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Beresford DAC opinions

N

Njb

pfm Member
I am using a Beresford Bushmaster II. I bought it blind, as it fitted my budget at the time. I have never had a chance to compare it with other DACs apart from the ones in my Pure i20 and CD player.
Can anybody give me comments, based upon their experience, of how my Beresford stands against DACs at the irDAC price point?
 
Not exactly. But I have owned a BM II bought blind also. At the same time I bought a Perreaux DAC. And a CMII + battery pack. The Beresford's were clearly the better dacs. The battery pack is a very worthwhile upgrade. I could have easily lived with the BM II, also without the battery pack, but the CM II was just a bit better. Nonetheless, I don't think upgrading to dacs at the irDAC's price point is going to bring you much. Beresford dacs just kick ass :)
 
Like you, I went on to a popular online retailer and bought a powerpack with a 12v output. I think that it has improved the sound, but that could be because Stan Beresford said that it would, and I am easily led. I have no issues with the DAC, but am just curious as to whether it is well regarded amongst those with a more rounded view of the market.
 
I have had quite a few DACs and mostly they sounded the same to my ears level-matched (except NOS DACs that I found too warm). Currently have at my disposal an Apogee MiniDAC and a Beresford Caiman with Gator mods. The Apogee is very neutral as one would expect a studio derived product, HOWEVER my distinct preference is for the Caiman because, whatever magic Beresford have sprinkled on it, it comes close to making music like my much-missed CDX but with more detail. I've been thinking of buying a Caiman 2 for a while now.
 
I have run a Bushmaster II DAC for some time now (also have my original Bushmaster I in the bedroom linked to a Raspberry Pi for Headphone use).

I run the Bushmaster off a relatively cheap 20000mah laptop battery which also powers my Squeezebox Touch at the same time (so no need for for expensive Linear Power Supplies).

I have also had several Firmware upgrades sent to me by Stan for a nominal charge to cover postage etc. Just this week Stan has handed out another Upgrade Chip for both the Bushmaster II and Caiman II.

Where else would you get ongoing support like this (certainly not from the big DAC manufacturers) ?

I have auditioned my BMII setup against an Audiolab MDAC as I was interested in the supposedly superior qualities of the Sabre DACs. Despite the BMII being considerably cheaper I preferred it to the MDAC. The MDAC is just too clinical for me - whilst the Beresford seems more musical - if that makes sense.
 
May I jump in and mention that Stan has just released a firmware update chip for the Bushmaster 11 and Caiman 11.
I have a Bushmaster and can confirm that it extracts a lot more detail from high quality sources. It only takes a minute to fit.
Well worth the few coppers that Stan charges......
 
I have a Bushmaster II powered with laptop battery also. Seems to work very well and sounds good to me. I must get in touch with Stan for the new upgrade chip.

There is a lot of discussion on Beresford DAC's on the Art of Sound Forum.

Cheers
 
I have dabbled with a number of DACs that I have used with a laptop just for streaming in the pursuit of interesting new music to buy on vinyl and sometimes CD.

These have included the MDAC, Benchmark 1, Naim NDac, Rega DAC and the Beresford Bushmaster 11.

I concluded that the Bushmaster gave all of them a run for their money and is actually a remarkably fine product irrespective of its very modest cost. I still run one with a good quality professional video camera battery and it sounds very good indeed.

It's not my high spec LP12 but it's extremely good and incredible value (and the customer service Stan provides is exceptional).
 
I have never owned one but the glowing words one sees about them have made me curious several times. The two I do have do not sound that different despite their £2200 price difference. I would be amazed if Stans products were as described.

They seem more a journey than a fix and forget. Buy one and await the next improvement. How bad was the previous incarnation then.

Great efforts by Stan B but sorry pass.
 
whatsnext said:
I have never owned one but the glowing words one sees about them have made me curious several times. The two I do have do not sound that different despite their £2200 price difference. I would be amazed if Stans products were as described.

