As you requested, I am keeping my Bricasti M1 SE DAC in my main audio system and keeping the Ayre Codex DAC for my 2-chanel home theatre system.
Last week, at my retailer, I heard the Ayre QX-5 Twenty DAC running direct to a power amp and then an Ayre AX-5 twenty integrated Amp. My retailer highly recommends the use of a pre-amp. Bricasti people believe that going direct to a power amp sounds better. The demo used Wilson speakers ($$$) and I have Sonus Faber Olympica II speakers. To be honest, the Ayre QX-5 Twenty DAC sounds very good but I do not know if it is that much better than my Bricasti. My system sounds excellent. How much better can it sound and do I really need to spend the money? The Ayre QX-5 Twenty DAC is an excellent choice but I am okay with the Bricasti M1 SE DAC.
I tested my Prism Sound Callia DAC ($2,595) in my main audio system and it was okay but the Bricasti was much better as it should be because of its high price. My Bricasti has bass, warmth and presence that the Callia did not have. Bricasti feels that the removal of a pre-amp makes the sound more natural. We decided to remove the R141 (circuit) from my Hypex NCore NC400 bridged mono blocks, thus lowering gain by 14 dB, requiring 14 dB higher M1 volume setting for same playback level. The sound quality result depends on the equipment used, the listening room and your experiences. And, yes, I know that everyone has a different opinion on this topic because of the many variables.
The Callia DAC was replaced with the Ayre Codex DAC in my 2-channel home theatre system. The Codex is still breaking in so I cannot comment but it sounds very good and getting better. This is an amazing small box that is an outstanding DAC. The Codex DAC sounded very good in my main audio system and I was very impressed. However, the Bricasti had more feeling and should sound better based on its higher price.
Visiting an audio retailer is very dangerous, especially for me, and they like to show off their audio toys. After I heard the Ayre QX-5 Twenty DAC, I returned home and listened to my system. It sounds terrific and I have decided to make no changes. The Ayre Codex DAC is an outstanding piece of equipment and compares very favorable to pieces costing much more.
So, as was requested above by nycjlee, I highly recommend the Ayre Codex DAC.
