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Bricasti M1 DAC vs PS Audio Direct Stream DAC

I own a PS Audio Direct Stream DAC that I like a lot but heard my friends system with the Bricasti M1 and I am strongly thinking of changing my DAC and would love your feedback from other members that have heard either or both. I know they are both great but really thinking of changing my Dac from PS Audio Direct Stream to the Bricasti M1 DAC. I use a HP Desk top computer as source with Jplay and JRiver Media 19 and the outstanding Tellurium Q BLACK DIAMOND Reference USB Cable. The rest of my system is below. I listen to Classic Rock, jazz, vocal, some modern music and the usual audiophile stuff.

Thanks

My system for reference.

Ascendo C-8 Renaissance Speakers (Germany) Monitor
Purist Audio Design Corvus Praesto Revision 2.5m Bi-Wire Speaker cable
Cardas Clear Interconnect 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Darwin TRUTH Pure Silver Reference 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Darwin TRUTH Pure Silver Reference 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Audio Research REFERENCE 1 w/Rhodium IEC/NOS Tubes Tube preamp
Decware ZSTAGE External Triode Output StageTelefunken ECC801S
PS Audio Direct Stream DSD DAC w/ Bridge DA converter
Tellurium Q BLACK DIAMOND Reference USB Cable
PS Audio PerfectWave PowerBase Vibration Cancelation/AC Condtioner
Conrad Johnson Premier 12 Mono's 140 Watts Tung-Sol KT120's amps
PS Audio PowerPlant Premier AC Regenerator
BMI Shark Pure Jeweler Grade Platinum AC Power Cable
Sablon Audio Petite Corona 2.0M AC Power Cable
Mad Scientist PC-NEO with Power Purifier AC Power Cable
JPS Labs The Power AC+ 2M AC Power Cable
Synergistic Research Labs Tesla Series SE T1 AC Power Cable
Synergistic Research Labs Tesla Series T1 AC Power Cable
PS Audio Noise Harvester (5) Converts noise to light
OYAIDE RI Beryllium Power Outlets (2)
Hubbell Outlet 5362/5262 Deep Cryo Process
Blue Circle Audio The Yalu Balula Industrial Surge/Spike Protection
JPLAY v5.2 hi-end audio player turns PC into a digital transport.
JRiver Media Center 19 Music Software
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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
I am glad you like it and very good description of the SQ effect. If you add a LPS to power your router it helps even a bit more. Also, it’s an unmanaged switch so it could learn how to run your DSDx2. Never tried DSDx2 myself so good for everyone to know that. It allowcates bandwith as needed so it should learn as you give it Time and run DSDx1 is my guess. You don’t need a $300 LPS for your router one of the $85 China LPS from eBay will work fine and its one of those where the sum of the whole is better then the individual parts type of things! Even a iFI Swichkng supply will help but I have both and like the China LPS better. More transparent sound. I used the AudioQuest Forest RJ/E cables which are a great little
cable for the money. Much better than cheap regular cable and not real expensive at all. They were like $30 a peice. The Vodka was a nice bump also but a lot more money and I really liked the Cardas but even more money also. Not big changes but all the little adds equal a nice whole add. 
jwm
918 posts
 
I have Sbooster linear power supplies on the router and the switch. May be over kill, but what the hell. I can replace the fuses in both power supplies to see if that changes anything as well.
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fsmithjack OP
712 posts
 
No I don’t think over kill I think that’s awesome! I use the Uptone Audio JS-2 that has 2 rails and have 2 Uptone LPS-1’s and I use to Regens. I owned the Amber and upgraded and bought the ISO. It was a nice upgrade and was going to just sell the old one but what’s is worth a hundred bucks? So I tied it using both on each end of my Tellarium Q Black Diamond and it works great. I think in digital there so no such thing as over kill because even little things make a nice difference. I’m glad it’s working nice for you! 
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
My point is that no matter how good a job the DAC does in cleaning up the signal it receives, and no matter how good the design of the DAC may be, signals and noise don’t necessarily just affect or entirely follow only their intended pathway. And the waveform characteristics and the noise characteristics of the signal that enters the DAC will affect how and if RF energy present in that signal may to at least a small degree find its way via unintended pathways to unintended circuit points "downstream" of the ethernet interface and the internal reclocker you referred to.

Very true, however I would avoid the term "RF".  Its mostly what is referred to as "conducted" interference.  In the case of Ethernet, it is leakage across the transformer interface.  In most cases RFI is a result of ground-loops.

If you have wired Ethernet to your DAC and you are using a cheap Chinese LPS or a Sbooster, make sure that the DC common is tied to the earth ground one way or another.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

jwm
918 posts
 
I'm still having hiccups with DSD X1. I went in to settings in JRiver and changed the Pre buffering from the recommended 6 seconds to the maximum of 20 seconds. This appears to have fixed the problem. I can now play DSD 2X. Al does this alter the sound at all. Thanks Jeff
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