Beresford Caiman Review

[ashishkesarwani]

Initially thought i could use it as a headphone amp with my sansa clip and Grado but ot my initial disappoint after ordering (my fault ) i cant use it with the line out of mp3 players/ipod through headphone out as the DAC has no line-in.

Another doubt is my laptop has no digital out but i have a xfi usb with optical out. . So, with laptop to xfi through usb and xfi to caiman through optical , will it be too much in the chain or will it work? Any advice welcome.

To use your sansa player or ipod as your digital music source with a DAC you need a device which could extract signal digitally in the form of either Toshilink, Coaxial or USB if you find a device which could do that then you will be able to use it with the DAC.

About your consern with the music playback from your Laptop all you need is a USB cable to connect from the Laptop to DAC and then you are good to go.

 

[jayad08]

i have a doubt regarding international shipping..how do you ensure that your purchase does not get stuck in customs..
I just received a quote for one of the purchases from provantage..but i feel they have not taken into consideration the customs part..
how did you receive your delivery for this DAC ashish? didnt the courier company charge you for customs?

 

[ashishkesarwani]

i have a doubt regarding international shipping..how do you ensure that your purchase does not get stuck in customs..
I just received a quote for one of the purchases from provantage..but i feel they have not taken into consideration the customs part..
how did you receive your delivery for this DAC ashish? didnt the courier company charge you for customs?

Yes I know that a customs duty is charged for anything bought internationally but this criteria depends on many fact like:
The total value of the parcel i.e cost + shipping and if it exceeds 100$ then its depends on the customs officer to levy the duty or not. In some cases parcel even with a value of 150$ are passed through customs without any duty but such instances are very rare.

In my case when I made the payment I specifically left a note for the seller to under invoice this item i.e below 100$ and when I recieved the parcel the declared value was 60$, also it was mentioned as an electronic parts so I guess it was spared by customs guys as the parcel was not even opened.

 

[jayad08]

Yes I know that a customs duty is charged for anything bought internationally but this criteria depends on many fact like:
The total value of the parcel i.e cost + shipping and if it exceeds 100$ then its depends on the customs officer to levy the duty or not. In some cases parcel even with a value of 150$ are passed through customs without any duty but such instances are very rare.

In my case when I made the payment I specifically left a note for the seller to under invoice this item i.e below 100$ and when I recieved the parcel the declared value was 60$, also it was mentioned as an electronic parts so I guess it
was spared by customs guys as the parcel was not even opened.

thanks ashish
i hv a specific query regarding importing sent u a PM for that.

 

[jayad08]

thanks ashish
i hv a specific query regarding importing sent u a PM for that.

thanks ashish i m really grateful for the suggestions u gave..

 

[smedhavi]

Have tried playing flac thru Xtreamer and mp3 of the same song with 128 bit rate, I could hardly find any diferrence between the two despite of repetetive playing the same number. However, there was considerable diferrence when the same track was ripped to 48 kpbs and were sounding like normal mp3 (probably it was too low bit rate) tracks. Need to get the right balance so as to get better compression of file and as well not loosing the sound quality. However, this DAC has given the sound quality that i have heard in a long time. I am using Beresford Coaxial and Otical cables for connections.

i am surprised that the Caiman does not play lossless any better than 128kbps mp3s! Which amp and speakers are you using? I am looking forward to hearing from other Caiman owners if this is common experience.

Thanks,
sharad

 

[ashishkesarwani]

Its not true, there is a hell lot of difference between a Mp3 file of say 128kbps or even 320kbps and a lossless file. An mp3 file completely lack definition whereas a lossless file sounds fuller with ample detailing. I would advice Sachin to try this test out with a good head phone and then he would agree with what I have written.

 

[Sachin]

Could be true, i only gave my impressions about what i heard and the weak link could be my AVR and Speakers (for makes see my signature). Anyway i was planning to check the same thru headphones (need to get good headphones first), which hopefully i will do it soon. As i have used the DAC for couple of days, i see improvement in the sq. now. Will post my obervations as soon as i do the above test.

 

[StanleyB]

i am surprised that the Caiman does not play lossless any better than 128kbps mp3s!

It's precisely that ability of the Caiman to bring back to life mp3 files, which has caused it to initially attract the attention of the early users. The 64X oversampling DAC chip is far better in resolving information embedded in the signal, compared to the more common 8X oversampling DAC chips. The only way I can detect a difference is by paying attention to the dynamic range and solidness of the bass frequency. On mp3 files it is a bit softer compared to WAV. But you do need a good system to detect it.

 

[madbullram]

Stan: WHats your take on importance of the transport in a DAC based system?

 

[sachi]

Are there any internal pics of the Caiman?
Ashish would yo ube willing to open it up and snap a few pics.

Curious about the digital filter thing.
Stanley, would you care to explain how the output stage of the Caiman is laid out?

 

[ashishkesarwani]

Are there any internal pics of the Caiman?
Ashish would yo ube willing to open it up and snap a few pics.

I am willing to open Caiman DAC but there is a sticker at one of the screws to prevent me from doing it, so that I do not void my warranty. Its better that you ask Stanley itself to do it and post it here for all of us to see.

 

[cmsajith]

Any idea why there is a difference in the power supply used in this DAC and the other DACs including the DIYs, have separate big torroidal transformer, but in this dac they are using something like a normal adapter, is this enough?

 

[StanleyB]

Any idea why there is a difference in the power supply used in this DAC and the other DACs including the DIYs, have separate big torroidal transformer, but in this dac they are using something like a normal adapter, is this enough?

What is a normal adapter? And how much current does a DAC need in order to operate?
Fact is that the big torroidal transformers are purely there in a DAC in order to add weight to the product. The power consumption of most DACs is less than 1A. Mine is less than 150mA. Now, how large a transformer do you need in it? A 100W one?

 

[cmsajith]

What is a normal adapter? And how much current does a DAC need in order to operate?
Fact is that the big torroidal transformers are purely there in a DAC in order to add weight to the product. The power consumption of most DACs is less than 1A. Mine is less than 150mA. Now, how large a transformer do you need in it? A 100W one?

I dont have any idea about the power requirement of a dac. Thats the reason I asked, since i could see poeple in DIY designs and some other branded ones are using torroidal transformers. So it requires only few milliamps?

@All, any idea why some DIY dac kits are coming w/ torroidal transformers? (in eBay)

 

[madbullram]

What is a normal adapter? And how much current does a DAC need in order to operate?
Fact is that the big torroidal transformers are purely there in a DAC in order to add weight to the product. The power consumption of most DACs is less than 1A. Mine is less than 150mA. Now, how large a transformer do you need in it? A 100W one?

Stan: I have been trying to get your view on Transport's importance looks like you have been missing the question...would appreciate if you post any exp with various transports.

 

[sachin_k5]

Stan: I have been trying to get your view on Transport's importance looks like you have been missing the question...would appreciate if you post any exp with various transports.

Stan,

A lot of people want to know the answer to this question by MadBullRam.

With a DAC in the setup will a low end $60 DVD Player sound as good as a $500+ CD player ?

 

[StanleyB]

Stan,

A lot of people want to know the answer to this question by MadBullRam.

With a DAC in the setup will a low end $60 DVD Player sound as good as a $500+ CD player ?

I use a 30 DVD player that I picked up in a local supermarket. I also use two different types of Multi Media hard disks.

 

[keith_correa]

I use a 30 DVD player that I picked up in a local supermarket. I also use two different types of Multi Media hard disks.

Okaaaaay but the core question still remains unanswered. Or let me twist this around to suit what you have. Does your 30 DVD player sound good/better than a much higher priced CD player?

 

[StanleyB]

Okaaaaay but the core question still remains unanswered. Or let me twist this around to suit what you have. Does your 30 DVD player sound good/better than a much higher priced CD player?

They sound the same. The 1s and 0s out of the DVD player digital output are the same as any CD player.