DIGITAL SOURCE COMPONENTS

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go to: Contents | On The Horizon | Feature | Disc Players | DACs | Music Servers & Accessories | Integrated Amps with USB DACs | Music Download Reviews | Buyer's Guide EQUIPMENT review - EAR-Yoshino 192 DACute DAC was capable of finer modulation of harmonic colors, the Sony sounding slightly more grey and less saturated. The boogie factor, the rhythmic drive that propels musical lines forward, was also enhanced. That coupled with exceptional resolution of dynamic contrasts made for a vibrant presentation packed with dramatic tension. Harmonic textures ebbed and flowed with a natural edgeless fluidity and a heightened sense of purity due no doubt to freedom from digital hash. And all the while the DACute shone a light on low-level detail. But there was nothing forced about its presentation. Much like ripples in a pond, detail dotted the fabric of the music—a far cry from the surreal hyper-etched presentation being accepted by some audiophiles today as music. No sir, that’s not what the real thing sounds like. Another comparison I was eager to try was with April Music’s Eximus DP1 DAC/preamp. The DP1 packs a fantastic DAC and a high-quality opamp-based analog stage. This was to be a classic confrontation of tubes versus solid-state. Not surprisingly, the DP1 bettered the DACute in the areas solid-state designs have traditionally excelled in—at the frequency extremes. The DP1 exhibited a tighter bass range and was subjectively more extended on top. However, it lacked the smooth grainless textures of the EAR, which in the case of the DACute turned out to be a package deal. Much like red hair and freckles, the smoother textures and diminished top end came bundled with slightly softer transients. As a result, the EAR came across as a kinder and gentler purveyor of music, while the DP1’s crisper presentation was the more impressive and was responsible for an enhanced sense of soundstage transparency. In the end though, the DACute’s tube attributes shone through and won me over with a wonderfully palpable presentation that shimmered with dynamic energy. That finally brings me to the DACute’s USB input and the subject of computer audio. Early this year I fell though the rabbit hole into the wonderland that is high-end computer audio. Actually, it was a deliberate move designed to take advantage of a technology that in the span of just a few years sprouted from infancy to a relatively mature state. In particular, I was intrigued by the possibility that 44.1kHz/16-bit files streamed off a computer hard drive could be reproduced with less jitter and greater fidelity relative to what even an expensive CD player or transport is capable of. The core of my computer audio system consists of a Mac BookPro laptop with 8GB of memory and a solid-state hard-drive running Sonic Studio’s Amarra Version 2.5 music player software. From my perspective, Amarra’s integration with Apples’ iTunes, support for up to 384kHz sample rates, memory cache playback, and playlist mode make it a clear winner. But that’s not the whole story. I found it essential to avoid using the Mac’s onboard DAC for clocking the datastream. The cleanest solution was to synch Amarra to an external digital data converter with an asynchronous USB input. Not all CD players or DACs possess a USB input and some of those that do, as is the case with the DACute, do not offer an asynchronous USB capability. My converter of choice was and still is April Music’s Stello U3 ($495). The U3 is a stand-alone device, powered directly by the computer’s USB port, that runs a custom xCORE 32-bit/500MIPS microprocessor from chip-maker XMOS. The Mac-to-Stello USB connection was made via a 1.5-meter AudioQuest Carbon USB cable. The U3’s output was connected to one of the DACute’s SPDIF inputs via a 1-meter coaxial cable. This system combined to produce an exceptional virtual transport. I was startled by my findings when comparing computer files ripped onto the Mac to the same CD’s digital feed from the Sony to the DACute. I didn’t expect much of a difference, but for the record, the computer file playback resulted in enhanced microdynamic shadings, purer textures, and an increased sense of transient clarity. The sound quality of the playback was so fabulous that I seriously doubt that any conventional transport under $25k could improve on it. The next round of listening tests pitted file playback through the Stello U3 against a direct feed from the Mac to the DACute’s own USB input, the latter connection being made via an AudioQuest top-of-the-line Diamond USB cable. Re-clocking the data through the Stello U3 made for a huge sonic difference. Simply put, the direct USB input resulted in loss of spatial integrity. What was a cavernous depth perspective flattened out considerably. What was precise image focus became diffuse. With the U3 in the chain, massed strings never sounded so pure and refined. Numerous complaints I’ve lodged in the past about digital reproduction of string tone being adulterated by an upper midrange hardness were now ancient history. The moral of the story is this: For best results, avoid the DACute’s USB input and resort to using an external asynchronous data converter. If I were in the market to purchase an external DAC right now, the EAR DACute would be at the top of my shopping list. It’s mission accomplished for Tim de Paravicini, who has managed to reveal digital’s analog persona in convincing fashion. The DACute is a fantastically compelling DAC that has restored my faith in digital audio. SPECS & PRICING DAC chip: 24-bit, multi-level delta-sigma conversion Inputs: USB, two 75-ohm coaxial SPDIF, TosLink optical SPDIF Output level: 5V RMS Tube complement: Two ECC88/6DJ8 Output Impedance: < 60 Ohms (balanced or single ended) Weight: lbs. Dimensions: 435mm x 95mm x 320mm Price: $5895 in black finish, $6595 in chrome Yoshino Ltd, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire England +44 (0) 01480 210004 earyoshino.com EAR USA (U.S. Distributor) (562) 422-4747 ear-usa.com Associated Equipment: MartinLogan Summit X and Acoustic Zen Crescendo loudspeakers, Basszilla Platinum mk2 DIY loudspeaker; April Music Eximus DP1 DAC/Pre and Stello U3 digital data converter, Sony XA-5400 SACD player with ModWright Truth modification; FMS Nexus-2, Wire World, and Kimber KCAG interconnects; Acoustic Zen Hologram speaker cable; Sound Application power line conditioners CLICK HERE TO COMMENT at www.theabsolutesound.com 36 Digital Source Components www.theabsolutesound.com previous page NEXT page
