DIGITAL SOURCE COMPONENTS

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go to: Contents | Feature | On The Horizon | DACs | CD Players | Music Servers | Integrated Amps with DACs | Portable | Our Top Picks EQUIPMENT review - AURALiC Vega reasonably priced yet consistently supplies a rich panoply of audiophile virtues, while also demonstrating an uncanny ability to keep its focus on the musical whole. In short, the Vega represents the intersection of good value, great (and forward-looking) technology, plus terrific musicality—a compelling combination indeed. If you asked me to cite several specific qualities that characterize the sound of the Vega, two that come instantly to mind would be transparency and resolution—effortless, elegant, and unforced openness and detail that sound more like the real thing than like hi-fi artifacts. On the track “Embraceable You” from The Larry Coryell Organ Trio’s Impressions [Chesky] the Vega lets you listen deeply into the voices of each of the instruments at play and so to savor the round, ripe tone of Coryell’s guitar, the reedy and breathy voice of the organ, and the delicacy of the drum kit’s contributions, the cymbal work in particular. Moreover, the Vega shows you the worth of high-res files, helping you to appreciate how much fuller and more complete they make the music sound. The beauty of the Vega’s presentation is that the additional layers of detail it provides are delivered in a relaxed and lifelike manner; additional music information is simply there—whole and complete without unwarranted spotlighting or pyrotechnics, so that the music is free to breathe and flow. Other qualities that typify the sound of the Vega are its dramatic and at times explosive dynamics, which likewise unfold in a naturally expansive way. As with musical details, the dynamic qualities you hear seem to flow more from the music than from the equipment. Consequently, the music seems energized and illuminated from within, much as it does when heard live. To hear what I mean, try listening to Silvestre Revueltas’ Sensamayà as captured on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Live recording [CSO Resound]. This exotic-sounding piece is full of lithe twists and turns as it progresses from one dynamic highlight to the next, with tension building as the composition unfolds. I’ve heard this piece through many digital source components, but none made Sensemayà sound as powerful or expressive as the Vega did; nor could any convey the tsunamilike force of the composition’s final crescendo as effectively as the Vega. Finally, I was struck on multiple occasions by the Vega’s unfailing musicality, which I sometimes—tongue-in-cheek—called the “Neve factor.” Neve recording consoles are known for pulling off a difficult but highly rewarding tightrope act of sorts; on the one hand, they deliver exceedingly high levels of transparency, clarity, and timbral purity, while on the other hand they preserve a naturally warm, organic, and lifelike sound. I think it is significant that Xuanqian Wang has chosen the classic Neve sound as his sonic model for the Vega and that the Vega strives (successfully) to strike a similar sonic balance. As a result, the Vega’s sound is every bit as revealing, crisply defined, and informative as any “analytical” DAC would be, but without the drawbacks (sterility, a vaguely “mechanical” quality) that analytical products usually entail. Rather than dissecting or deconstructing the music, then, the Vega simply reveals musical textures, timbres, tonal colors, and dynamics, and then gets out of the way. I compared the Vega to my primary digital reference, Rega’s superb Isis CD player/DAC, and found the Vega’s sound competitive, though somewhat different. I had a slight preference for the Rega’s sound on 44.1/16 material owing to the Rega’s somewhat more coherent upper midrange and treble presentation, though in truth the contest was very, very close. But a key point is that the Vega is less than half the price of the Rega and is capable of exploring high-res PCM and DSD files, which the Rega is not. In particular, listening to DSD files through the Vega proved revelatory, because DSD files as rendered by the Vega seemed to do a much better job than standard-resolution PCM files in enabling the presentation to sound more three-dimensional and realistic. Although I’m not ready to part with my topshelf Rega Isis CD player just yet, the Vega is the first sensibly-price DAC I’ve heard that I could readily embrace as one of my primary digital source components. For less than $3500, the Vega takes discerning audiophiles and music lovers very far up the high-end audio performance ladder, providing them with a versatile and technically advanced digital playback solution they will not soon outgrow. 36 Buyer's Guide to Digital Source Components 2014 www.theabsolutesound.com previous page NEXT page
