Hifi Pig

Absolute Sounds say it is pleased to announce its appointment as sole UK distributor of dCS audio equipment with immediate effect.

Based near Cambridge, dCS is a world leader in digital audio replay systems for domestic and professional use. The company is widely acknowledged to have pushed the digital audio performance envelope as a result of its many proprietary technologies, most famously the dCS Ring DAC™ – a shining example of British technological ingenuity.

Originally called Data Conversion Systems, dCS was founded in 1987 to manufacture high-performance Analogue-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) and Digital-to-Analogue Converters (DACs) for major telecommunications companies and military agencies, whose primary requirement was technology that delivered state-of-the-art precision, linearity and reliability. The company’s first project was to develop the Blue Vixen radar system for the Royal Navy Sea Harrier FA2 fighter aircraft.

In the late 1980s, dCS began making ADCs and DACs for music reproduction – first for the rapidly growing digital recording industry, then for use in the home. While the company’s focus had changed, its commitment to producing digital conversion systems of unrivalled accuracy had not, the company’s R&D-led approach further growing its reputation for leading-edge innovation.

dCS is responsible for many ‘firsts’ throughout its timeline, including the world’s first 24-bit audio DAC and the first-ever 24-bit/96kHz analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue conversion systems. No company has played a more pioneering role in the development of today’s hi-res digital music scene than dCS, and its products continue to enjoy an exceptional reputation among industry professionals and discerning music lovers around the world.

Today, dCS has three main product lines – Debussy, Rossini and Vivaldi – each designed from the ground up to represent the pinnacle of digital audio performance. The company’s DAC technologies are truly unique, utilising proprietary hardware and software in place of ubiquitous, off-the-shelf chip solutions. A modular design approach delivers a clear upgrade path, allowing dCS owners to update their state-of-the-art digital playback systems as technology progresses, and all the company’s products are hand-built in the UK.

Commenting on the appointment of Absolute Sounds, David Steven, Managing Director of dCS, said:

“dCS has been developing state-of-the-art digital audio technology for almost 30 years. Since becoming Managing Director in 2009, I have been committed to furthering our pioneering tradition with products that deliver the finest performance available today.

“One of the most crucial elements in helping our customers enjoy an unrivalled listening experience is the support offered by our global distributor and dealer network. We are constantly looking for partners who share our passion and commitment to deliver an unforgettable in-home musical experience.

“Absolute Sounds has been the primary architect of the UK’s high-end audio scene over the past four decades. We share a passion for providing wonderful sound and exceptional customer service to discerning music lovers; by working together we can make that experience even stronger.”

Ricardo Franassovici, founder and Managing Director of Absolute Sounds, added:

“There are very few digital audio products in the world that deliver the level of performance we demand from the brands we represent. The components made by dCS unquestionably do, with the company’s proprietary technologies cementing its status as a true digital audio pioneer.

“When we auditioned the latest dCS Vivaldi 2.0 digital playback system, we were inspired by its magnificent sound quality. And when David Steven and his team of engineers shared their forward-thinking vision with us, we became excited at the prospect of our new partnership. On a personal note, having known David’s father prior to his death in 2009, I am delighted at the prospect of working with the innovative company that he helmed for many years and that his son now steers toward further success.”

Having heard a full dCS digital front end we at Hifi Pig can attest to how good their kit actually is!

Exposure Electronics has just announced an upgrade to the 2010S2 DAC, enabling the latter to handle DSD music files.

The new upgraded edition, available now, is able to handle single-rate DSD (DSD x64 or DSD 2.8mHz) through the USB input, as well as PCM support up to 24-bit / 192kHz.

There are also three coaxial and two optical inputs, all capable of handling files up to 192kHz. The former are of the BNC variety.

Further key features include:

Multiple stages of regulation for SPDIF input receiver, USB input, clock oscillator, DAC and output stage for accurate output.

Very clean master clock to SPDIF input receiver and USB input to ensure low jitter operation.

Discrete filter and output stage for optimum performance (no op-amp ICs).

Digital output can be switched ‘on’ or ‘off’ (and is re-timed) to reduce the jitter level as compared to SPDIF input. This function can also be used to convert USB input to SPDIF output.

Headphone output.

Remote control.

Available in either titanium or black, the 2010S2 DSD DAC features all-aluminium casework.

Technical specifications

The Exposure 2010S2 DSD DAC is available now priced at £920 (including VAT).

Current owners of the existing 2010S2 DAC can upgrade to the new DSD version at a cost of £400 (including VAT and return shipping).

UK based Veracity Audio’s Mystra is a dual mono design with dual DAC architecture. The dedicated 24bit dual mono, multi-bit conversion handles PCM files without sample rate change and the stand-alone ∆Σ DAC/reconstruction filter offers playback of DSD64 and DSD128 natively without digital processing. The DAC features auto-switching with incoming signal file format, directing DSD to the DSD reconstruction filter and PCM to the parallel PCM only DAC. Both engines share only the SE triode valve analogue stage on a ‘one-at-a-time’ basis.

