HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

My new Brennan B2 arrived this morning. I have wanted one for a very long time and finally decided to buy one to replace my Marantz CD63.

You can read all about it here: http://www.brennan.co.uk/

Essentially, it's a Raspberry Pi in very nice clothes with a lovely display. I have it hooked up to my DAC via Optical SPDIF and the sound quality is stunning. I have only ripped a few CDs with it so far, but the process is painless. You have a choice between FLAC or MP3. FLAC is CD quality. Once the music is ripped, you can either play it via the unit itself, or via the supplied remote, or via a web browser on a tablet, computer or other mobile device of your choice (connected to the same WIFI network). But that's not all. It also has hundreds of internet radio stations built in and best of all, there is an add-on for Google Chrome that allows you to redirect any audio playing on a PC, tablet or other mobile device to the B2 via the network (not BT so much better sound quality).

Stupidly easy to use. So far, huge smile and two thumbs up from me

I've seen the Brennan before George and wondered how it would perform in a "proper" hi fi system. It does look easy to use, I'm using a laptop with a seperate 2G hard drive, and would be interested if the sound quality of the Brennan is better. I still use the Project transport when I can since I feel the sound quality is better. Anyway pleased you're happy with your new purchase.

Nice unit George.....and a lot cleverer than the Mk1.
I find the brennan goes well with the wee NVA units.
Enjoy...

Just spent more time with it now. Playing audio in Sound Cloud and Tidal via Chrome browser. Press the little 'J' button at the top of the browser and the audio starts coming out of the Cubes! So easy - miles better than any other system I've used to date. Hee-Hee!

antonio66 wrote:I've seen the Brennan before George and wondered how it would perform in a "proper" hi fi system. It does look easy to use, I'm using a laptop with a seperate 2G hard drive, and would be interested if the sound quality of the Brennan is better. I still use the Project transport when I can since I feel the sound quality is better. Anyway pleased you're happy with your new purchase.

When the disc is ripped to FLAC, it doesn't get any better AFAIK. Where you play those FLAC files from shouldn't matter, so really as long as the files are identical and the HIFI is the same, whether it plays from a Brennan to a DAC or your laptop to a DAC, the results ought to be the same.

George Hincapie wrote: whether it plays from a Brennan to a DAC or your laptop to a DAC, the results ought to be the same.

Tried a laptop to each via USB and thought the sound inferior to the TFS. Didn't try it for very long, I have to admit.