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DAC recommendations under $7K

OK, my R11’s were destroyed by FedEx on the way to their new owners, and the check is OTW from FedEx in payment, so I am ready to buy a new DAC.

My digital equipment:

Simaudio Moon 330A

PSaudio BHK pre with Tele Medical tubes (also have Brimar & Sieman’s NOS tubes)

KEF Reference 3’s

Aurender N150

Chord Qutest with Sbooster + Ultra LPS

Transparent + Gen 5 speaker cables

Cardas Clear USB

Mogami 2549 interconnects

I am looking to spend less than $7K new or used. Size of the DAC is important, as I don’t have room for a standard width (17’) DAC and height is also a potential issue, so the PSaudio, Holo May, etc are out.  I ’thought’ I wanted warmer, but after reading the excellent "If warmth is distortion... " post, I think I want a W2W DAC, front row or conductor seat sound.

Perhaps best described as my Qutest, only better. Better imaging, soundstage, no digital haze, no digital etching... clearer, cleaner. BTW, I never experience fatigue with my Qutest, filter set on incisive with HF rolloff. I wear very good hearing aids, but as a result, my HF hearing above 9khz is non existent.

My N150 is USB output only & I listen exclusively to Qobuz PCM, so I need a DAC with excellent USB capability & DSD, Roon etc is not important. I want it to be only a DAC as I plan to keep my N150 & BHK. I don’t want a tube DAC.

My next upgrade is probably my interconnects with OCC copper.

My current #1 contender is the Bricasti M3, perfect size, nice industrial design, great USB implementation, W2W sound, great reviews, everything I think I need, very little I don’t.

ChatGPT describes the M3 as follows...

What the M3 sounds like vs your Qutest: 

Imagine your Qutest but—

  • cleaner

  • smoother

  • more open

  • less grain

  • more precise

  • more neutral

  • more “grown-up” sounding

Not warmer. Not colder. Not more aggressive. Just… higher-end execution of the same overall philosophy.

I know several of you don’t like chatGPT, but keep your replies to disputing it’s findings, not it’s use. For me, it is a part of a 3 leg stool, together with other research & input from this forum.

Other DAC’s that were/are in contention are the Holo Spring 3 KTE, Mystique X, Weiss 501, Chord Dave & Chord TT2. As I said, the PSaudio, Holo May etc are too large. I am sure there are more DAC’s to consider.

Before I pull the trigger on the M3, please provide your thoughts & recommendations. I want to make a very well informed purchase. Thank you!

signaforce
Post removed 
goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot
1,577 posts
 

I’m seeing pre owned Bricasti M1 DAC’s and the asking price is around $7,000.00.

rsf507
2,577 posts
 

@goofyfoot I believe that's because bricasti came out with the improved M1SII. It retails at 12k but even so the OP could not use either unit based on size. He's said he is in negotiations getting the M3. At its used prices a very wise choice IMO. 

zlone
1,342 posts
 

Good choice, you will enjoy the M3. Be sure to report back once it has had time to settle into your system.

lanx0003
1,939 posts
 

According to AI that you like.  Report back to see how it works for you.  good luck

  • A really solid deal would be around $3,500–$4,000 if box, remote, and original accessories are included.

  • If it’s missing accessories or cosmetic issues, a price closer to $3,000–$3,500 might be reasonable.

this might be a fair market price.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650276316-bricasti-m3-with-network-card-no-headphone/

(What Hi-Fi) Good as the Bricasti is, there is room for improvement. Judging by the highest standards, we would still like a little more in the way of dynamic expression. There are occasions where we know that the original recording has more in the way of punch and attack but the Bricasti just underplays things a little. The Stravinsky symphony can be savage in its dynamics and rhythmic drive, but through the M3 it sounds a little more restrained than it should be.

We notice the same kind of thing when switching to Radiohead’s In Rainbows album. The Bricasti dutifully lets us analyze the recording – and make no mistake, it is very good at that – but doesn’t quite communicate the energy in the music with the forcefulness it deserves. It’s as though Bricasti’s engineers have decided that information retrieval trumps musical enjoyment. In our experience, the very best DACs we’ve heard at this level, such as the Chord Hugo TT2, manage to do both.

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