Beresford DAC with Airport Express

nyindallas

Well-Known Member
I have been using a MAC with a couple of AIrport Express to serve as a music server to some vintage HIFi's. The weak link in that chain is the DAC in the Airport Express. After a couple of recommendations I took the chance and purchased the Beresford DAC for $150.

I am amazed by the delightful sound. I have 1 dac feeding a Rogue AMP and a MAC 1700. I might have 2 get another one for the bedroom. If you are looking for a DAC without spending a ton of money that fits nicely with itunes and the Airport Express check out the Bereford.
 
I have one in my office system that gets tons of use. It is being fed by my computer via an m-audio transit. I also love the fact that it has several digital inputs, so I also have a universal DVD plugged into it and have room for more stuff...which is always good!:D
 
A word of advise if you ever think of getting the Beresford:
he gives repeat customers and students a decent discount:thmbsp:. Perhaps mention AK even:D.
When I buy any audio or video items on-line these days I always mention I read about the item on a forum, and ask if they give discounts to forum members. In most cases I get a better price.
 
I like the abundant inputs of the Beresford DAC - a lot of companies would do well to follow the example. My understanding is that the exact same DAC is sold under several names and that Beresford's only differs in that he's paid the Taiwanese electronics firm that makes them to screenprint his name on it.

Nonetheless, the price point makes it attractive. It's a shame the ICs have had their identifying marks ground off at the factory - otherwise, it might make an attractive platform to upgrade. EDIT: I've recently seen nudie pics of the Beresford and don't see any evidence of parts obfuscation - sorry about that. EDIT OF EDIT: The Beresford DACs no longer have the parts ID ground off.
 
My understanding is that the exact same DAC is sold under several names and that Beresford's only differs in that he's paid the Taiwanese electronics firm that makes them to screenprint his name on it.
Controversial point that. My understanding is that a number of modders in the UK helped him to modify and improve the DAC, and that the final result was turned into the latest version. I don't see how that could tie in with just a name print that is frequently mentioned on some forums. Beresford has always made it clear that it is his product being built by his partner in Taiwan. So I suspect that the rumours may have been started by 3rd parties anxious to sabotage the success of his DAC.
In any case, and sound improvements aside, it is a space and money saver for me and at the sort of price that didn't upset my non-essentials household budget. And with a recession out there right now, the high-end side of the audio market is likely to see a shift towards the cheaper equivalents that are almost or just as good. It's happening in the food and transport market already, so there is no reason to suggest that the audio and video market will be spared the pain.
 
Controversial point that. My understanding is that a number of modders in the UK helped him to modify and improve the DAC, and that the final result was turned into the latest version. I don't see how that could tie in with just a name print that is frequently mentioned on some forums. Beresford has always made it clear that it is his product being built by his partner in Taiwan. So I suspect that the rumours may have been started by 3rd parties anxious to sabotage the success of his DAC.
:yes:There is a lot of hate directed toward this DAC and Stanley Beresford on some of the websites. However, I wonder how many people on those websites are shills for other companies? It seems strange to see so many threads (on other forums) started with the sole intent of bashing Stanley Beresford. Luckily, I have never seen that type of stuff on this site.:thmbsp:
 
I just ordered one to kick my SqueezeBox up a notch.. Stan will give AK'ers 10% off if you email or call him. Give the low price, how much money can he be making?
Nobody is all over Roy Hall, who makes NOTHING (but money), for importing stuff from the Eastern Bloc and China and slapping his brand on it, and AFAIK you can't buy the OEM version from the manufacturer.

I could have bought a more mainstream 10 year old DAC for about the same money but I figured that technology has to have improved over the last ten years, no?
I haven't been able to find a real view of the thing that deconstructs the innards, only user impressions but they've been generally positive or people who just label them as crap even though they never heard one. Hey, how big an ad can he afford to take out in Stereophile?.. or am I wrong that that's the only way to get a review?
 
I could have bought a more mainstream 10 year old DAC for about the same money but I figured that technology has to have improved over the last ten years, no?
I also have an Entech 203.2 and I prefer the Beresford in my system (s).
 
I had one - it made a difference but didn't satisfy my ears in the end.

Stanley is very helpful, and really stands behind his product.

The unit has a lot going for it for the price.

I have told a number of people to get it and the ones that did really seemed to like the unit.
 
It would be nice if he would put the criticisms to rest and participate in a fuller discussion, especially in the descriptions on his web site. We'll see when it gets here.
 
It would be nice if he would put the criticisms to rest and participate in a fuller discussion, especially in the descriptions on his web site. We'll see when it gets here.
I saw on head-fi that quite a few emails with questions to him and answers from him have been published. He used to be on wigwam but as soon as he started answering questions he was banned. Even his name is now banned there:yes:. What questions has he got to answer exactly, and how would answerig questions improve the technical aspect of his DAC? Maybe AK can offer him a slot to discuss and answer questions? Would be a big coup for AK:thmbsp:.

As for the descriptions on his website. Nobody has ever said on the net that they bought the Beresford DAC and then found that it does not live up to any of the claims made on his site. The only 'negative' things ever mentioned were that it did not fit in with the rest of a particular system setup. Maybe you can enlighten us all with what on his site is false/inappropriate/pure fantasy since you mentioned it:scratch2:.
 
I didn't mean to say he has any false claims, I was refering to the posts on some sites alluding to it simply being a rebranded item and the fact that he doesn't have much in the way of technical data on his site. Even if it's a simple rebrand and it's worth $150, there's nothing wrong with that.
 
Back
Top Bottom