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Moving from mandatory buy to fun acquisition gets us to B.M.C.’s own CD transport. While the hifi brigade has discovered the computer, normal folks wonder whether music files on the resident hard drive aren’t getting a bit old when they could migrate to the cloud up in the sky. They buy CDs only as a last-minute gift resort. Explain to them what a CD transport is. Then weave in elegantly what they cost—with B.M.C. you’ll only need €3.000—and your audience will turn into a full-body question mark for a complete disconnect.

For those intent on wringing the last drop from the CD format however, this route enables a small but decisive forward step within the B.M.C. scheme of things. Tonally the midband exhibited a bit more sonority than via the USB input but I was even more impressed with the additional gain of plasticity I got and just how believably 3-D vocals and instruments became. And with apologies for mentioning it once more, the already awesome bass grew even more awesomaciously profound and mighty yet simultaneously improved in grippiness. Whether these advances correlate happily with the cost increase is a personal assessment. I simply didn’t question satisfaction. I’ve rarely heard better from CD.

Conclusion. The DAC2 with preamp board and USB input can serve as system HQ even outside B.M.C. ancillaries. Most shouldn’t have more than three analog sources to accommodate particularly when one’s focus is on digital file libraries which interest in a converter of this price nearly presupposes. Add six digital inputs including the firm’s own ‘Superlink’ and a hi-rez capable async USB. Particularly for the money the DAC1 is outrageously finished, exudes pride of ownership in the rack and accommodates volume control via remote. A central switcher needn’t have more functions than that.
Because the direct connection of laptop-DAC-power amp sounded better than a lengthy detour via a separate preamp, I thought the elimination of the latter very attractive particularly relative to cash. But never mind such rich featurization. I was foremost thrilled by the B.M.C.’s sound. It was very natural not despite but because of how highly it resolved. The sonic imagery was finely limned, spatially superbly organized and tonally neutral. This deck was really good and felt worth every penny asked for it.


Psych profile
  • Tonally neutral with complete extension into the extremes. The upper bass/lower midrange transition was a tad wirier and leaner than fulsome.
  • Ultra firm and dry bass into true sub bass territory. The first two octaves were characterized by exceptional resolution, not maximal pressurization.
  • Very clear and clean mid/treble. Once again high resolution impressed with how molecularly textures were nuanced and even very subdued detail was retrieved. The sonic space felt very finely structured and natural.
  • Good dynamics particularly in the micro domain. Timing felt even and transient had suddenness. Decays weren’t truncated to sound very realistic.
  • Stage perspective wasn’t distanced but began slightly in front of the ground line. Width, height and depth were generous for this price class. Image focus was very high but not pixilated and three-dimensional sculpting was extraordinarily good. There was plenty of emptiness between stage musicians for clean separation where nothing blurred. This created a very transparent well-sorted impression of the music.
Facts
  • Concept: DAC with async USB, volume control and three analog inputs
  • Dimensions and weight: 435 x 350 x 91cm (WxDxH), 8.5kg
  • Trim: Silver   
  • I/o ports: Digital in via async USB, coax, BNC, Toslink, AES/EBU, Superlink for B.M.C transport; analog in via 2 x RCA, 1 x XLR; analog out via fixed RCA and XLR, variable out on XLR, optical outputs for B.M.C. amps
  • Power consumption: ca. 14 watts at idle
  • Other: Remote wand, selectable digital filters and up/oversampling
  • Website

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