Kuoppis
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- Jan 19, 2015
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Read this: vacuum tube output stage, upgradable digital section, discrete DSD DAC/ DSD256 (quad)/ MQA/ 384kHz PCM, Roon ready, ext power supply. The tech specs make you want this, the sound makes you desire it. So many candy features added to one product, it’s incredible. Yeah well, don’t mind the looks either.
Tech: Technically the Nyquist has an ESS Sabre 9018S chip with 2 x 8 DACs, but the digital filters have been implemented outside the D/A chip in Brinkmann’s custom DSP; the Sabre does only D/A conversion. All PCM is upsampled to 352 kHz or 384 kHz. The DSD section is fully discrete, in-house developed and capable of quad DSD. All of the gadgetry sits in the user removable digital section enclosure, allowing replacement when a new DAC-chip-du-jour emerges. The power supply is housed in a separate enclosure for not to interfere with the sound.
The output stage is built around NOS Telefunken PCF803 tubes. Analog filtering happens through Lundahl transformers. Connecting options are also plenty, every alternative covered.
What’s there not to like, the spec sheet reads like a holiday wish list.
Reviews: In Stereoplay Fremer liked it quite a bit, but JA was critical about some measurements and so it was heavily downgraded in the rankings. But no such mention in TAS, Stereo, Hi-Fi & Records or Audio - just high praise. Why might that be? Well, not the first time JA has attested bad measurement results to something that sounds great. At least I could not hear the slightest bit of anything that would have caused anything but sheer delight.
Sound: Plenty of detail and clarity, yet without even a hint of sharpness - really remarkable. This DAC sounds like a top-grade vinyl player without the cracks and pops, which really is no wonder given Brinkmann’s stellar analogue track record. In case I have understood it correctly, vinyl also served as a sounding reference. It’s just wonderful.
There’s a delicacy to the details in the highs, a holographic sound I guess attributable to the tubes. Mids are clear and full, without being outright warm, bass full, grippy and with a punch. I mostly listen to vinyl because I find it more relaxing, but with this DAC there simply is no listening fatigue at all.
My main intention auditioning this DAC was initially to get a reference level opportunity to evaluate MQA (a few postings now in the MQA thread). I think this is the top option in the almost-affordable category up to 20K. The Berkeley Ref. is very nice, but it is just a renderer and needs to be fed with unfolded MQA material to fully decode (and does not have a CE approval for Europe due to some lead issues). The MSBs have a similar issue due to MQA being implemented only in the USB port, so other feeds don’t do MQA. PS Audio and Myteks cost a third or less of this one and are hence sound-wise understandably on a different planet, not even getting into the same solar system.
For anyone into DSD, due to the discrete implementation the Nyquist does what any DAC level DSD implementation just cannot do. Superb DSD quality.
But right now I don’t really care about the format, because everything sounds great. The sound is overall very un-digital, in a way an unusual and rare combination of fine detail retrieval w/o any edginess or sharpness, just a very balanced and natural sound.
Long story short, this is easily the best DAC I have ever heard in my system - best without even trying. I liked the Nagra HD DAC in Munich, but it was maybe all-in-all a tad cold. A long time Meitner owner, I can assure it’s not even in the same league than the Brinkmann. MSB Analogue DAC sounds more digital, the Reference and Select I have not heard enough to really compare. Berkeley Ref is great and DCS top models are hard to beat, but I do like the Nyquist sound the best.
And it really fits quite snugly into my rack, doesn’t it?
Tech: Technically the Nyquist has an ESS Sabre 9018S chip with 2 x 8 DACs, but the digital filters have been implemented outside the D/A chip in Brinkmann’s custom DSP; the Sabre does only D/A conversion. All PCM is upsampled to 352 kHz or 384 kHz. The DSD section is fully discrete, in-house developed and capable of quad DSD. All of the gadgetry sits in the user removable digital section enclosure, allowing replacement when a new DAC-chip-du-jour emerges. The power supply is housed in a separate enclosure for not to interfere with the sound.
The output stage is built around NOS Telefunken PCF803 tubes. Analog filtering happens through Lundahl transformers. Connecting options are also plenty, every alternative covered.
What’s there not to like, the spec sheet reads like a holiday wish list.
Reviews: In Stereoplay Fremer liked it quite a bit, but JA was critical about some measurements and so it was heavily downgraded in the rankings. But no such mention in TAS, Stereo, Hi-Fi & Records or Audio - just high praise. Why might that be? Well, not the first time JA has attested bad measurement results to something that sounds great. At least I could not hear the slightest bit of anything that would have caused anything but sheer delight.
Sound: Plenty of detail and clarity, yet without even a hint of sharpness - really remarkable. This DAC sounds like a top-grade vinyl player without the cracks and pops, which really is no wonder given Brinkmann’s stellar analogue track record. In case I have understood it correctly, vinyl also served as a sounding reference. It’s just wonderful.
There’s a delicacy to the details in the highs, a holographic sound I guess attributable to the tubes. Mids are clear and full, without being outright warm, bass full, grippy and with a punch. I mostly listen to vinyl because I find it more relaxing, but with this DAC there simply is no listening fatigue at all.
My main intention auditioning this DAC was initially to get a reference level opportunity to evaluate MQA (a few postings now in the MQA thread). I think this is the top option in the almost-affordable category up to 20K. The Berkeley Ref. is very nice, but it is just a renderer and needs to be fed with unfolded MQA material to fully decode (and does not have a CE approval for Europe due to some lead issues). The MSBs have a similar issue due to MQA being implemented only in the USB port, so other feeds don’t do MQA. PS Audio and Myteks cost a third or less of this one and are hence sound-wise understandably on a different planet, not even getting into the same solar system.
For anyone into DSD, due to the discrete implementation the Nyquist does what any DAC level DSD implementation just cannot do. Superb DSD quality.
But right now I don’t really care about the format, because everything sounds great. The sound is overall very un-digital, in a way an unusual and rare combination of fine detail retrieval w/o any edginess or sharpness, just a very balanced and natural sound.
Long story short, this is easily the best DAC I have ever heard in my system - best without even trying. I liked the Nagra HD DAC in Munich, but it was maybe all-in-all a tad cold. A long time Meitner owner, I can assure it’s not even in the same league than the Brinkmann. MSB Analogue DAC sounds more digital, the Reference and Select I have not heard enough to really compare. Berkeley Ref is great and DCS top models are hard to beat, but I do like the Nyquist sound the best.
And it really fits quite snugly into my rack, doesn’t it?
. Joke aside, congratulations on this fine pcs of electronics and I just love how it looks! Sound wise your description is more than clear :coolyeah::thumbsup:
