I've got a BorderPatrol DAC SE USB for sale in mint condition, used for about 6 months or so and I'm the original owner.  Asking $1150 plus shipping.

I'll try to post a couple pics either tonight or tomorrow.

PM me if you're interested.

Thanks,
Tim

Rear

Hey Tim,

I’m new to this forum but was really excited since you had the exact same speakers (Zu Omen and Underone) as I had and I was curious about how the Border Patrol DAC sounded. You are the only non-reviewer I know of to
have had time with it.

Do you mind if I ask why you sold it?  Did it not sound as good as you had hoped with the Rachel?  Find a better DAC?

Thanks for any info you can share.

Sure, I'll give you my impressions and motivations.  First off the BorderPatrol does sound amazing.  Very smooth, easy to listen to.  Really, it was a great match with the Rachel in my opinion.

So why did I sell it?  Well, I bought a Modi Multibit for my family room system and was surprised by the clarity.  So, I started reading up on the Yggdrasil and if it might be worth trying in my main system.

At their cores, I think the Yggy and the BP are close cousins.  The BP has a NOS (non-oversampling) DAC chip that's R-2R (ladder), so it plays the samples it receives.  The Yggy also uses an R-2R chip, and while it does do oversampling, it's one of the only (I think the only) ones that preserves the original samples while performing the upsampling.  Most upsampling DACs, for lack of better terms toss out the original samples when they do the math to create the upsampled stream.  The argument for doing upsampling is to allow the filter to roll off more gently which causes fewer artifacts in the audible spectrum.

If I had to sum it, I'd say the BP is rock solid and sounds liquid smooth.  The Yggy is similar, but it's an edge case, it's not like anything else out there, but the sound is pretty amazing, very dynamic and detailed.  $1,000 more amazing than the BP? For me, yeah, I think so.  I listen to *everything*, from acoustic singer-songwriter played softly for an intimate feel to massive works for Pipe Organ and Orchestra played at concert hall levels.

If the Rachel was my only amp and I did all my listening through it, I would have stayed with the BP no question.

Hope that's not too much rambling.  I'm no DAC expert, so I may have some of the theory wrong here, but this is at least how I understand it.

Hi Tim,

Thanks for reply.

So I have modi Multibit... in your opinion how much better is BP compared to modi MB?

Is it really worth the updgrade from modi Mb to BP?

Thanks,
RF

Tim/Chester/RF,

Looks like we all swim in the same seas.  I have the Omen's and the Torii Mk III.  I have been debating between the BP dac, one of the schiit dacs and a used Chord Qutest.  If I don't find a deal on a Qutest I am guessing I will end up with the BP dac.  

But my question for you guys is,  How do you like that Undertone.  Is it a pain to set up?  How much does it add?  I have been contemplating picking one up.  I've never really wanted to deal with a sub, but you only live once I guess.  

Also,  always wanted to hear the Rachel.  I am in a small room and the low power amps actually suite the Zu's better than the Torii in my room.

Thanks for the conversation guys!..

Thanks Tim.

TheTakeOut/Chester

In my opinion undertone is absolutely must... I never turn it off. It adds significant improvement at low end.

Use binding speakers to connect from Amp.  All you really need is signal...  use cat5 cable it has 6 small wires... pick 3 for red and 3 for black... just combine 3 each and send signal from amp to the sub. Setup is really easy... ask Gerrit at ZU to send you quick setup instructions for the Sub... I usually keep it at level 3/4.  

Regarding DAC:
Only two in my list are chord Qutest and BP SE...  hopefully I can find one used in good condition.

Happy listening.

RF