Until I saw one posted in the classifieds a few weeks ago, I'd never heard of the Bladelius brand. From my reading, they are more known for things like power amps and media servers - two things I have no use for. I saw another B-DAC online earlier last week and figured I'd make an offer as most of the write-ups I'd seen about their first foray into the mid-fi DAC world was positive. Let me just tell you... I'm very glad I did!
The Breakdown:
Test Songs (all FLAC, ALAC, or AIFF either 16/44 or 24/96):
"You Give Me Something" - James Blake - Undiscovered
"Gold" - Chet Faker - Built on Glass
"Blue Monk" - Chick Corea Trio - Trilogy
"Kashmir" - Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
"Best for Last" - Adele - 19
"Lincolnshire Posy" - The President's Own Marine Band
"Pride" - Dynamo - Find Your Way
Source:
MacBook Pro > JRMC20 > Bladelius DAC > MAD Ear+ HD > Grado RS1i or GH1
Sound: Smooth, rich, and musical.
Bass: I went through a period when three or four of the DAC's I had were based on Sabre chips. I gave those as much attention and tweaking as I could, but I honestly can't get on board with that sound. Even the Geek Pulse (which has the 'warmest' Sabre implementation I've heard) still had an uncomfortable digital glare going on. I feel SO much better now that I'm running a DAC based on a Wolfson chip. The reason all of that info is in the bass section of my review is because that's where I think those two house sounds differ the most. The Wolfson's low end is so much fuller and more dynamic. Kick drums aren't just heard, they're felt. Upright bass pizzicato's don't just have a sound, they also have weight. Love, love, love the low end that this B-DAC boasts. Pairs wonderfully with the MAD Ear and Grado combo. Couldn't be happier (and that's coming from a guy who's had a slew of Schiit, Audio-GD, and LH products)!
Check out Brian Blade's bass and tom sounds as well as Christian McBride's upright playing on this tune to see what I mean:
Midrange: Rich and smooth. About as analog from a non-NOS DAC as I've heard. Voices are rich and have wonderful clarity and texture. The Sabre's that I mentioned earlier might've had a slight edge of detail-retrieval, but the Wolfson implementation here is just so much more fun. I also would like to mention that the midrange is exceptionally even. From the upper bass/low mid to the very beginnings of the treble realm, the B-DAC never glares or shouts. That's a feat in itself considering what the upper end of poorly matched Grado's can sound like!
Treble: Aaaahh. Now that's just nice. The biggest issue I personally had with any Sabre DAC I've owned is the over-digitalized sound of the upper end. Yes there's details for days. Yes I can hear a fly land on the 3rd tuning peg of Victor Wooten's bass on my live Bela Fleck recordings. But frankly I don't care about that capability if it seems out of place or unnatural. Bladelius' implementation here has it right! Cymbals in the Dynamo tune are full of nuance and natural decay. The edges of James' Morrison's raspy voice are clean and zing-less. Just a wonderful pairing overall with my headphones of choice. Relaxed, detailed, and organic.
Soundstage/Separation/Etc: Normally I don't include much about soundstage and the like in a DAC-only review because it seems to me that the amp influences those aspects the most. After all a properly powered headphone has much better headstage than the same can underpowered. However, I felt compelled to mention that the B-DAC does seem to give my Grado's more depth and a clearer sense of layering and separation. Instead of hearing instruments is non-distinct corners of a room, I hear them with much more accuracy with regards to direction and distance. Definitely a plus in my book!
Check it:
Qualms: Nope.
Build Quality: Excellent. Clean, efficient, and sturdy. If there was ever a list of adjectives that a guy would want to describe a piece of gear, that's it.
In Conclusion: In case you didn't put it together already, I'm quite a fan of Bladelius' USB DAC. It's good a wonderful sound quality, it's a piece of cake to use, and it's built like a tank. Unfortunately, this little piece of kit is no longer in production, so you probably won't have the opportunity to own one, but if you do, I highly recommend it. JoeDoe out!
The Breakdown:
Test Songs (all FLAC, ALAC, or AIFF either 16/44 or 24/96):
"You Give Me Something" - James Blake - Undiscovered
"Gold" - Chet Faker - Built on Glass
"Blue Monk" - Chick Corea Trio - Trilogy
"Kashmir" - Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
"Best for Last" - Adele - 19
"Lincolnshire Posy" - The President's Own Marine Band
"Pride" - Dynamo - Find Your Way
Source:
MacBook Pro > JRMC20 > Bladelius DAC > MAD Ear+ HD > Grado RS1i or GH1
Sound: Smooth, rich, and musical.
Bass: I went through a period when three or four of the DAC's I had were based on Sabre chips. I gave those as much attention and tweaking as I could, but I honestly can't get on board with that sound. Even the Geek Pulse (which has the 'warmest' Sabre implementation I've heard) still had an uncomfortable digital glare going on. I feel SO much better now that I'm running a DAC based on a Wolfson chip. The reason all of that info is in the bass section of my review is because that's where I think those two house sounds differ the most. The Wolfson's low end is so much fuller and more dynamic. Kick drums aren't just heard, they're felt. Upright bass pizzicato's don't just have a sound, they also have weight. Love, love, love the low end that this B-DAC boasts. Pairs wonderfully with the MAD Ear and Grado combo. Couldn't be happier (and that's coming from a guy who's had a slew of Schiit, Audio-GD, and LH products)!
Check out Brian Blade's bass and tom sounds as well as Christian McBride's upright playing on this tune to see what I mean:
Midrange: Rich and smooth. About as analog from a non-NOS DAC as I've heard. Voices are rich and have wonderful clarity and texture. The Sabre's that I mentioned earlier might've had a slight edge of detail-retrieval, but the Wolfson implementation here is just so much more fun. I also would like to mention that the midrange is exceptionally even. From the upper bass/low mid to the very beginnings of the treble realm, the B-DAC never glares or shouts. That's a feat in itself considering what the upper end of poorly matched Grado's can sound like!
Treble: Aaaahh. Now that's just nice. The biggest issue I personally had with any Sabre DAC I've owned is the over-digitalized sound of the upper end. Yes there's details for days. Yes I can hear a fly land on the 3rd tuning peg of Victor Wooten's bass on my live Bela Fleck recordings. But frankly I don't care about that capability if it seems out of place or unnatural. Bladelius' implementation here has it right! Cymbals in the Dynamo tune are full of nuance and natural decay. The edges of James' Morrison's raspy voice are clean and zing-less. Just a wonderful pairing overall with my headphones of choice. Relaxed, detailed, and organic.
Soundstage/Separation/Etc: Normally I don't include much about soundstage and the like in a DAC-only review because it seems to me that the amp influences those aspects the most. After all a properly powered headphone has much better headstage than the same can underpowered. However, I felt compelled to mention that the B-DAC does seem to give my Grado's more depth and a clearer sense of layering and separation. Instead of hearing instruments is non-distinct corners of a room, I hear them with much more accuracy with regards to direction and distance. Definitely a plus in my book!
Check it:
Qualms: Nope.
Build Quality: Excellent. Clean, efficient, and sturdy. If there was ever a list of adjectives that a guy would want to describe a piece of gear, that's it.
In Conclusion: In case you didn't put it together already, I'm quite a fan of Bladelius' USB DAC. It's good a wonderful sound quality, it's a piece of cake to use, and it's built like a tank. Unfortunately, this little piece of kit is no longer in production, so you probably won't have the opportunity to own one, but if you do, I highly recommend it. JoeDoe out!
