PlayGo

PlayGo

Wireless USB sender and receiver.

24-bit/96khz digital spdif output (TOSLINK), 192kHz option
Burr-brown SRC4192 sample rate converter
Clock regeneration for jitter-free clocking
Distortion-free volume control (256 step 0dB to -127.5dB digital attenuation)

USB limited to 16/48 but a 24/96 version is planned.

Thanks Seta

Sad to hear you are not able to maintain this blog any longer.

Thanks for supplying us with a plethora of hot news about what is new on the digital audio front.

I will try to keep up the good work.

Vincent

Digital Audio Blog Announcement

Announcement from Seta, editor Digital Audio Blog.


"Friends, due to personal circumstances Digital Audio Blog's current editors are no longer capable of running this blog to the frequency and quality they intended it to be.  Luckily we do have a savior.  


Digital Audio Blog is now a part of Vincent Kars' reference-standard The Well Tempered Computer website and timely updates of the blog will resume shortly.


Myself and earlier contributors will continue to provide reviews and show reports on these pages from time to time and will be sharing with you some interesting reviews soon."

Music Software and Operating Systems

Dynobot has written a hands-on comparison of various operating system in running a computer-as-source music system.  Good read.

EAR Yoshino DAC

Tim de Paravicini is a legend.  His EAR-Yoshino phono preamps and amps are among the few analog products that has been elevated to cult classic status.  Now Tim has debuted his EAR-Yoshino DAC (est. £4000), which offers 24/192kHz capabilites and USB input. With the EAR DAC Tim de Paravicini has applied his world renown knowledge and attention to detail in the analog world to the digital domain.  

The DAC boasts a digital to analog converter with low jitter clock and enhanced operation. The DAC accepts up to 24/192 digital input from USB, coaxial SPDIF and Toslink SPDIF inputs. Immediately upon returning to the analog domain, the audio signal is passed to EAR's propreitary analog filter. The audio is output from a transformer-coupled ECC88 tube line output stage as in EAR pro audio equipment. This allows true floating balanced output as well as identical quality unbalanced line out by RCA connectors. The maximum output is 5 volt, which means it can drive directly any power amplifier of any type, with analog volume control that can be controlled by remote handset. This claims accurate, clean smooth sound, yet detailed, open and dynamic, lacking the overly-crisp, a musicality of many highly-regarded digital to analog converters. Avaialble in chrome or black aluminium finish

Specifications

• DAC chip: 24 BIT Multilevel Delta Sigma Conversion.
• 1 x USB Interface
• 2 x 75 Ohms Coaxial S/PDIF
• 1 x Toslink Optical S/PDIF
• RCA 5V rms single ended
• Balanced XLR; 5V rms XLR pin 2 positive
• Valve Compliment: 2x ECC88 / 6DJ8
• Output Impedance: < 60 Ohms (balanced or single ended)
• Recommended Load: > 600 Ohms (balanced or single ended)
• Harmonic Distortion: < 1%
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz
• Dimensions: W 435mm, D 320mm, H 95mm

Accuphase 900 series digital components

Accuphase of Japan just launched the new DD-900 SACD transport and DC-901 DAC.  

In addition to coaxial SPDIF output, the DD-900 SACD Transport will be to output DSD stream via its proprietary HS-Link connection to the DC-901 DAC.  

The DAC sports HS-Link, coaxial, Toslink and AES/EBU inputs as well as a high speed 24/192kHz capable USB input.  It also has a "digital tape loop" I/O after the de-jitter circuit and just before the DAC chip itself for connection to a digital signal processor.  The DC-901 uses two ESS SABRE32 DAC chips, one per channel.  Volume controlled in the digital domain.  Balanced and unbalanced outputs.

Pricing approximately US$10,000 for each unit.

ToneAudio issue 38 is out

Tone Audio issue 38 is out and ready for download (PDF). Enjoy.

Schitt Audio Bifrost DAC with asynchronous USB

Schitt Audio, maker of the popular Vahalla and Lyre tube headphone amps, is now taking pre-orders for its debut stand-alone DAC to be called the Bifrost, the company's first in a planned series of three.  The DAC has a very respectable set of specs and very likable price of $349.  Featuring a 32-bit D/A conversion, fully discrete analog section, sophisticated clock management system, asynchronous USB 2.0 option, as well as SPDIF coaxial and optical inputs, all with 24/192 capability.  The DAC comes with a 5-year warranty and a 15-day satisfaction guarantee return policy. The Bifrost begins shiipping end of August 2011.

Fully Upgradable
Bifrost's modular design uses separate, snap-in USB Input and DAC/Analog cards. When USB technology changes, you can simply drop in a new, better USB Input Card. When meaningful upgrades to D/A converters come out, you can snap in a new DAC/Analog Card.

AKM4399 D/A Converter and Discrete Analog Section
AKM4399 "Super DAC" 32 bit D/A converter is used and its analog section is a fully discrete, low noise JFET design—the only op-amp in the box is a DC servo.

Advanced Bitperfect Clock Management
Bifrost dispenses with the sample rate converter and uses a sophisticated master clock management system to deliver bit-perfect data to the DAC, preserving all the original music samples--whether it's 16/44.1 or 24/192.

