FOLLOW-UP

The greater my own longevity, the more I admire that very quality—longevity, that is. An “upgrade path” is similarly appealing—if, regrettably, rarely available to humans, who are stuck with the equipment we were born with, give or take a prosthesis or two.

- SASHA MATSON

BRICASTI DESIGN M1SE MDX

Hi-fi upgrades are less rare than upgrades for us humans, and yet they are far from common. A realistic, practical upgrade path is a factor I consider in any hi-fi purchasing decision—not the only factor, certainly, but an important one. A product that’s upgradeable can stay in your system—your audio system—for a long time.

Bricasti Design introduced its first consumer audio product, the M1 D/A converter, in 2010. More than a decade later, a revised version of that DAC continues in production—actually, three different versions, from “Classic” to “Limited Gold”—alongside an expanded array of other Bricasti components, some aimed at audio consumers, others at audio professionals. The consumer-focused M1 remains a favorite, especially for the technically inclined.

I have owned the SE version of the Bricasti M1 D/A converter for several years. It’s my reference DAC. When, recently, I became aware of the availability of the factory-installed MDx Processor Board upgrade, I packed up the M1SE and sent it off to the Bricasti factory, which is in Shirley, Massachusetts, northwest of Boston. The factory-installed MDx upgrade costs $1000—a lot less than the $10,000 it costs today to buy a new M1SE with the MDx board.

A complex upgrade history