To match the output of the DAC to any pre or integrated amplifier the DAC is equipped with an analogue volume control designed with non-inductive resistors controlled by relays, with only two resistors in the signal path at any level and R2R shunt operation. For digital-only systems, this volume control can facilitate direct connection to power amplifiers. Volume control and input selector operation can be remote controlled with the custom, handmade handset.

A jitter rejection system for SPDIF inputs is employed with a quad differential receiver for use with a CD transport and any other compatible signal source.

Line preamplifier function is offered for external analogue source to directly use the DACs triode valve stage as an active preamplifier with R2R volume control. Analogue input is via a pair of RCAs whilst output is via RCA and XLR.

Mystra features a Headphone output for 32Ω – 300Ω headphones.

The valve analogue output stage operates in pure Class A. It is a single ended triode design without negative feedback.

Low impedance, high current drive audio outputs are connected directly from the valves through Jensen Copper foil audio capacitors to a stereo pair of RCA single-ended and a pair of XLR passively balanced analogue outputs. Both output types are coherent with any amplifier input with RCA`s 209Ω and XLR`s 600Ω output impedance.

The valve stage consists of a pair of 6SN7 signal drivers, a pair of ECC82 output drivers and a pair of CV574 full-wave valve rectifiers.

Veracity Audio has separated out the digital and analogue power supplies and also the left and right channels. Strictly linear, ultra low noise power supplies were designed, each for the specific application including internal power supply for the USB interface. All power supplies are capable of high current delivery and feature separate power rails with dedicated decoupling for each individual power consumer. Multiple choke filters system and ultra low impedance film and organic polymer capacitors are used to provide the purest power flow possible. The DAC also features a built-in, selected Schurter mains filter.

Mystra DAC is equipped with Soft start, giving the time for the valves to warm-up. During this warm-up time signal outputs are muted with the Audio comes-on automatically after 70 seconds.

From £3390

Cyrus Audio is launching its first Kickstarter campaign on 1st July, with the aim of raising £50,000 to develop the SoundKey, a micro-sized DAC designed to get the best musical performance out of mobile phones.

Aimed firmly at music lovers who use their mobile phones as the primary source, the SoundKey bypasses the low quality internal circuits of the phone and takes the digital music signal directly to its own DACs and amps. With just 50mA current draw from the phone it won’t run the batteries down too quickly.

Simon Freethy, managing director of Cyrus, says, “There’s a whole new generation of music lovers who just don’t know how good the music on their phones can sound, as it’s let down by the low quality DACs and amplifiers employed in the phone. The Cyrus engineers, using their 30 years experience building products that provide a better music experience, have come up with a world-beating solution in the diminutive SoundKey.” He continues, “It will significantly enhance the enjoyment of content from phones and we are so excited by it that we want to invite consumers to be part of this revolution. Join us at our dedicated SoundKey microsite and register your interest to be one of the first backers and among the first to own one of these really cool products.”

Kickstarter pledge levels will be announced shortly and Early Bird and VIP packages will be available that reward the first people who get behind the product.

Chief Technical Officer at Meridian, Richard Hollinshead comments: “The Meridian Ultra Digital to Analogue Converter is the culmination of nearly two decades of research and engineering. With considerable connectivity options, user features, and format support, the Meridian Ultra DAC incorporates an extensive list of performance-enhancing technologies, including Dual Mono DAC cards, DSP filter options, upsampling, and apodizing. This dedicated DAC utilises Meridian’s renowned audio expertise to set a new standard in the analogue realm”.

Connectivity options include USB 2.0, S/PDIF, TosLink, 75 ohm BNC, and AES3 on XLR, as well as Meridian’s Speakerlink and the Sooloos music-management platform. One pair of balanced and one pair of unbalanced analogue outputs are also provided.

The Meridian Ultra is a 384kHz/24-bit dedicated DAC capable of playing virtually any recording format including DXD, DSD64 and DSD128 (DoP), and MQA.

Significant user features are provided, including LipSync, PC setup, and RS232 enabling integration with third-party systems such as Control4 or Crestron. The Ultra DAC is the first Meridian product to give users the option to select one of 3 upsampling filters when reproducing sources with a sample rate of 44kHz or 48kHz, such as CD or DAT. In addition, a dedicated clock card is included for the lowest possible jitter.

The Ultra DAC is the first product in the world to include MQA Limited’s Hierarchical Converter Technology, which employs multiple converters to increase temporal resolution while reducing noise and quantization errors.

Another first for a Meridian product is the construction of the Ultra’s Dual Mono DAC card, which incorporates multiple regulated power supplies and eight-layer circuit boards with low- impedance ground-planes, for isolation and the low-noise grounding. A fully linear power supply provides isolation from the AC supply, and DC-coupled output prevents degradation from AC coupling capacitors. Even the Ultra DAC’s front panel was designed for quiet operation, with non-ferrous construction, and a static LCD display chosen for its low electrical noise and ease of readability.

