Bricasti Design M3 Stereo D/A
The Bricasti Design M3 Stereo D/A brings studio-grade resolution, neutral poise and a remarkably expansive soundstage to serious digital systems. What Hi-Fi? admired its cohesive detail and precisely layered imaging, while HiFi News found DSD playback especially natural and effortless. Superb machining, balanced outputs and optional network or headphone modules complete a deeply capable DAC/preamp hub.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
94/100
Features Connectivity
89/100
Value for Money
93/100
Pros
Exceptionally revealing yet composed presentation, with fine detail kept coherent during dense recordings.
Wide, airy imaging with convincingly placed and layered instruments.
Premium CNC-machined aluminium construction and top-tier fit and finish.
Optional headphone and network modules add genuine system flexibility without compromising transparency.
Cons
Dynamic punch and rhythmic drive can sound restrained compared with the best rivals.
The optional network module is wired-only and lacks a dedicated streaming app.
The remote control is an expensive optional extra.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
The M3 is consistently described as an unusually revealing, composed and fatigue-free converter, with a broad, precisely organized presentation. Its impartial studio-like character and slightly restrained dynamic expression mean it is less immediately exciting than some rivals, but reviewers found substantial musical insight on longer listening.
Tonal Balance and Musicality
91/100
What Hi-Fi describes an insightful, even-handed and neutral presentation that remains controlled under demanding material, with no added harshness and excellent long-session comfort. It can initially sound detached or analytical, and the same reviewer felt dynamics and rhythmic drive were somewhat underplayed; HiFi News found the minimum-phase filter notably more involving than the linear-phase setting.
Resolution and Detail
94/100
Detail retrieval is a defining strength. Future Audiophile heard vast layers and fresh low-level information in recordings long familiar to the reviewer, while What Hi-Fi praised a “sea of fine detail” that stays cohesive and makes low-level instrumental lines easy to follow. HiFi News also noted clearer instrumental pinpointing and more convincingly resolved percussion timbre.
Digital Performance
91/100
Reviewers characterize the M3 as smooth, composed and free of added hardness, rather than overtly digital or etched. Future Audiophile highlights its dedicated clocking and filtering approach alongside startling low-level audibility, while HiFi News heard greater natural presence and ease at climaxes from DSD material. Published specifications also cite very low jitter and strong dynamic-range and distortion figures.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
94/100
Construction receives unusually emphatic praise. What Hi-Fi found the thick precision-machined aluminium casework exceptionally sturdy, with top-tier fit and finish, while HiFi News calls the CNC-machined alloy enclosure, engineering and finish superb. Future Audiophile further notes separate, substantial supplies for the digital and analog sections.
Features Connectivity
89/100
The M3 provides USB, AES/EBU, coaxial and optical inputs, plus balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs. It supports PCM to 384kHz and high-rate DSD through USB, offers selectable filters and a front-panel volume control for preamp use; optional network and headphone modules broaden its role further. The remote is optional rather than supplied as standard.
Value for Money
93/100
At approximately $6,500-$7,350 depending on configuration, the M3 is a costly purchase, and What Hi-Fi rightly objects that its $500 remote should be included. Even so, Future Audiophile repeatedly calls Bricasti’s performance-to-price proposition “VALUE-VALUE-VALUE” against appropriate competitors, and Tracking Angle describes the M3 as almost too good to be true at its stated US price. HiFi News concludes that it is worth saving for.
