More evidence that the Bricasti Model 1 D/A converter ($8495), while certainly not cheap, represents quite good value for the money was found in one of the rooms sponsored by New York retailer Sound by Singer. During a conversation about a new power-supply upgrade for the Model 1, I asked Bricasti's Brian Zolner if the new board is retrofittable to older Bricasti units, and he assured me that it is—for just $150. [John Marks will discuss the new power supply in a "Follow-Up" to appear in our July issue.–Ed.]
When I expressed my astonishment at the low price, Zolner replied, "The customer has already spent $8500 on a DAC: Why should I ask him to spend more?" I would not hesitate to describe the sound of the Bricasti, playing a 44.1k "conductor's mix" of the performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis—who died the day after this demonstration, at age 85—as among the very best digital playback I've heard, thanks also to the reliably musical Harbeth Monitor 30.1 loudspeaker ($5995/pair).