They seem more a journey than a fix and forget. Buy one and await the next improvement. How bad was the previous incarnation then.

Great efforts by Stan B but sorry pass.
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A very curious post. You say that you have two DACs at very different price points but with similar performance, then go from there to dismissing the opinion that the Beresford DACs are on a par with those around the £500 mark. I can understand why you have no desire to try a £200 DAC, but for many people that do not have £2000+ for a DAC then it could be a wise move. Why does this amaze you?
 
Njb said:
A very curious post. You say that you have two DACs at very different price points but with similar performance, then go from there to dismissing the opinion that the Beresford DACs are on a par with those around the £500 mark. I can understand why you have no desire to try a £200 DAC, but for many people that do not have £2000+ for a DAC then it could be a wise move. Why does this amaze you?
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It amazes me because I am afraid to look stupid if I bought one and it was the huge difference above my 2 current external DACs (which sound similar)? Then set about posting endlessly extolling its virtues and how it beats any other DAC on the market?

People do what they want to and if buying into Beresfordism pleases I would not wish to dissuade any one from joining that path. Feel free, enjoy.

I forgot I have a third DAC, IQAudIO DAC+, directly i2s connected to an rPi2 - that is amazing a meer $49 (and it is upgradable)
 
whatsnext said:
It amazes me because I am afraid to look stupid if I bought one and it was the huge difference above my 2 current external DACs (which sound similar)? Then set about posting endlessly extolling its virtues and how it beats any other DAC on the market?

People do what they want to and if buying into Beresfordism pleases I would not wish to dissuade any one from joining that path. Feel free, enjoy.

I forgot I have a third DAC, IQAudIO DAC+, directly i2s connected to an rPi2 - that is amazing a meer $49 (and it is upgradable)
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Thanks, I get that. it is a brave person who would ever state that a certain component beats all the rest. We all hear differently, and personal preferences will always win out. I like the idea that there are components that punch above their weight, but everybody has to make their own choice. Personally, I suspect that I could not buy another DAC in my price bracket that offers a significant step up from my Beresford. However, it is unlikely to be the best ever made, and that is a fact of life
 
Njb said:
Thanks, I get that. it is a brave person who would ever state that a certain component beats all the rest. We all hear differently, and personal preferences will always win out. I like the idea that there are components that punch above their weight, but everybody has to make their own choice. Personally, I suspect that I could not buy another DAC in my price bracket that offers a significant step up from my Beresford. However, it is unlikely to be the best ever made, and that is a fact of life
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So how did you feel about the version you had before the latest upgrade?

My rPi combo is quite different to most peoples CD transport/NAS DAC combo and might be crap to our more discerning users but I enjoy it certainly heard more of familiar music I thought I knew
 
All DAC's sound the same. Therefore it sounds like any other DAC. I haven't listened to any DAC's but I know this must be true.

8)

Whatever happened to Max F ??
 
Retro-fitable upgrades for customers arising from ongoing product development - what a ludicrous idea!

Off to the tip with my Beresford DAC and my LP12 I think!

I suggest you do the same with your "upgradable" IQAudio thingy Mr whatsnext.

Must now get back to checking the SQ differences between those cables.

All the best.
 
whatsnext said:
So how did you feel about the version you had before the latest upgrade?

My rPi combo is quite different to most peoples CD transport/NAS DAC combo and might be crap to our more discerning users but I enjoy it certainly heard more of familiar music I thought I knew
Click to expand...

I can say that my Beresford DAC was a great buy, for me. It gives my music more punch and more clarity than the built in DACs that I was using before. The upgrade is heading my way, and as with all Beresford stuff, if I do not like it then I can send it back; cannot say fairer than that
 
Njb said:
I can say that my Beresford DAC was a great buy, for me. It gives my music more punch and more clarity than the built in DACs that I was using before. The upgrade is heading my way, and as with all Beresford stuff, if I do not like it then I can send it back; cannot say fairer than that
Click to expand...

I am sure I have read that innumerable times. Great promotional post.
 
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