Bricasti M1 DAC vs PS Audio Direct Stream DAC

UPDATE: Hey guys thanks for all of the feedback, ideas and advice. For starters tonight after work I took the hour and a half each way treck up to Fidelis in NH where I bought my Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable.

They are the US Distributor for Tellurium Q and Harbeth and they are an overall amazing HI-FI Dealer. Super great guys. I got there a half hour after they closed and they stayed late as I called on route because the traffic was awful on RT 3 north and it caused me to run late. They not only replaced my Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable with a Brand new one but also gave me a Tellurium Q Black to try as well just in case the design for some reason of the Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable wouldn't work with the Bricasti to be safe. They are also good friends with Brian from Bricasti and they wanted to help me solve the problem. Brian had told me if the new cable didn't work he would like to see the DAC and the cable to try and solve the problem. Both parties were responsive and willing to do anything they could to assist. Outstanding service on both parts. I can tell you the service from both organizations is truly first class.

OK so I got home and plugged in the new Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable and bam it worked perfect. Its so odd because it worked perfect with my DirectStram and still works with Ayre QB-9 but regardless the new one works perfect and I couldn't be happier. I am stoked!

So now I have a brand new cable to break in and they really do need to break in and a brand new DAC to break in as well so its with understanding this that my first thoughts are about this new equipment.

First things first. Really good, high quality USB cables really do matter. Especially when plugging right from computer to the DAC. Maybe if I had an Off Ramp or other top quality component in between the difference would not be so extreme but it is. Also maybe if I never heard a great USB cable I wouldn't miss it so much but that could probably said for any top notch cable verse a $3.99 cable except with exceptions of maybe HDMI for TV to a certain extent. I am sure a $3.99 interconnect vs a Valhalla would offer similar results. The addition of the new none broken in Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable was nothing short of extraordinary. I can tell neither is broken in and I am going to enjoy their evolving and ripening. I am going to save my critical comparison of the two DACs after I can give them a chance to settle in a bit but this DAC is nothing like what I heard last night. NOTHING !!! What I can say it that it is more precise musical tool for sure. It does play on another level that is evident. You get a good feel between the $5500 DAC vs a $9000 DAC. There is a lot more there but it needs to settle down before I can really get into it. What I can say about the DirectStream is that DACis better than the sum of its parts. It is a very special DAC and this DAC seems to have true - great promise for sure but it def needs to settle down and break in a bit but it sounds pretty good right now. These are two very different DACS that's for sure. They have very different perspectives for sure but I like this Bricasti and it was nice to hear what it has to offer that really just wan't possible with a $3.99 usb cable...

Congrats on getting 2 new components all at once! The Bricasti is indeed special when I brought it home for audition in my system. That was some time back and with the many improvements since then, it would certainly be much better in its current iteration. Boy, do I love this forum. Now you can follow up through all the burn-in pains and gains.
Cheers! J.

Glad to hear you got the problem identified and corrected. I told you that Brian's level of support is first class all the way. Enjoy the music as the break-in process continues, and we look forward to your further comments. Congrats!!!

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That IS great service, to be sure. I'm happy that it worked out for you.

When I moved to the DirectStream, a decent-quality USB cable that I had used on my Perfectwave DAC MKII produced terrible results on the DS. As the volume went up, distortion, crackling, and other nasty artifacts were produced.

Like you, I switched to a cheap cable and the DS worked fine.

I got a new cable from the manufacturer to replace the old one, and it too failed. Almost every cable EXCEPT that one worked fine.

The designer of the DS, Ted Smith, had remarked that some people just don't adhere to the USB standard when designing. Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but the results with that one cable were consistent.

Also like you, I moved up in cable quality after resolving the problem, and it DOES make a difference. I use a Transparent USB cable now, and the results are sublime.

I just bought my Directstream to replace a Auralic Vega ... So far, I am not impressed. As front end gear goes, the DS has the Vega beat. The vega has no 12v trigger and as a preamp, was weak. Mainly the reason I got the DS in the hopes to get decent sound and to go direct to amp ... It's been 3 days and so far I am unimpressed. I really hope there is some logic to burn in cause I know what I'm hearing and its a lack of bass the Vega presented very well that is seeingly not there with the DS... I would LOVE for someone to really critique the DS vs Bricasti... I feel like I need to bite the bullet and get one... I have Zu Audio definition MK iV speakers and a Sim integrated i7 and Cardas clear light & clear USB ... The Vega And Sim share the same remote codes too which pissed me off ...