Asynchronous USB 2.0, 24/192, 
Featuring a high-speed USB 2.0 interface and asynchronous data transfer to 24/192, based on the C-Media CM6631 USB receiver. No drivers are required for Macs, and Windows drivers will be downloadable from this site for Windows 7, Vista, and XP.  Please note that this is a $100 option.

Specifications

• Inputs: Coaxial SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB (optional)
• Input Capability: up to 24/192 for all inputs
• Input Receiver, SPDIF: Crystal Semiconductor CS8416
• Input Receiver, USB: C-Media CM6631
• D/A Conversion IC: AKM4399
• Analog Summing, Filtering: Fully Discrete, DC Coupled
• Output: Dual RCA (single-ended)
• Output Impedance: 75 ohms
• Frequency Response, Analog Summing Stage: 2Hz-100KHz, -1dB (actual frequency response limited by sample rate)
• Maximum Output: 2.2VRMS
• THD: Less than 0.001%, 20Hz-20KHz
• S/N: Greater than 108dB
• Power supply: 5 stages of regulation, including separate supplies for critical digital and analog sections.
• Upgradability: Separate, modular USB Input Card and DAC/Analog Card are snap-in replaceable.
• Power Consumption: 15W
• Size: 9 x 6.75 x 2.25”
• Weight: 5 lbs

Superlatives...

The Beatles - cool infographics

Antelope Isochrone 10M Rubidium Atomic Clock

Antelope Audio, makers of the Zodiac DAC range, also specializes in audio control clocking devices.  Its Isochrone 10M is a Rubidium Atomic Reference Generator based on real atomic technology that is a staggering 100,000 times more accurate than the quartz oscillators used in most audio equipment. The 10M is designed primarily for studio use but will also appeals to computer audiophiles who just will not live with clock induced jitters.

Features

• Swiss-made Rubidium core with accuracy of 0.03 parts per billion
• Ultra-precise Atomic oscillator with stability of 1 second in 1,000 years
• Rubidium core is FEI 5660 Compatible Stanford PRS10 Equivalent
• Dual Redundant power supply with automatic switchover
• 8 BNC outputs of 10 MHz
• Compatible with any device that accepts 10 MHz reference
• Utmost ease of operation, just connect it and power it on
• Extremely sturdy mechanical construction
• Perfect match for OCX, OCX-V and Trinity
• US$5,995

TEAC UD-H01 USB DAC

TEAC (originally "Tokyo Electro Acoustic Company") has been making fine consumer electronics since the 1950s under its own trade name and its other two subsidiary TASCAM and ESOTERIC. The first one focuses on pro-audio, and the latter in ultra hi-end audio. As we all aware, Esoteric's digital audio products are considered among the best in the industry. Their VRDS transport mechanics are unsurpassed. Their digital to analog converters are known to up there with the state of the art.  

Vincent Kars hinted us that TEAC, the mother ship, has quietly launched (in Japan and Europe) the new UD-H01 DAC with USB input and a built in headphone amplifier. Using two 32 Bit 192kHz Burr Brown converters, the DAC upsamples data to 192kHz. It has coaxial and optical inputs and both XLR and RCA outputs. Due to be available in July for £299.  Also launching together is an AirPlay adapter that will enable you to transform your existing HiFi into an AirPlay compatible device, also for £299.  This DAC looks almost too good to be true in terms of specs and build quality versus price.

Features

• USB Audio Class2 High-speed Input from PC/MAC (using the Tenor 8802 chip)
• 32-bit/192kHz Dual D/A Convertors (BurrBrown 1795 x 2)
• Up-conversion to 32bit/192kHz
• Supports full speed Asynchronous Transfer Mode (to be confirmed, we suspect with drivers)
• Toroidal-core-Power Transformer
• Detachable AC Socket
• Headphone Out with Volume Control
• Aluminium Front Panel
• USB Input: x 1 (USB2.0)
• Digital Audio Inputs: x 2 (Coaxial, Optical)
• Balanced Audio Output: x 1 (XLR, 1-GND, 2=Hot, 3=Cold)
• Audio Output: x 1 (RCA)
• Headphone Out: x 1 (6.3mm)
• Input Signal Sampling Rate: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 215mm x 55mm x 215mm

Audiophile Sympathy Cards

ASUS Xonar Essence One USB DAC and Headphone Amp

ASUS, the computer giant, launched a digital audio line under trade name Xonar.  Their first product, the Essence One, is a headphone amp / DAC with USB and SPDIF inputs.  Utilizing a PCM1795 32-bit DAC chip which upsamples everything to 384kHz.  RCA and balance XLR outputs.

credit my-hiend.com 

credit my-hiend.com

Interger mode explained

Damien Plisson, developer of Audirvana OSX music player software,  has published a white paper (in conjunction with AMR Audio of UK) explaining the importance of player software and Mac's playback Integer Mode.  As of writing, only Audirvana and PureMusic v.1.8 offer such capabilities with compatible DACs.

Abstract

In computer audio, the player software replaces the CD drive as the transport feeding the DAC. Ensuring bit‐perfect output of the original audio signal is a pre‐requisite, while minimizing jitter and RF interferences are still strongly needed. This paper explains the main factors impacting sound quality on the computer side, and the means that have been implemented in Audirvana player and the AMR DP‐777 DAC to boost the audio experience to the next level above the normal iTunes. These main means are bit-perfect, sample rate switching, asynchronous transfer and Integer Mode.

The white paper can be downloaded here.