DAC and Amp

Yamahahahahaha said:
Yeah Beresford is a total shiller, no questions about that.

It's a shame because the Caiman is a good product.

I guess it's one of those situations "Do you give your money to someone who's a gimp?". But then lots of people give money to Rupert Murdoch...
Click to expand...

Indeed and cambridge audio are in bed with richer sounds and slowly tying up the entire budget market, they certainly aren't saints. Got to give it to someone unless you make it yourself.
 
wingnuttzz said:
to be buratlly honest though, don't most of just want the best we can get for our money?
Click to expand...

Up to you. Personally I think it's worth having some ethics about who you buy from, I avoid doing any business with Rupert Murdoch (so no sky for me and several newspapers I wouldn't buy anyway are off limits) and I won't fly Ryanair (though their safety record is reckoned to be appalling too which makes that easier).

That said, not every market has a nice little local company down the road you can buy from. Nobody in this market (aside from Beresford's attitude) is in the same league of nasty as Murdoch to be honest so just buy what you want and don't worry!
 
Personally I'd forget about ethics and buy the Caiman. I have the exact setup you are talking about (a5, tannoy f1's and a beresford caiman dac) linked to my pc and it sounds superb. I mainly listen to rock and metal which I feel this setup suits - the bass is tight but not over the top and all the instruments sound well defined (which imo is what you want for music with a lot going on like most of the metal I listen to.)
 
Likewise my dealings with Stan have always been first class, i have no hesitation recommending a Caiman it's a great DAC at any price let alone the £200 he charges.

You need to dig substantially deeper to better it and i speak from experience.
 
marscay said:
Likewise my dealings with Stan have always been first class, i have no hesitation recommending a Caiman it's a great DAC at any price let alone the £200 he charges.

You need to dig substantially deeper to better it and i speak from experience.
Click to expand...

I disagree, depending on what sound you like the Dacmagic could be better for the same money. The Beresford isn't a classically musical sound, not saying it's bad but it's not the classical well rounded musical sound, it's better suited to some amps than others. With an aggressive amp and speakers I think it would sound pretty brash really...
 
bigredshark said:
I disagree, depending on what sound you like the Dacmagic could be better for the same money. The Beresford isn't a classically musical sound, not saying it's bad but it's not the classical well rounded musical sound, it's better suited to some amps than others. With an aggressive amp and speakers I think it would sound pretty brash really...
Click to expand...

About which Beresford DAC do you speak? There are three 7510, 7520 and Caiman. The Caiman is very significantly more refined than the other two. The lesser Beresfords I would rate just ahead of the DACmagic.

But in the end I guess it comes down to personal taste and a change of speakers will make a bigger difference.
 
The Caiman is the one I've heard first hand, friends who're substantially more audiophile than me say it's easily the best of them. Does depend on your setup and tastes though.
 
Possibly, I think the extra for the dacmagic with multiple inputs and a very decent sound is worth it myself. And while I'm not all about looks, I couldn't leave the v-dac on view in my living room...but if those things are less important it's certainly a budget option
 
bigredshark said:
I disagree, depending on what sound you like the Dacmagic could be better for the same money. The Beresford isn't a classically musical sound, not saying it's bad but it's not the classical well rounded musical sound, it's better suited to some amps than others. With an aggressive amp and speakers I think it would sound pretty brash really...
Click to expand...

Agressive speakers and amps should never be partnered together ;)

The Caiman is actually a pretty neutral DAC, quite similar to a Benchmark DAC1 but not as cold ...it doesn't really colour the sound and is very transparent. I think you're penalising the DAC for actually doing it's job well......resolving detail. On some setups i agree a worse quality DAC like the DM might be a better move but it's unlikely many setups wouldn't benefit more from a Caiman versus the DM.

I moved from the Caiman to the Chord DAC64 which i am very happy with right now but for the price the Caiman is a top DAC.
 
marscay said:
Agressive speakers and amps should never be partnered together ;)

The Caiman is actually a pretty neutral DAC, quite similar to a Benchmark DAC1 but not as cold ...it doesn't really colour the sound and is very transparent. I think you're penalising the DAC for actually doing it's job well......resolving detail. On some setups i agree a worse quality DAC like the DM might be a better move but it's unlikely many setups wouldn't benefit more from a Caiman versus the DM.

I moved from the Caiman to the Chord DAC64 which i am very happy with right now but for the price the Caiman is a top DAC.
Click to expand...

But if I wanted accuracy and perfect reproduction of detail I'd buy a pair of studio monitors. I don't want that necessarily and most people don't either - they want something which sounds good. Transparency isn't the be all and end all in that respect.

I'm not penalizing it or saying it's a bad product, just it's a different sound to some others and it may not have the appeal of a more musical sounding device.
 
I just don't get your 'more musical sounding' description tbh. The Caiman is as musical as any other DAC ....some are more refined and some aren't but once at a certain level they don't vary that much.

My DAC64 has a retail of 10x that of the Caiman but it isn't 10x better, nor does it sound anymore 'musical' ....but it is noticably a better DAC.
 
Last edited:
wingnuttzz said:
McHaMmEr, do you have a picture of your set-up, just to see how it looks. Still want it to look right, lol
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply I've only just seen this post, I don't have a camera until tommorow (when I pick up my repaired SE C905 from the local vodafone shop!) so I'll take some photos tommorow for you and post them here...
 
That would be great thanks.

that pro box linked to higher up in this page looks sweet, but i think i will stick to 1 of the 2 i've thought about...

seems i've kicked off a wee arguement here accidently, sorry guys
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom