Mike Pinkerton Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 I'm in the market for a DSD-capable DAC in the $2k range. I initially went for an Auralic Altair, but had so many firmware issues I had to return it. So I'm shopping again and keep coming back to the Mytek Brooklyn. On the surface, the Brooklyn looks great and has a lot of positive reviews (including Stereophile). That said, the Stereophile review is overall a bit lackluster. My takeaway is that there's nothing bad about this unit, but it has so many features crammed into it that it probably doesn't excel at any of them. I don't need a phono preamp. I don't need a headphone amp. I just want a top-notch DAC. I start to question if the Brooklyn would still be $2k if it was just a DAC, and other reviews have alluded to that as well. Do folks have first-hand experiences with it and are happy? Part of me wants to splurge on the Manhattan II, but I just can't bring myself to pay $5k for something when I doubt I can hear the difference. Thanks! -mike Link to comment
Totsipaki Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 The only way to overcome your inhibitions is to listen to one for your self if possible. The stereophile review is on the spot. I have mine for two years now and It is not going anywhere. You also buy a 2k phono as well ..no kidding.. lucretius 1 Link to comment
jtwrace Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 4 hours ago, Mike Pinkerton said: I'm in the market for a DSD-capable DAC in the $2k range. I initially went for an Auralic Altair, but had so many firmware issues I had to return it. So I'm shopping again and keep coming back to the Mytek Brooklyn. On the surface, the Brooklyn looks great and has a lot of positive reviews (including Stereophile). That said, the Stereophile review is overall a bit lackluster. My takeaway is that there's nothing bad about this unit, but it has so many features crammed into it that it probably doesn't excel at any of them. I don't need a phono preamp. I don't need a headphone amp. I just want a top-notch DAC. I start to question if the Brooklyn would still be $2k if it was just a DAC, and other reviews have alluded to that as well. Do folks have first-hand experiences with it and are happy? Part of me wants to splurge on the Manhattan II, but I just can't bring myself to pay $5k for something when I doubt I can hear the difference. Thanks! -mike I was able to try the Brooklyn and Manhattan II side by side...I bought the Brooklyn as I didn't hear $4k of goodness. W10 NUC i7 (Gen 10) > Roon (Audiolense FIR) > Motu UltraLite mk5 > (4) Hypex NCore NC502MP > JBL M2 Master Reference +4 subs Watch my Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMw_bZWBMtRWNJQfTJ38kA/videos Link to comment
jcn3 Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 Here are a 100 pages of comments on the Brooklyn: (1) holo audio red (hqp naa) > chord dave > luxman cl-38uc/mq-88uc > kef reference 1 (2) simaudio moon mind 2 > chord qutest > luxman sq-n150 > monitor audio gold gx100 Link to comment
Mike Pinkerton Posted September 16, 2017 Author Share Posted September 16, 2017 Yeah, I know. I’ve read that thread, it’s not terribly helpful at 100 pages long. Link to comment
Totsipaki Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 If 100 pages of comments in a dedicated thread in CA and all those official and unofficial reviews out there in the web aren't helpful then what could be I do not know.. Link to comment
Mike Pinkerton Posted September 16, 2017 Author Share Posted September 16, 2017 I'll re-read it, thanks for the suggestion. I think what I'm most concerned with in the Stereophile review is that most of the article is spent talking about Brooklyn itself (the city, musicians that come from it, the tour of the office, etc) and background of some of the music that was auditioned. Very little of it talks about the actual performance of the device, culminating in a vague description that he enjoyed listening to it. On the other hand, the ManhattanII review was very detailed and enthusiastic. "Apart from all that, there are two things you need to know about the Brooklyn. First, it's basically a pro DAC. It has all the features the audio professional needs, and it will play exactly what's on a recording, including what you might not want to hear. [...] Second, it has a consumer-friendly feature set:" The conclusion It doesn't mention anything about performance, it talks solely about the feature set. Am I reading too much into it? Or is this the closest Stereophile will ever get to saying "bits are bits, who cares"? Link to comment
Mike Pinkerton Posted September 17, 2017 Author Share Posted September 17, 2017 Read through all 101 pages (well, skipped the first 15 since they were from before the device was shipping). Whew! I’m disappointed at the number of firmware issues and the lack of discrete IR codes for power and input selection. But overall it seems people are mostly happy. I’m still bothered by the Stereophile review, I’m not sure why there was so little chatter about it. Maybe it’s bcause JA’s measurement were so good. Link to comment
Bob M. Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 On 9/16/2017 at 11:16 PM, Mike Pinkerton said: Read through all 101 pages (well, skipped the first 15 since they were from before the device was shipping). Whew! I’m disappointed at the number of firmware issues and the lack of discrete IR codes for power and input selection. But overall it seems people are mostly happy. I’m still bothered by the Stereophile review, I’m not sure why there was so little chatter about it. Maybe it’s bcause JA’s measurement were so good. Hi Mike - I understand your hesitation, but I was in the exact same boat as you earlier this year. I bought the Brooklyn and have not looked back. I, too, did not need a phono stage or headphone amp, but I still think for $2K, you will not find a better-sounding DAC. Probably not at $4K, either. It is that good. Yes, there have been some firmware issues, but that seems to be in the past now. It is detailed and smooth at the same time. You truly feel like you are listening to pure sound. I marvel at detail that I missed in my CDs before and I also have been discovering material on DSD and MQA. I also listen to Tidal Hi-Fi a lot these days, and it is great through the Brooklyn. No matter what you are into, the Brooklyn can handle it. I highly recommend this unit - I am extremely pleased with it. Mike Pinkerton 1 Link to comment
Kelly Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 How DSD capable does it need to be? Is DSD128 good enough or do you need higher than that? The Ayre Codex is a crazy good dac if it's limited inputs (just USB and Toslink) are sufficient and you can use the XLR/balanced outputs. Roon ->UltraRendu + CI Audio 7v LPS-> Kii Control -> Kii Three Roon->BMC UltraDAC->Mr Speakers Aeon Flow Open Link to comment
JDoyle Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 I liked Hans Beekhuyzen's review on YouTube... I really enjoy him, at first he's a little hard to understand, but eventually it gets easier. love his simple yet educated style JD Mike Pinkerton 1 Link to comment
Mike Pinkerton Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 17 minutes ago, JDoyle said: I liked Hans Beekhuyzen's review on YouTube... Thanks, that was helpful! i think I’m sold, appreciate everyone’s help! Bob M. 1 Link to comment
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