the first attempt I've ever made at buying nice audio equipment that would be above the norm. For me, spending $500 is a lot on anything, but I was so determined to at least taste what higher end stuff could offer. I am burning in both on music in a loop and it's easy to say headphones and the BM DAC sound better after even a few hours fresh out of the box. I know it will only improve over a few weeks of use. Music has always been a joy for me and now I can hear songs all over again. Thanks guys for the Bushmaster reviews and opinions, and thanks Stanley for making it so good.

[Søren]

A bit OT, and not meant to start a debate.

David (DuncanHynes), if you read this article, you will probably not worry about "only Toslink" anymore http://www.audioholics.com/education...history-basics

I am shure you will be even more happy with The Bushmasters SQ, when you recieve your HQ Toslink.

[DuncanHynes]

Thank you Soren, that was the best article yet on TOSlink. The one I ordered is quartz glass but I saw at the end it stated 'even mild bending' affects lesser quality cables. I'll take care not to do that with my setup. Anyway, I do like the BM a great deal and the sliver looks cool!

[Søren]

You`re welcome David . I have tried to use Musical Fidelity V-Link with The Bushmaster. USB, and both Toslink and Coax. But i think the "pure" Toslink connection sounds much better. I use 5m Blue Jeans Cable Toslink. It is actually very good. Wide bandwith 40Mhz/50m. But i need to use it with a miniplug adapter, so i have ordered a Lifatec glass cable http://www.lifatec.com/toslink2.html

I don`t know if it will sound better, but it will make me feel better.

[DuncanHynes]

Did you ever get that Lifatec cable? Did you get the white or the stainless steel jacket? I have to get one, they are made in USA it seems and look awsome. I ordered several Amazon cables from manufactures and the 'polished' ends are a joke, sent each one back. Even under 6x magnification it was apparent that no attention to detail was given at the plant. Under 10x I could see ridges and pits in the surface.