Lower Your Cost
My Lower-Cost Audio System
You can use the results of my experiment, which an audio store owner did for me a long time ago, to create a lower-cost system that you would be fortunate to have. Over the decades I’ve been building, I’ve proven that he was correct.
In that experiment, he proved to me that the #1 thing that was most important was the quality of your source component. In my case, it’s the DAC, and the best DAC of over 50 I’ve owned in the last eight years is the Bricasti M12 DAC.
The M3, with its network card and remote control options, is an excellent value. However, the M12 is better and is the DAC you should consider owning if you purchase the Barefoot Sound monitors. It’s the M12 DAC that shines in this particular lower-cost system and not the M3 DAC.
If you decided to put together a lower-cost system, the lowest entry cost would be a Bricasti M12 DAC (it comes with a network card, remote control options, and a built-in preamp). It’s made here in the US and is the finest-sounding DAC I’ve ever heard. It beats any turntable system costing well over $20,000, and all I listen to now is Tidal and streaming services that come through my modem on the Internet. That’s it!
If you go this route, you should pair the Bricasti M12 ($16,000 retail price) with Barefoot Sound’s pro audio Footprint 02 monitors. These monitors are three-way, have two Class D amps inside, are active pro audio monitors, and retail for $2,999 for the pair.
I’m also a music creator and have represented Dangerous Musics gear (all of it), Genelec’s best pro audio monitors, and Neumans’ pro audio monitors. Genelecs large immersive audio multi-million dollar demo room is only 30 minutes from me, and I’ve been in it. I can only share that the 02 Footprints do not sound like the other pro audio monitors and do not need a subwoofer.
These work in my application, and the others don’t. So, for less than $3,000, you have a pair of active monitors that no longer require any power amp purchase since the power amps are already built into the monitors. You also have a small monitor that you can listen to in either a small room, mid-sized room, or carefully placed in a large room. A more straightforward, high-quality system alternative like this one does not exist. At least, I’m not aware of it.
However, I’m not too fond of the Footprint 02 monitors alone. But when using Audirvana (as my music player) with the Izotope Ozone plugin option installed within Audirvana, I can use the EQ, minimize, and perform other options inside Ozone to gain the sound quality that suits my personal preferences and my room. It takes some time to do this, but it works exceptionally well. Consequently, I consider this a “sleeper” that can produce your desired audio quality, but only if your source is the absolute best (and I don’t mean 2nd best or less). The source is now critical for this configuration to work well, so I recommend only the M12 DAC.
No matter the cost, I can’t do this when using DSP or any other automatic program on other pro audio monitors. The source quality and the other items used are always the stumbling blocks.
The signal is analog (not digital), and the speakers play an analog signal (not digital). Staying in the analog realm increases your sound quality, but it is still complicated to do well. Tweaking and manually creating the plugin’s capability provides these monitors with the right sound quality, but only if you install the plugin on your computer and not your streamer. This plugin isn’t available for use on a streamer. This solution also has a sound quality that doesn’t require a subwoofer (bass goes down to 40 Hz), is on the warm side of neutral, and does not sound thin. However, the Bricasti network card with the M12 DAC (not an option like the M3 DAC) is critical to obtaining this system’s sound quality. This system’s source (the M12 DAC) is #1, and the synergy between the monitors and this high-end DAC creates this unique sound quality, and the result is impressive compared to anything else in its price range.
Can a larger Barefoot Sound monitor work?
NO!
Don’t even consider it!
I would only use this lower-sized Barefoot model and a pair of these that retail for $3,000 if I didn’t want to spend $40,000 on my recommended system. If I wanted to increase the sound quality, I’d return to the Voxativ Hagens and my 300B amplifier if I wanted to take this system any higher.
There is no middle ground, so don’t try. You’ll be disappointed if you try it. I created this accidental result by pairing the M12 DAC with these active speakers and using my pro audio software. I’d never consider doing this without making music and owning the necessary pro audio plugin already. Purchasing Ozone is a pro audio creation thing and not something an audiophile would consider doing. It not only works, however, but works exceptionally well.
However, I don’t need to install Ozone if I use my 300B amp and a pair of Hagens. I have used this approach with all the systems I have assembled for years (Audrivana with the Ozone plugin installed). This is one of the benefits you receive from me since I’ve straddled both the audiophile and pro audio realms and work with each well. Anything else will not sound nearly as good, and I know—I’ve tried. Please don’t do it unless you want to waste money.
So, the Bricasti M12 and a pair of these monitors are all you need to listen to music at a high level. If you consider using this option, I would also purchase my RJ45 network system (it’s required and is much better than USB), and adding this would increase the cost of those components by another $1,000. This system costs around $20,000, and the speakers could be placed on top of a pair of inexpensive Amazon stands if you want to save money. I also demo this system in my studio, using the $1,700 pair of electric height adjustable stands. I like it a lot and have no problem recommending it. However, it’s the M12 DAC that now is the stumbling block. It retails for $16,000. However, it is crucial to create the sound quality that is received by this system.
No, this option is not as good as my 300B amp Hagen/BOB combination. But I can build this system for $20,000 instead of $40,000. That interests me (a lot). I can also now purchase the M12 Bricasti DAC and either stop with the Barefoot Footprint 02 active monitors or save up and eventually replace them with my recommended system as I can afford more. I can take lots of time doing that if I have to. Again, being able to do that interests me.
I know no other way to do this well than to do things at a high level. Anything else is too much of a compromise for me.
***The quality of your source truly is #1***
This option allows you to purchase the absolute best source I have found in my decades of making this journey. You can then acquire all of the same equipment in the best system I’ve described on another web page, only this time, you’ll have the M12 DAC instead of the M3 DAC (unless you can only afford the M3 DAC) to get started.