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 - Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC Series 2 In playback, the Series 2 sounds very much like the original, with tremendous resolution of low-level detail, great transparency, freedom from timbral grain, a treble that is simultaneously smooth and resolving, and absolutely stunning dynamics. The Series 2, however, is significantly better in several key areas, most notably transparency, soundstaging, timbral liquidity, ease, refinement, and resolution. The Series 2 exhibits a considerably more open and transparent presentation, with a greater sense of air surrounding images in the SPECS & PRICING Input sampling rates: 32kHz–192kHz Input word length: Up to 24-bit Digital inputs: AES/EBU on XLR jack, SPDIF on BNC, optical on TosLink, BADA-encrypted RJ-45 Analog outputs: Balanced on XLR jacks, unbalanced on RCA jacks Digital filtering: Multiple options Analog output level: Variable in 0.1dB steps; Channel balance adjustment in 0.05dB steps Dimensions: 16.5” x 1.75” x 10.4” (19” rack-mount option) Warranty: Three years parts and labor Weight: 9 lbs. Price: $4995 Berkeley Audio Design, LLC (510) 277-0512 berkeleyaudiodesign.com Comment on this article on the Forum at avguide.com soundstage. The overall spatial perspective is slightly laid-back compared with the original DAC, perhaps the result of greater bloom around images and increased soundstage depth. Instrumental and vocal images sound less dry and closed-in, and their decays seem to hang in space longer. The impression of precisely defined instruments existing in three-dimensional space is significantly improved in the Series 2. In addition, timbres through the Series 2 are smoother, more liquid, and more refined. By contrast, the original DAC sounds a bit hard. Through the Series 2 massed strings are noticeably richer and more velvety in texture, with a more organic quality. The flugelhorn on a jazz quintet album I engineered has a purity and ease that are extremely lifelike. This increased bloom and timbral liquidity combine to produce a greater sense of relaxation and involvement. The treble is equally improved, with more finely filigreed resolution and greater refinement to go along with smoother textures. The top end is more “delicate,” not in the sense of greater fragility or less energy, but rather in its greatly increased finesse. Treble textures are finer and more intricate, which gives the entire presentation a more sophisticated and nuanced character. The Series 2 presents more information, but that information is, as noted, presented with increased ease. That is, the additional resolution doesn’t tilt the overall sound toward the analytical, but rather toward the subtle and refined. This greater resolution conveys a heightened impression of the mechanism by which an instrument creates sound, fostering a greater sense of realism. For example, on drummer Joe Morello’s Morello Standard Time, a rim shot that sounded like a transient event on the original DAC is more clearly defined by the Series 2 as a drum stick impacting the snare drum’s rim. Listen also to how you can hear the rim shot’s decay separate from the rest of the mix—and follow it way down in level. Note that I use this example to illustrate the Series 2’s superior resolving power, not that I listen to such things when enjoying music. But it’s these kinds of sonic characteristics that you don’t notice overtly which contribute to realism and listener involvement. The Series 2’s improved resolution combines synergistically with its significantly better transparency, allowing me to hear fine details toward the back of the mix. The whole presentation is lighter, airier, and more open, with a soundstage infused with a sense of transparent space. Bass weight and bottom-end dynamics are very similar in these two DACs, but the nod goes to the Series 2 for its increased density of tone color in the bottom end. Acoustic bass is reproduced with slightly greater warmth and richness, coupled with a bit more definition and rhythmic agility. The original DAC had a slightly “looser” bottom end, with perhaps more weight but less definition. The original Alpha DAC was a groundbreaking product, both in absolute performance and in its spectacular value. The Alpha DAC Series 2 is considerably better, and in musically significant ways. Berkeley Audio Design could have called the Series 2 a “Signature” edition, or even created a new model designation and commanded a higher price. That it improved the product so much yet kept the price the same says a lot about the company. The Alpha DAC Series 2 would have received my highest recommendation had it cost $15,000. (Yes, it sounds that good.) That it sells for $4995 qualifies as a minor miracle. 