Reviews & Sources
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Specifications
- Digital Inputs
- XLR: AES/EBU 24 bit Single Wire, RCA: SPDIF, Optical: Toslink 44.1- 96k, USB 2, RJ45: Ethernet (Optional)
- Sample Rates AES, SPDIF
- 44.1 kHz, to, 192khz, DSD 64fs as DoP
- Sample Rates USB
- 44.1 kHz, to, 384kHz, DSD 64fs 128Fs 256Fs Native and DoP
- Sample Rates Ethernet
- 44.1 kHz, to, 384kHz, DSD 64fs, 128Fs Native
- Jitter
- 8 psec @ 48k / 6psec @ 96k
- Balanced Analog Outputs
- XLR balanced (pin 2 hot)
- D/A Conversion
- PCM 24 bit delta sigma 8x oversampling, NDSD pure 1 bit conversion for DSD
- Impedance
- 40 ohm
- Output Level
- @ 0 db front panel +14.3 dbm 4 db RMS ( bypass mode)
- Frequency Response @44.1k
- 10 hz- 20 kHz +0dB, -.2 dB
- Dynamic Range
- >120dB A-Weighted
- THD+N @ 1k
- .0008% @ 0dbfs / .0004% @-30dbfs
- Unbalanced Analog Outputs
- RCA
- D/A Conversion
- PCM 24 bit delta sigma 8x oversampling, NDSD pure 1 bit conversion for DSD
- Impedance
- 40 ohm
- Output level
- @ 0 db front panel = +4db 2V rms
- Frequency Response @ 44.1k
- 10 hz- 20 kHz -.2 dB
- Dynamic Range
- >120dB A-Weighted
- THD+N @ 1k
- .0008% @ 0dbfs / .0004% @-30dbfs
- M3H Headphone Driver Option
- 4 pin XLR balanced or TRS stereo
- Output impedance
- < 500 ohm (20Hz-20kHz)
- Max. Output <1% THD
- 8.8V or >100mW/600ohm
- A-Weighted S/N
- 116.3db
- THD
- 0.00025%
- Finish
- Anodized Aluminum
- Dimensions
- 14” x 11.25“ x 2.5”
- Weight
- 10 lbs
- Shipping Weight
- 15 lbs
- Mains Voltage
- 100, 120, 220, 240 VAC, 50 Hz – 60 Hz factory set
- Trigger in/out
- TRS mini jack, Tip ground, Sleeve 5V
- Power consumption
- 20 Watts
- Warranty parts and labor
- 2 years non-transferable
Manufacturer's Description — Bricasti Design
Model 3 Digital to Analog Converter
Exceptional performance and value
The M3 offers an incredible array of performance in a more affordable price class. Highlights include two fully differential conversion channels, separate conversion for PCM and native DSD, and a balanced analog level control circuit, making the M3 suitable for all applications. In addition, the M3 incorporates the latest Bricasti Design high-performance MDx processor.
Powerful Architecture
The M3 utilizes two independent linear power supplies for the analog and digital processing to ensure low noise and superior isolation. A newly designed chassis made from robust CNC milled aluminum in sections insures superior thermal characteristics, excellent vibrational damping and shielding from RF.
Re-creating sound is an art and a science
The M3’s digital design employs precision DDS clocking that lowers jitter to extremely low levels, insuring a pure digital signal path without the use of sample rate converters, this combined with superior digital filter design, and Native DSD conversion yields a state of the art digital audio path. The M3’s high speed low distortion analog path features a bypass-able preamp class analog level control allowing the M3 to be used to drive power amps directly, with no bit loss for optimal analog performance.
M3H: Fully differential headphone option
The M3H was designed for the discerning headphone aficionado in mind. Featuring independent analog amplifiers for plus and minus on the XLR output to create a fully balanced headphone system with exceptional performance.
Network Player Option
The Bricasti network player is a network interface and media renderer that connects to your server via a local area network. With wide support for DLNA and other popular network protocols, the M3 with network player delivers pristine lossless audio from your network to your Digital to analog converter; your music server can go anywhere you choose. The M3 with network player connects to your LAN via Ethernet with SPDIF, AES outputs supporting sample rates up to 192k PCM, DSD 64, DSD 128 and DSD 256 over USB.
The network player option works with any app that is DLNA and UPnP compatible. The M3 is now Roon Ready, offering the reliability, flexibility, and ease of use that Roon can offer.
Handcrafted in the USA
All of our products are crafted in the old world tradition, in a classic brick mill building in Massachusetts USA by a team of individuals dedicated to excellence.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Bricasti Design M3 Stereo D/A
- Akalın Muzik Ltd. — in-store — İstanbul, Turkey (website)
- Alma Music & Audio — online and in-store — San Diego, California, United States (website)
- Audio Archon — online and in-store — Libertyville, Illinois, United States (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
- AV Solutions - Italy — online and in-store — Aosta, Valle d'Aosta, Italy (website)
- East End Hi-Fi — online and in-store — Brookhaven, New York, United States (website)
- Erdal Stereo — in-store — Erdal, Vestland, Norway (website)
- Fat Cat Audio — United States (website)
- Fred's Sound Of Music AV — in-store — Portland, Oregon, United States (website)
- Jordan Acoustics — in-store — Christchurch, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 27 more verified dealers