Brinkmann Nyquist DAC - technical jewel with marvelous sound

sharkmouth said:
So will you be keeping it? :D
Click to expand...

This is a tough one. I really like it and I think it is really good.

My brain says ‘you’re crazy’, my heart says ‘those guys at Brinkmann really know what they do’.

It’s a lots of moolah for a DAC, but on the other hand I really think it is something special. IMHO this is not another DAC, this is a work of art.

sharkmouth said:
Congrats on finding a "needle in the hay stack" of digital & congrats on getting it right in the "lucky dip" of mix & match. You've really smashed the record of home run out of the park for "you", with your system at the mo. It's always so hard to not get frustrated with a piece of the puzzle & discard it for the latest greatest or a newer piece only to realise so much later, sometimes not so much later, that it wasn't the most productive move to your best music listening enjoyment.
Click to expand...

The thing is, you cannot just pick great components and throw them together. There needs to be system synergy as well.

So I agree, only through study and trial and error you will find your optimum system. But I think I’ve made some progress recently.

sharkmouth said:
For me I am thinking I am in the same place with my Soulution gear as in the 511 & the 560 with the Marten speakers, my last stagger in the journey once again comes around to the pre-amp. So many options & such a variety of tone to explore.
I wish you many many hours of contentment as i know how bad nearly can be for people as sick as us!
Click to expand...

Soulution is great, but as everything it needs to be partnered right to reach its full potential.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Talking about high acclaim, yet another award for the Nyquist (January issue):

c86e9328d7c7d57ec6645d719d95e879.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Congratulations!! I first saw and heard this DAC at RMAF 2016. It sounded pretty good during that event and I could see where many individuals would find it to their liking. Have fun listening and trying out some additional MQA content too!!
 
still-one said:
Congratulations!! I first saw and heard this DAC at RMAF 2016. It sounded pretty good during that event and I could see where many individuals would find it to their liking. Have fun listening and trying out some additional MQA content too!!
Click to expand...

Might sound like heard before, but for a vinyl enthusiast like me the Nyquist is the destination DAC. I guess my thinking did not stretch far enough to envision this was possible.

For me this is it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
TAS laudatio on the 2017 Streaming DAC of the Year:

Brinkmann may be best known for its 35-year track record of making exceptional turntables, but its new Nyquist DAC immediately establishes the company as a major contributor to first-rank digital playback. The Nyquist is brimming with advanced features, including MQA decoding, high-speed DSD support, Roon-ready operation, UPnP connectivity, and upgradeable digital circuitry. Yet for all its cutting-edge digital prowess, the Nyquist’s output stage is built around that most ancient and venerable of audio technologies, the vacuum tube. This marriage produces a sound that is very “un-digital,” embodying all the qualities that analog is famous for—dimensionality, treble smoothness, bloom, timbral purity—but coupled with digital’s strengths of image solidity, pitch stability, and bass impact. The combination of analog-like warmth, bloom, and ease along with the state-of-the-art in digital connectivity makes the Nyquist our Streaming DAC of the Year.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
What is nice with the Brinkmann Nyquist also, is its versatility. A lots of connectivity options, inbuilt Roon and network capability via Ethernet or playing MQA with or without prior unfolding - anything goes. It plays all formats equally well and hence allows to compare their merits.

When comparing music in different formats it appears there rarely is an ubiquitous and always applicable benefit in one format over the other. While e.g. in “Mama Earth” with Joss Stone MQA appears to reveal more detail and have less sibilants, in Charlie Haden/ Jim Hall’s “Bemsha Swing” MQA again seems to put a slight veil on top of the music and I thus liked the PCM version better. DSD in turn pretty much always sounds great to my ears, but the catalogue is limited.

Another feature important with my music taste is, that while detailed and offering an exact window into the music, the DAC must not be too polite sounding. Here Dio’s “Holy Diver”, Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” or Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing” are delivered with grunt and as much conviction and finesse as Beethoven’s “5th” or Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Dance of the Tumblers”.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Mike said:
The future of DAC’s...
Click to expand...

I think so too.

This is a good case in point: I don’t have to decide from the get go, which way I want to go. As a first step I did hook up the Nyquist to the Aurender to get started and can still switch to Roon later on if I would like to.

Whether Linn fan or not, its late founder Ivor Tiefenbrun was right saying that good musical reproduction has to start with the source.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I've recently been looking for a possible replacement for my Meridian 818v3.
i recently auditioned the Nyquist.
If your system is without a Pre, then you will need to purchase one in order to utilise the Nyquist. This then practically doubles it's cost ! ( In the UK , the Nyquist is £13k, the Marconi would add £8k, another £5k on cables etc ! ) so, it puts the Nyquist up a against some other serious alternatives!

I also auditioned it paired with my Headphone Amp ( Tron Antares/ HiFiMan1000v2) and this made a'mighty' pairing. Better than anything I've ever heard in a Headphone system!

I endorse the positive comments already stated! Certainly a more analogue sound whilst retaining all that's good in digital.

( speaker system- Innuos SE , Ethernet to the two systems, Vitus/ B&W 803 d3)
my alternatives to audition- Merging NADAC/Power/ Soulution/ Esoteric/ Meridian Ultra.
Also , a new product ( Range) which is gradually being released- Quiescent.Anyone thinking of buying a similar product would be advised to wait!!
 