50 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 dCS Debussy DAC A Budget dCS Alan Taffel In 2003, Bentley Motors shocked the automotive world by introducing the Continental GT. Until then, acquiring one of Bentley’s bespoke motorcars would set the purchaser back several hundred thousand dollars. But the Continental GT cut in half the price of entry into those rarified ranks. Initial skepticism was short-lived; one look at the car’s sumptuous interior and prospective buyers knew they were in the presence of a true Bentley. The GT became an instant success, neatly illustrating that value has appeal even at extravagant price points. Now comes the Debussy DAC from dCS, the digital specialist whose products are every bit as top-shelf—and pricey—as those of its fellow Brits at Bentley. Prior to the Debussy’s arrival, owning an “entry-level” dCS DAC was an $18,000 to $24,000 proposition. The new model, which carries an $11,000 price tag, aims to be dCS’ Continental GT. Of course, while eleven grand may break new ground for dCS, it’s still a lot of dough for a DAC. Still, no realistic consumer would expect dCS gear (or Bentleys) ever to be downright cheap. The real question is whether the Debussy measures up to dCS standards and, in so doing, confers true value to its buyers. To find out, we need to pop the hood. There is a reason dCS products are expensive. While a Bentley is characterized by luxurious, hand-crafted materials, dCS gear is crammed full of costly DSP chips, hybrid power supplies, discrete clocks, and gate arrays. Custom software harnesses this powerful coterie to execute a complex digital dance that comprises multiple stages of synchronous upsampling, conversion to dCS’ proprietary 5-bit format, and finally processing by the firm’s lauded Ring DAC, with a choice of inhouse programmed filters on the side. One might think a “budget” dCS would employ fewer custom parts and more off-theshelf hardware and software. But that approach would not result in a true dCS, any more than badge-engineering a VW would yield a Bentley. Indeed, the more one examines the Debussy’s innards, the more one comes away wondering how it can be sold at its price. Consider: The Debussy includes the exact same control board—responsible for everything from power delivery, I/O, upsampling, clocking, and format conversion—as the universally acclaimed Paganini and Scarlatti models. Its Ring DAC and fully balanced Class A output stage, both discrete modules, are identical to those in the Debussy’s expensive siblings, as are the software-based digital filters. Nor did dCS skimp on features. Again, one might reasonably expect a loss of connection flexibility, but the Debussy will handle an RCA, BNC, and a pair of AES sources. (As usual, the BNC input was the best sounding.) Further, there are both single-ended and balanced outputs. Other welcome ingredients include a front-panel sample-rate display, the ability to accommodate an external word clock, and the world’s heaviest remote control. All this would be sufficient to justify excitement about the Debussy’s debut, but dCS ups the value equation considerably with the inclusion of a USB port. An easy, inexpensive addon, you say Not in this case. Elsewhere in the dCS line, adding a USB interface requires an entirely separate (and dearly priced) box (the $4999 U-Clock). The Debussy is the company’s first and only product to incorporate both the Ring DAC and USB in one box. Furthermore, this is no ordinary USB interface. It’s good up to 96/24, and is of the asynchronous variety, which allows the DAC rather than the PC to control timing, resulting in far less jitter. This port is the icing on the Debussy cake. So where, exactly, does the dCS newcomer cut corners Mostly in areas that do not affect the sound. Much was saved, I am told, through the exclusion of an alphanumeric front-panel display. In its place are a series of LEDs that indicate input and filter selection, sampling rate, and volume when the Debussy is used as a linestage (more on this later). Personally, I found the LED array perfectly serviceable. Another limitation: The Debussy has only two filter options, whereas higher models offer 51 Digital Source Components www.theabsolutesound.com previous page NEXT page
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DIGITAL SOURCE COMPONENTS

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