go to: Contents | On The Horizon | Feature | Disc Players | DACs | Music Servers & Accessories | Integrated Amps with USB DACs | Music Download Reviews | Buyer's Guide AURALiC VEGA Digital Audio Processor High Performance, Reasonable Price Chris Martens AURALiC’s Vega Digital Audio Processor ($3499) is a powerful and versatile digital-to-analog converter that can also serve as a digital-input-only, balanced-output-capable preamplifier. Specifically, the Vega supports all PCM files from 44.1kHz/16-bit resolution on up to 384kHz/32-bit resolution, while covering all sampling rate/word-depth combinations in between. Moreover, the Vega is DXD- and DSD-compatible and can decode both DSD64 and DSD128 bitstreams via the DoP V1.1 data transmission protocol. In short, the Vega is an ambitious, premium-quality DAC/preamp that aspires to toptier performance. Does it reach this goal I think it does as I will explain in this review, but first let’s first take a look at AURALiC’s company background and at the Vega’s underlying technologies. As mentioned in my review of the firm’s TAURUS MkII balanced headphone amplifier in this issue, AURALiC is a Hong Kong-based high-end audio electronics company co-founded in 2008 by President and CEO Xuanqian Wang and his business partner Yuan Wang. Xuanqian Wang has had formal training as an electrical and audio recording engineer and is an accomplished classical pianist, while Yuan Wang has a background in sociology and management science. The common denominator is that both men share a passion for music and sound quality, having met (where else) at a musical event—the 2008 Festival of Waldbühne Berlin. Not long thereafter, the men decided to launch AURALiC Ltd. More than many DACs in its price class, the Vega is chockfull of advanced technical features, yet it is also informed by Xuanqian Wang’s thoroughgoing familiarity with classic analog-audio circuit designs. In practice, this means the Vega is a modern-as-tomorrow DAC with stellar performance specifications, yet one that goes the extra mile not only to measure well but also to deliver sound that, first and foremost, holds true to the sound of live music. As we survey the Vega’s rich set of technical features it is important to bear in mind that this is more a “music first” design than it is a “technology über alles” product. As noted above, the Vega is a DXD- and DSD-compatible 384kHz/32-bit-capable DAC/digital preamp. The Vega provides five digital audio inputs: one AES/EBU, one TosLink, one USB, and two coaxial SPDIF. In turn, the Vega provides single-ended and balanced analog outputs, with volume levels controlled by 100-step digital controller said not to compress dynamic range at all. Digital audio processing is handled by AURALiC’s proprietary Sanctuary Audio Processor, which the company says is based on a “multi-core ARM9 architecture” and provides a prodigious 1000MIPS (millions of instructions per second) of data-crunching power. Unlike many competing DACs, the Vega upsamples all incoming PCM audio data to 1.5MHz/32-bit resolution prior to decoding. Further, the Vega provides six user-selectable digital-audio filter modes (four for PCM formats, two for DSD formats). The PCM filter modes each comprise four individual filters optimized for a specific group of sampling rates. One can choose Filter Mode 1, a high-accuracy/high-transparency mode that offers the best performance measurements; Mode 2, which reduces group delay while imposing minimal amounts of treble attenuation; Mode 3, which minimizes pre-echo and ringing effects but with a somewhat higher degree of treble attenuation; or Mode 4, which applies minimum-phase type and is said to allow “no pre-echo effect at all” with “very small group delay so as to eliminate ringing.” Filter modes 5 and 6 are designed specifically for use with DSD files, and they address the problem of the very-highfrequency noise that DSD bitstreams can entail, providing strategically chosen levels of ultrasonic treble roll-off. The concept is to preserve the music intact while getting rid of ultrasonic noise that could potentially damage widebandwidth amplifiers or speakers. Significantly, the Vega permits users to switch between its various filter modes on the fly to compare their subtly different voicing characteristics and overall impact on the music. Xuanqian Wang wisely observed that one’s choice of filter mode might depend to a large extent on the recording quality of the material being played. Great recordings, he says, often sound best through Filter Mode 1, while customer comments suggest that Filter Mode 4 is the best “general purpose” setting for day-to-day use with a mix of audiophilegrade and more commonplace recordings. The important point is that the Vega allows users to fine-tune the DAC’s sonic persona to fit the musical material at hand. Another signature feature of the Vega is its Femto Master Clock, which yields a spectacularly low 0.082 picoseconds (or 82 femtoseconds) of jitter—a figure few DACs at any price can match. The Vega provides three master-clock control settings: the default “AUTO” setting, which maintains “a balance between lock-in ability and jitter performance,” plus “FINE” and “EXACT” settings (available only after the Vega has warmed up for an hour), which “force the (clock controller’s) PLL bandwidth into a very narrow range to maximize jitter performance.” Not all digital sources are precise enough to use the “FINE” or “EXACT” settings, but Xuanqian Wang notes that with the EXACT settings in play he sometimes hears “a significant improvement, compared to the AUTO setting, for certain sound tracks, such as a well-recorded classical piano solo.” 37 Digital Source Components www.theabsolutesound.com previous page NEXT page
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