Border Patrol vs Mytek Liberty $999

audiolama

Active Member
In the market for a dac..Started with schiit Multibit and I kept on reading and reading ad came up with MQA, which I had never heard about. I was always a FLAC man since it came out and really dont use Digitial audio, unless when I have a party. Well the question is, I have heard both the BP DAC and the Liberty DAC in the DC 2018 Audio show and I liked them both very well.

I was wondering if I can get any of your opinions regarding the Liberty vs BP or just stay with my first choice Schiit Multibit at $249.


Thanks!
 
Before the torrent of MQA fans and detractors arrive to bombard the thread. Let me just say that I am a huge fan of Mytek Dacs. I have gone through countless Dacs including Schiit Dacs. I ended with the Brooklyn + and if I could, would have no issues going up to the Manhattan +.

The folks at Mytek are pro musicians and studio engineers first and Audiophiles a close second. The fact that Mytek gear is very prevalent in studios is very encouraging to me. They also happen to sou d great. I have not heard the border patrol offering to give you a comparison. But can wholly recommend the Liberty!
 
I've been looking to snag a Mytek ADC96 to get my vinyl into digital with the cleanest conversion possible. I don't think you can go wrong with their products if transparent is what you're going for.
 
I have been looking at the aforementioned dacs as well as the Brooklyn but have not listened to any of them.

I do not need a headphone amp or a volume control or meters so I am thinking the Border Patrol is, for me, the better value.
 
I have been looking at the aforementioned dacs as well as the Brooklyn but have not listened to any of them.

I do not need a headphone amp or a volume control or meters so I am thinking the Border Patrol is, for me, the better value.

I need to read more on the Border Patrol Dac..He has an SE version that has better parts and a better transformer for an extra $400. I have read about MQA and its just a compressed digital format, but many streaming companies might start adding it to their library and I rather be prepared. I have been looking at Tidal and I know they promote it as well as many audio magazines.

Iike I said I heard the BP Dac and the Mytek at he DC Audio show just last week and they both sounded great. And I dont need a controller or headphones. I just think the BP might be funner to use with Tube rolling. The brooklyn DAC+ is my dream but for another grand I passed.

One thing Im also confused is with the inside of the Mytek and the caps they use.?
 
border patrol DAC is for idiots who read john darko and spend money. it should sell for $250 but it sells for 1250 and it sounds no differnt than the 150 bucks chinese pones that you can buy on ebay.
 
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border patrol DAC is for idiots who read john darko and spend money. it should sell for $250 but it sells for 1250 and it sounds no differnt than the 150 bucks chinese pones that you can buy on ebay.


Did you buy it? How do you know?
 
And some people like pain.


Ah, so where did you listen to it? Did you spend much time with it? Please explain your history with it.

I will leave his name out of the discussion, he can add to the conversation if he wishes but one of our fellow AK members who has had his share of decent audio equipment wrote this:

“Well, I went with the Border Patrol SE DAC and am more than happy with it. Great sounding DAC.“



(I suspect people do not like this DAC because of a couple of less than perfect reviews. But there does seem to be a lot of disdain, I think, from people that never listened to it. I decided to buy new speakers rather than a DAC, so my own decision on which DAC to buy will be delayed for several months.)
 
Did you buy it? How do you know?
i dont own it. ive listened to it in a system with decware, and also bakoon ss amps, and harbeth speakers. it doesnt sound bad at all. pretty good. it is a completely off the shelf design with a power supply that while excellent does not preform the water into wine miracle that john darko is peddling for gullible people.
 
Apparently some people can hear music through a spec page.
They must be the “GoldenEars”.

You don't need to listen to it to realize it has not much to offer except for gobs of distortion and asymmetric channel performance. And I'm not even talking about ultrasonic mirrors due to filterless NOS here. I get it, it doesn't necessarily going to sound as a power amp clipping, and the abundant second harmonic will definitely warm up the sound and some may find the coloration pleasing, but come on, they need to have some nerve to price it that high for what it is. And here what they said in response to JA's measurements, which could point to complete incompetence or just plain dishonesty.

Manufacturer's Comment
...
Despite inferior measurements
, there is a good argument to be made that R-2R NOS DACs are more accurate than delta-sigma DACs, which use upsampling and massive error correction to achieve good measured performance.
 
this is very good advice. the RME is magnitudes better value. it is an awesome versatile solution with great sound.
The pro edition, which is only $100 or so more also does ADC, great for needle drops or other analog uses. I like the small form factor too, considering all that it does.
 
In the market for a dac..Started with schiit Multibit and I kept on reading and reading ad came up with MQA, which I had never heard about. I was always a FLAC man since it came out and really dont use Digitial audio, unless when I have a party. Well the question is, I have heard both the BP DAC and the Liberty DAC in the DC 2018 Audio show and I liked them both very well.

I was wondering if I can get any of your opinions regarding the Liberty vs BP or just stay with my first choice Schiit Multibit at $249.


Thanks!
I purchased a Mytek Liberty after hearing it at the DC audiofest. It replaces a Schiit Bifrost Uber (not multibit) and it's just miles ahead in resolution, imaging, and soundstage. It should be, considering it's double the price of the Schiit, which I liked very much at its cost point. While I stream Tidal, I've not compared MQA to non-MQA much, so I'm agnostic on that debate. I bought the Liberty not for MQA, but because I wanted to get the benefit of the chip and architecture of the more costly Brooklyn at half the price. Purchase of the Liberty has triggered a set of downstream upgrades because it is more resolving, yet has a warm sound. I really did not listen to the Border Patrol long enough to form an opinion, and it was demo'ed at the D.C. Audiofest through Volti horn loudspeakers, which had a big and dynamic sound.
 
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