Listening notes on Soekris 2541 DAC and Bricasti M3 DAC

FYI  Listened to a Bricasti M3 DAC and have a pretty good comparison at this point.  Bear in mind that the Bricasti is fully broken in, and the Soekris is not.

The 2541 voicing is more upfront - first couple row seating compared to the Bricasti, and the bass of the 2541 is definitely punchier, more pronounced...sounds like a 2DB rise in the 80Hz region, but really, really nice, as I like deep bass.  The Bricasti bass does seem a bit more organic.

The Bricasti layering of imagery is superior, as the 2541 is a little bit towards the flat side of things comparatively.  Left to right staging is nice for both units, as is the height imaging.  The 2541 really lets one hear the size of the room - even better than the Bricasti for hearing reverb, echo, delay and the audio special effects.

The Bricasti portrays the warmth of closely miked vocals better than the 2541, which tended to smear the voice a bit - overall mids are also just a touch more palpable with the Bricasti.  The 2541 has a nice sustain of guitar work that the Bricsasti lacks.

The 2541 Female vocals can get a touch glared  - especially on opera pieces...the Bricasti is smooth for all vocals.

Clearly, I enjoy the Bricasti more, but the $ to enjoyment equation favors the Soekris.  Lets hope the sound and staging improves over time.