DavidNC said:
I've recently been looking for a possible replacement for my Meridian 818v3.
i recently auditioned the Nyquist.
If your system is without a Pre, then you will need to purchase one in order to utilise the Nyquist. This then practically doubles it's cost ! ( In the UK , the Nyquist is £13k, the Marconi would add £8k, another £5k on cables etc ! ) so, it puts the Nyquist up a against some other serious alternatives!

I also auditioned it paired with my Headphone Amp ( Tron Antares/ HiFiMan1000v2) and this made a'mighty' pairing. Better than anything I've ever heard in a Headphone system!

I endorse the positive comments already stated! Certainly a more analogue sound whilst retaining all that's good in digital.

( speaker system- Innuos SE , Ethernet to the two systems, Vitus/ B&W 803 d3)
my alternatives to audition- Merging NADAC/Power/ Soulution/ Esoteric/ Meridian Ultra.
Also , a new product ( Range) which is gradually being released- Quiescent.Anyone thinking of buying a similar product would be advised to wait!!
Click to expand...

David, thank you for sharing your impressions. Nice to hear others having similar experiences.

A good summary as I find, an analog sound while retaining the strengths of digital. I really think the Nyquist hits one out of the ball park.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Love this album, but I love it even more in MQA via the Nyquist: Transparent, detailed, spatial, deep.

9b552244cf126c154e4a51d742c9b736.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
still-one said:
I prefer the MQA version by a slight margin to the 24/96 version I downloaded and own.
Click to expand...

I have yet to make a comparison between MQA and the vinyl I own. That will be interesting.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
If you like Imelda,check out her version of 'I wish I had someone to love me' on utube(can't post the link as I'm a new member)[FONT=&quot]Here singing with The Dubliners ( only John remaining-of the original Dubs)
(Also check out Luke singing Raglan Road or Scorn not his simplicity !!)
Any dry eyes ?? be honest !! transcends formats ??
If you can find it there's also a lovely version of this song sung by Barney[/FONT]
 
AJR said:
Kuoppis - have you succumbed and bought it yet? It sounds like it is amazing.
Click to expand...

AJR, you know the story, it’s three Marshmallows right away [emoji3].

And as such, yes, I have decided to keep the Nyquist. It is simply superb. And there are a couple of reasons:
- at this point it simply is hard to find any DAC with its technical feature set at basically any price point. There are cheaper ones that do not come close sound wise, and even much more expensive ones that are not able to match its spec.
- further, the sound is just incredible with any media supported. I have not heard any other digital product sounding this good.
- technical versatility is also par excellence, it offers any rational connectivity or media alternative I could possibly be interested in and is technically bleeding edge.
- and finally it is future proof, with the exchangeable DAC module I do not need to worry about the next new format or emerging latest DAC chip, as pretty much anything can be adjusted by replacing or modifying the DAC module.
 
sharkmouth said:
So will you be keeping it? :D

Congrats on finding a "needle in the hay stack" of digital & congrats on getting it right in the "lucky dip" of mix & match. You've really smashed the record of home run out of the park for "you", with your system at the mo. It's always so hard to not get frustrated with a piece of the puzzle & discard it for the latest greatest or a newer piece only to realise so much later, sometimes not so much later, that it wasn't the most productive move to your best music listening enjoyment.
For me I am thinking I am in the same place with my Soulution gear as in the 511 & the 560 with the Marten speakers, my last stagger in the journey once again comes around to the pre-amp. So many options & such a variety of tone to explore.
I wish you many many hours of contentment as i know how bad nearly can be for people as sick as us!
Click to expand...

Sharkmouth, to come back to your question, I am definitely keeping the Nyquist.

I do have a number of good offers on a range of the latest DAC designs, but I find that no other product can match the combination of the Nyquist’s elaborate design, audio qualities, versatility in connectivity, tech capabilities and media support or it’s future-proofness at this price point at least.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
The capabilities of the Nyquist were best illustrated to me when I auditioned it direct to my Tron Antares/HiFiMan HE1000v2(thus eliminating several external influences)
The audition was carried out at the premises of a quality Traditional HiFi Dealer(where analogue abounded!)
I handed my Headphones to the Dealer,who exclaimed " Wow,it's like being hard-wired to the Artiste' !! It was that good !!
I'm not good at describing 'sound' any more than I am in interpreting others attempts to do the same! As mentioned,I'm looking at Ethernet attached DAC/Pre ,not necessarily with all the formats-as long as it does one right! (although it's good to have all to compare!) The Nyquist is clearly very musical and engaging and certainly hit my 'sweet-spot'. Given that I'm looking at the Merging NADAC/ Soulution 560 and the new Quiescent, there's nothing here that's cheaper than the Nyquist !! But, as mentioned, in such a forward thinking product, I question why no on-board Pre?Having said that,I still don't 'get' why the Meridian 818/Ultra gets virtually no 'love' !!....and the 818's been about for some years ! Having recently upgraded my digital streaming source, has also resulted in a huge uplift.
In the new year,I will get to audition the products as mentioned.It will be interesting to note how the Nyquist stacks up against these other products.Either way, it's the future !!?? On the basis of the well known 'crap in-crap out' philosophy , Quiescent's new four box Streamer/PSU/DAC/Pre will be very interesting ! (If you can 'cope' with multi boxes!-maybe even 7 if you consider the X- Series with the Monos and Mains Unit!!)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top