The Well-Tempered Computer

Arcam Solo rDac £299 / £399 Wireless

Chip: Wolfson Microelectronics 8741

Inputs

1x Optical SPDIF (Toslink socket)
44.1kHz, 48kHz
1x Coaxial SPDIF (Gold plated socket)
44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176kHz, 192kHz
1x USB: Asynchronous USB ( dCS license)
32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz
1x Wireless (optional, requires dongle) 44.1kHz

Bit depth: 16-bit, 24-bit (except wireless)

Outputs

2x RCA / Phono sockets (Gold plated)

Output Level

2.1VRMS ( at 0dBFS)

Audio Performance

THD+N: 0.003% - (0dBFS, 1kHz, 22Hz to 22kHz, unweighted)
Noise: -104dB - (relative to full scale, 22Hz to 22kHz, unweighted)

Audiolab 8200CD £699.96

CD player + DAC, 8200CDQ has a pre-amp: £899.95

24Bit/96kHz asynchronous USB, Toslink, SPDIF coax.
Any PC/Mac media player (iTunes etc.) can be controlled via the Audiolabʼs remote handset
USB port also allows the player to be upgraded via firmware updates in the future
Four selectable digital filters enable the user to tailor the sound to his/her own taste
Ultra-high-quality 32-bit DAC from ESS Technology
Proprietary, discrete master clock
Balanced, discrete, Class A output stages
RCA and XLR out

Audiolab MDac £600

Asynchronous USB supporting 24-bit/96kHz with remote control of PC / MAC Media Player via HID support
High current, high linearity RCA single-ended & XLR true balanced with fully discrete J-FET CROSS* Class A output stages and built-in headphone amplifier
Selectable DAC mode or Digital Pre-amplifier mode, allowing direct connection to power amplifiers and active speakers in digital only systems
2.7” high contrast OLED display
"Actual"or"Nominal"Sampling Frequency display – displays the TRUE input sampling frequency with 1Hz resolution
Digital level meters in dB with peak hold
CD / DVD SPDIF subcode embedded Track and Time Display
Advanced de-jittered optical and coaxial SPDIF output, with USB to SPDIF output.
Full remote control + external remote / BUS I/O loop
26 internal regulated supply rails with 10 ultra low noise, low impedance discrete regulators
7 user selectable digital filters – fully software upgradeable via the USB port
Organic ultra low ESR capacitors, high tolerance polypropylene film / foil capacitors, ultra stable very low VCR 0.1% MELF SMD resistors, 4 layer PCB
External upgradeable power supply interface for a future upgrade path

Audioquest DragonFly € 249,00

Capabilities:
• Drives headphones directly
• Variable output drives powered speakers or a
power amplifier
• Fixed output feeds preamp or AV receiver
Features:
• 64-position analog volume control
• Accepts music files up to 24-bit/96kHz resolution
• Asynchronous Class 1 USB data transfer using the
Streamlength® protocol
• Direct-coupled circuitry from the ESS Sabre DAC chip through the analog volume control and output analog driver section
• Dual Master Clocks are used to minimize the amount of jitter present in the DAC circuitry

dCS Debussy € 9.900,00

Inputs

Asynchronous USB interface on a B-type connector, will accept up to 24 bit PCM at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kS/s.
Upgrade to USB audio class 2 possible
2x AES/EBU on 3-pin female XLR connectors. Each will accept up to 24 bit PCM at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 & 96kS/s.
OR as a Dual AES pair at 88.2, 96, 176.4 & 192kS/s.
2x SPDIF on 1x RCA Phono and 1x BNC connectors. Each will accept PCM at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kS/s up to 24 bits.

Outputs

Balanced Outputs - 1 stereo pair on 2x 3-pin male XLR connectors
Unbalanced Outputs - 1 stereo pair on 2x RCA Phono connectors.

The dCS Ring DAC is a discrete balanced design which does not use any off-the-shelf DAC chips commonly found in other manufacturer's products.

Two filters are provided offering listeners the choice between linear phase with pre-ringing or non-linear phase without pre-ringing.

The digital volume control allows direct connection to a power amplifier, so often there is then no need for a preamplifier. Maximum output can be either two or six volts to suit different amp/speaker combinations.

Halide DAC HD US$ 550

Power – supplied from USB connection. LC filtered (two pole passive) and down regulated; separate power rails for digital circuitry and master clock.
Drivers – Plug and Play, using Streamlength®
Supported rates – 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz (user selectable), at 24 bit resolution.
DAC: Wolfson WM8716
Length – 2 meters standard, other lengths available.

HRT Musicstreamer II+ $599.00

Full Scale output 2.25 Volts RMS

Frequency Response (20 Hz/20 kHz) -0 dB/ -1.4 dB

Noise Floor (DC to 30 kHz) 20 uV RMS

S/N Ratio (DC to 30 kHz) 101 dB

S/N Ratio: (DC to 30 kHz) 82 dB

S/N Ratio: (A-weighted) 86 dB

THD+N (1 kHz FS 44.1 kS/s) 0.008%

USB to Audio output isolation > 20M Ohm

Data Rate up to 96 kS/s - Bit Depth up to 24 bit

Transfer Protocol asynchronous

USB type 1.1 or above

Power Requirements (USB buss) 350 mA

Dimensions 129mm L x 53mm W x 30mm H

A detailed description of the Pro.

Musical Fidelity V-DAC II

24bit 192k upsampling

24 bit / 96 kHz asynchronous USB

Wavelength

All models are using asynchronous USB.

Brick V2 $1750,-

16/44.1 NOS (Non oversampling) DAC (TDA1543N2)

12AU7A/ECC82 output tube

Analog output: RCA

The Crimson and the Cosecant are available with the same TDA1543N2 or a Wolfson DAC.

In the latter case the USB support 24 bits/96 kHz

The Crimson can also be equipped with a 32 bit ESS Sabre DAC.

Now, for the first time ever, Wavelength Audio has developed Asynchronous Mode USB Audio. This means the computer is controlled by the USB DAC. No longer is the tail wagging the dog. Instead, an ultra-low-jitter audio master clock located in the DAC controls the audio transfer rate from the computer. Jitter is reduced by a factor of greater than 100 times! What's more, this is accomplished using the standard USB drivers (Windows or MacIntosh) for easy plug-and-play installation. Now the convenience of computer-based audio is combined with the lowest possible jitter.