Bottlehead DAC - making it happen with Kickstarter?

[Doc B.]

We have been manufacturing and selling kits for 20 years and we handle hundreds of orders each year. I'm not going to go into details on numbers, but suffice it to say we have had single day sales that were as big as a regular month's sales and we delivered. Based upon our limited experience I feel that quantity is a good thing. I would love to deliver to 100 people out there who are ready to jump in on this DAC.

Regarding t-shirts, I think that is a great idea for funding a startup. I appreciate those who want to support the project that way, though I'm not sure if offering that kind of thing fits this model. We're an established company with a good track record simply trying to use Kickstarter as a very clear cut way to either get enough orders for a brand new, costly to produce product, or retire the idea with no hard feelings for our customers and no financial debacle for us.

Regarding the $_99 thing, I would respectfully ask you to look at our product pricing. You may gather from it that the Kickstarter launch would include such refinements. I appreciate the analysis, and particularly appreciate the folks who come forward to say they are in - that's the most important data point we are attempting to acquire.

@Sam, we do not at this time have any plans to lower the price. To quote an Allen Stone lyric -

push, pull, tear,
we can't stretch it any further

[tdogzthmn]

Doc, another potential platform you could use is called Massdrop which does exactly what you are looking for.  https://www.massdrop.com/how-it-works

You might want to explore this avenue as well.

[dw]

I'll probably sign up for this too. I really like the idea of more comparisons againts other DACs.

-Dave

[ffivaz]

Jim Hagerman got four times what he was asking : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1907446723/cornet3-a-diy-tube-phono-preamp. I'm pretty sure BH will also achieve it. BTW, Jim decided that he would take half the risk on himself, he said he would do the preamps even if he raised half the money he really needed (he calculated he needed around 22 k$ and was ready to ship the pres even if he got only 11K). And he offered to send some cables when the project reached 200%.

Good luck, I'm still not completely sure if I will spend so much money on a DAC, I mainly listen to LPs lately.

[denti alligator]

I'm gonna try and raise the funds, but I don't know.  Doc, I was sure the price wouldn't be lowered; just worried a bit it might go up.

[johnsonad]

I too would like it compared against other products, especially comercial offerings. It's getting expensive and at that point I would prefer to hear it in my system before taking the plundge.  I don't have a lot of faith in digital products. Amps make senese and the Paramounts are a steal at their price point. For the DAC it's at the point I would want to hear other products in that range before committing on one.

[Paul Birkeland]

Doc, another potential platform you could use is called Massdrop which does exactly what you are looking for.  https://www.massdrop.com/how-it-works

You might want to explore this avenue as well.

We have worked with Massdrop in the past twice, but are not planning to work with them in the future.

[Doc B.]

Boy if Jim would cover half the cost for us that would be awesome. I think I have put around $15K into this project so far and we haven't even ordered any parts for production yet.

Massdrop is not the same as Kickstarter. They are about getting a manufacturer to give a deep discount on an existing product. We are capable of running our own "drops" and thus having control of delivery.

I understand the hesitance about a new digital product. That's why it took you guys years to talk me into doing this. I'm involved with what is considered one of the best sounding formats available (Tape Project) and thus I can't afford to put out a crap product in another medium. So this project was about "what's the best we can possibly do and still be at a realistic price?" from the start. For me it started with listening to and learning about products like the Pacific Microsonics Model 2, the Pyramix workstation and the Audeeva Conbrio. Three years and many prototypes later we feel we have reached the level we were shooting for. Hopefully some will find the product useful in their search for musical bliss.

[RPMac]

I guess comparisons are fine, but what do they really tell you when it is someone else's ears listening to someone else's system in someone else' room? I don't know.

But what I compare is my system before Bottlehead and then with the addition of each piece of Bottlehead gear. Now I compare my 'new' Bottlehead system (BeePre/Stereomour) with my previous Bottlehead system (Foreplay/Paraglow/Parabee). The one thing that has been constant is the VALUE of Bottlehead equipment. Doc and the team at Bottlehead have always work to give us the best possible equipment at the least possible cost. I have no doubt that a $1500 Bottlehead DAC will have a VALUE of $3000-$5000 or more.

[Hank Murrow]

Dear Doc; That was a pretty generous survey of where BH has arrived in the development of the DAC. If I can get up to BHeadquarters soon, would a comparo between the BH DAC and the Oppo BDP 95 DAC be possible? Or have you already compared it with your BDP 103 at home?

In any case, I would add my name to the emerging list if it offers improvement vis-à-vis the Oppo.

Cheers for all you do!  Hank in Eugene

[Loquah]

RPMac, I think comparisons are most helpful when people are considering multiple options to invest in (i.e. a Woo tube amp vs a Bottlehead tube amp vs maybe a Burson solid state - purely for a rough example). For that reason I think comparisons would be highly valuable here, particulary a range of them, because the price tag (circa $1500) means that it's a purchase decision that will likely be an either or as it's not a sum of money that many people will spend in multiples. I expect many people will be deciding to buy the BH DAC or a premium amp or a TOTL headphone so they'll need plenty of justification to choose the DAC over the possible alternatives available in this price range.

That said, I couldn't agree more with you about the continually brilliant quality and value delivered by Bottlehead's products. In some ways, the higher price tag has me excited because I know the project would have been scrapped already if the product didn't completely justify the price tag.

Now where are those spare coins I had??? 

[AudioDave]

Count me in Doc!

[xcortes]

Pm sent

[kgoss]

I will eventually buy the DAC.  In fact it will be my next Bottlehead purchase but I won't be able to join the kickstarter effort. I have been looking forward to this product for a long time but I have some medical bills to take care of first.  I hope this kickstarter campaign is wildly successful. I know that John and everyone at Bottlehead have been working hard for over a year to bring this to life and they wouldn't release it if it wasn't worth two or three times the asking price. If that wasn't the case it would have been released a long time ago.

Ken

[RPMac]

Loquah, the way I look at these things is that the biggest factors in how a system "sounds" are the speakers, their inner action with room acoustics, and the perception of the listener. A person that likes warm and mellow is not going to be of the same opinion as someone that likes bright and detailed.

But, I stand corrected in that the comparison opinion of Doc and the Bottlehead team would be of great value because they are the ones that have "voiced" the gear we use and enjoy.

I understand that an almost 50% jump in projected price is something to think about, but we all know that Doc isn't going to put something out until it is right and worth having.

I'm not trying to get into Doc's business, but if he can get 20 or more of us to commit to buy and willing to pay up front, why does he need Kickstarter? Exposure???

My bottom line,( for Grainger's sake ;>D ), I want to see it happen.