The Meridian Ultra DAC is built by hand in the UK and is available in beautiful high gloss black as standard. Other colour options are available using Meridian’s Select bespoke colour service (£500).

Suggested Retail Price: £15,000

Arcam, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, were the first company to launch an outboard DAC, way back in 1987. Previewed at Bristol Sound and Vision 2016, the Arcam irDAC II is now available at £495. Arcam say: “We’ve taken our hugely successful irDAC, updated it, improved it, added Bluetooth aptX streaming, an audiophile-grade headphone amp, direct/remote volume, input control and more. The irDAC II offers a substantial jump in audio quality over its predecessor and adds exceptional usage flexibility, all at a very sensible price.” Key new features include a new ESS Sabre DAC, new internal circuit upgrade, new audiophile headphone amplifier and a new Bluetooth aptX streaming input.

Hifi Pig will be taking the irDAC II for a spin shortly.

Technical specifications:

DAC – ESS ES9016K2M 

Inputs – USB, SPDIF, optical, Bluetooth 

Frequency Response – 20Hz-20kHz, +/-0.1dB 

Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise -0.0007% 

Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted) – 117dB (24-bit) 

Maximum output level – 2.1V RMS 

Supported sample rates 

USB: 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 384kHz 

Optical: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz 

Coaxial: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz 

Bluetooth: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX-LL 

Bit Depth – 16-bit, 24-bit 

Headphone – 30Ω – 600Ω, 3.5mm plug 

Dimensions – W194 x H44 x D124mm 

Weight – 1.1kg 

It’s been almost four years since the original DragonFly (v1.0) launched and then a year and half later, DragonFly introduced the updated v1.2—for €149.

Now, AudioQuest is to introduce two new DragonFlys that will work with Apple and Android™ phones!

AudioQuest worked alongside Microchip Technology to develop a new high-performance, full-speed USB microcontroller (a DAC’s input processor) that delivers improved signal-to-noise ratio and significantly lower power consumption. Drawing 77% less current than the DragonFly v1.2’s microcontroller, the new Microchip  MX microcontroller enables compatibility with Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. For use with Apple iOS devices, Apple’s Lightning-to-USB Camera Adaptor is required; for use with Android devices, a Made for Android (OTG) adaptor, such as our DragonTail USB Adaptor For Android Devices, is required.

While the DAC chips in both the Black and Red DragonFlys have great capability, Audioquest have chosen to limit DragonFly Red and Black processing to 24-bit/96kHz.

The new DragonFly models also incorporate improved 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC chips—the 9010 in Black and the higher-performance 9016 in Red—both of which  employ  minimum-phase  filtering. While DragonFly Black uses the same high-quality headphone amp and analogue volume control found in the DragonFly  1.2, DragonFly Red includes the latest ESS headphone amp and a bit-perfect digital volume control that resides on the  9016 DAC chip itself.

DragonFly Black outputs 1.2 volts—enough power to capably drive all preamplifier input circuits and all reasonably efficient headphones. Meanwhile, with its higher 2.1-volt output, DragonFly Red is compatible with an even wider range of headphones, including power-hungry, low-efficiency models. For reference, DragonFly 1.0 and 1.2 featured 1.8-volt output.

The difference in maximum output  between  DF  Black  and DF Red is essentially irrelevant with our NightHawk headphones, as they can be easily driven by either model, but Red’s higher output is an important advantage with some of the more inefficient headphones on the market. However, the difference in sound quality between the two new models is always meaningful, and is important whether feeding headphones or the Aux input of an audio system. At the same volume, Red has much more “torque,” “grip,” and “muscle” than Black. Red simply sounds cleaner and clearer overall, enabling a larger soundstage with each instrument or voice more nearly in its own space.

And, more good news: The new DragonFlys are software upgradeable through complimentary Windows and OS X desktop applications. As new developments arise in music player applications, streaming protocols, or other associated software, DragonFly users will be able to incorporate those updates into their existing devices.

DragonFly Black for only €99, with better sound than any previous DragonFly for less money than any previous DragonFly, and DragonFly Red with much better sound at only €199—and both compatible with phones—how much good news can you stand?!

DRAGONFLY  BLACK  & RED

• Play all music files: MP3 to high-res
• Compatible with Apple and Windows PCs, as well as iOS and Android devices (requires Apple Camera Adapter or Made for Android/OTG adaptor)
• Asynchronous Class 1 USB data transfer using the Streamlength™ protocol
• Fixed output feeds preamp or AV receiver

DRAGONFLY BLACK

• Medium output (1.2 volts) drives a wide range of headphones
• 32-bit ESS 9010 DAC with minimum-phase filter
• Analog volume control
• €99

DRAGONFLY  RED

• High output (2.1 volts) drives almost all headphones, including power-hungry models
• 32-bit ESS 9016 DAC with minimum-phase filter
• Bit-perfect digital volume control
• €199