go to: Contents | Feature | On The Horizon | DACs | CD Players | Music Servers | Integrated Amps with DACs | Portable | Our Top Picks MSB Technology Analog DAC Just Like an LP Vade Forrester Analog DAC What the heck is that Doesn’t the “D” in DAC stand for digital Yes, but what do all DACs try their best to sound like Right: analog. Manufacturer MSB Technology went all-out to assure its new DAC sounded as much as possible like the fabled analog source. When I auditioned MSB’s top-of-theline DAC IV, I thought it was possibly the best source I had heard, analog or digital. But its lofty price might have spooked some audiophiles. I appreciate it when technological developments advance the state of the art in playback quality, even if they carry high price tags. That’s because the technology used in high-priced gear often trickles down to equipment within my financial means. That’s what’s happened with the Analog DAC, which MSB bills as “The Most Technologically Advanced DAC in the World!” And even though the price couldn’t be described as low, it’s a lot lower than MSB’s DAC IV. So what makes the Analog DAC special For one thing, its physical construction is unique. Instead of building a typical chassis—you know, a metal box to house the electronic components—MSB has made the Analog DAC modular. It’s basically a machined aircraftgrade aluminum slab under which are attached removable input modules that give the Analog DAC its functionality. You start off with a basic unit with one input module (your choice) and a basic power supply for $6995, then add additional modules to suit your needs. Want another digital input $995. Want a steppedattenuator volume control, with 78 1dB steps $995. The volume control is one option that’s not modular, since it requires a hole in the top of the chassis for the volume control knob. It’s $995. Want a better power supply than the stock unit (which is a very respectable linear model) $2995. Want a different color than the stock matte-white or matte-black That’s $700 for satin black, $350 for custom colors (I think a red one would be neat; black and silver are boring). And there are quite a few other options like remote control, iPad control, Wi- Fi, and so forth. The review unit ($6995) had a volume control ($995), a USB input (included in the base price), a SPDIF input ($995), and an Inter-IC Sound (I 2 S) input ($995). An aluminum remote control was also included, which is an $85 option; so if I add up all the options correctly, the total price of the review unit was $10,065. See the MSB Web site at for a complete list of options and prices. The different input modules connect to an internal I 2 S buss. If a need for a new input develops (maybe USB 3.0), a module for that will be developed and can be installed with a screwdriver. After it’s installed, it becomes totally plug and play. The I 2 S buss connects to the DAC module, which is not an off-theshelf chip; rather, it’s a 384kHz discreteladder DAC constructed from extremely precise resistors. The firmware that controls the internal operation of the DAC is easily upgraded (see the Setting Up section below). That makes it easy and fast to make changes. The firmware-update files are in WAV format, making firmware changes just like playing a song. That’s very clever. The Analog DAC’s output impedance through the RCA outputs is 53 ohms without a volume control; 38 ohms with the control. That’s low enough to drive any amplifier or cable. MSB Technology uses its precision “Femto Clock” technology to minimize jitter, and includes a large internal memory where you can set filters, upsamplers, and other DSP instructions. This is not an off-the-shelf DAC design using conventional parts and circuits. The Analog DAC’s optional power supply has exactly the same form as the DAC, and is usually pictured with the DAC stacked on top of it. The stock power supply is a linear power unit with two transformers. The Analog DAC can play Direct Stream Digital (DSD) files in their native format without converting the files to PCM. These are the files used to make SACDs. DACs capable of playing DSD files in their native format may be the hot item in the hi-fi industry right now. We speak of DSD sampling rates as “DSD64” and “DSD128,” where the numbers “64” and “128” denote multiples of CD’s 44.1kHz sampling rate. DSD recordings created as masters for SACDs are DSD64, but it’s possible to record 37 Buyer's Guide to Digital Source Components 2014 www.theabsolutesound.com previous page NEXT page
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