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The existence of differences and their nature depended also on my amplification. Using the solid-state Orpheus or 6C33 tube Ayon Helios modified the changes and could invert the hierarchy between analog and digital preamplification. My only valid conclusions after these quite difficult comparisons were as follows:
  • Totaldac’s digital volume is of excellent quality and more or less equivalent to an excellent analog preamplifier.
  • The d1-dual can drive a large range of power amplifiers. As I already said, the d1-tube’s drive is weaker.
  • According to one’s amp and taste, one could do without a preamp or prefer a preamp.
  • Analog cables have their own impact on the differences between digital and analog volume.
From a technical point of view and without more information disclosed by our designer, I cannot help but think that Totaldac’s digital volume algorithms are close to those used for studio mastering.

Drives. Whilst going on a round-trip comparison with all manner kind of music from metal to opera, this Totaldac system was always better than my Austrian streamer, presented more information and never booked any losses in fluidity, tonal nuance, definition or global textures. This led to much more discriminating differentiation between albums because I could better assess their particularities. How to break down the various contributions of this system’s constituents - d1-server, DAC and reclocker inside the d1-server? I connected a Mac Mini with Audirvana and JRiver software to the d1-dual’s USB port with a 1-meter Totaldac filtered USB cable. The magic of the previous sessions evaporated. Every aspect degraded including raw information, precision, fluidity and even timbres. The music has stopped being tangible. This configuration played at a very respectable level, less fluid and precise than Ayon’s S5, equivalent to the Lumin with DSD and very slightly better than the Lumin for PCM.


Looking at the glass half full rather than half empty, it must be said that the d1-server or certain parts of it had a decisive role in the magic of the first session. The Totaldac system seems to explode the usual limits of digital music with the special association between d1-server and DAC and not by the standard use of a PC or Mac. Some further tests became necessary to evaluate the S5 as network drive into the d1-dual via S/PDIF; as a network drive driving the reclocker via S/PDIF; and the d1-server driving the Ayon S5 DAC via AES/EBU.

Top games. S5 driving d1-dual. Here the S5 was a UPNP network drive which output data via S/PDIF. This regained timbres and definition over the direct Mac connection but some information and fluidity were still missing compared to the d1-server.


S5 driving reclocker + d1-dual. The S5 was used as before but now connected to the d1-server via S/PDIF as a reclocker. Now all the fluidity returned plus a little more information but not yet the full d1-server quality.

d1-server driving S5 DAC. Now the Totaldac server drove my S5’s DAC via AES/EBU. To be honest, I don’t think I’d heard my S5 at its best before. This was better than running the S5 as network player, with more information arriving at the DAC via the d1-server than with its own Stream Unlimited Stream700 network and decoding interface. Perhaps the S5’s DAC was not quite as precise as the d1-dual but these differences were essentially insignificant now.

Conclusion. With the d1-server + d1-dual (or d1-tube) we get a turnkey solution for digital audio that is very  easy to set up from an IT point of view, offers fluid, precise and airy music, a mass of detail without any dry analysis and very clear differentiation between albums and their recorded characteristics. These setups attained a level for PCM and DSD which I’d not heard before despite my highly ranked Lumin, S5 and prior review loaners from other manufacturers. The Totaldac DACs seem to operate at the current state of the art but the real magic happens when the d1-server and its reclocker are added. The possibility to dispense with an analog preamplifier without sacrificing SQ is another major assert.


For those with a good DAC already, the d1-server would seem a must to get the best from it. This makes for a peaceful efficient transition to digital audio for both ease of setup and quality. Without a DSD DAC, the d1-server can convert DSD to PCM on the fly. To start with a d1-server also is a way not to shock one’s bank account before going after the full Totaldac Monty which I’m now soon destined for in one of music rooms.
Epilog: The Mère Poulard omelet. For the Mère Poulard of Mont Saint-Michel, no one knows if someone really has her authentic recipe. Once chef Robert Viel asked Mère Poulard for her omelet recipe. She answered: Mister Viel, here is the recipe for my omelet: I break good eggs in a bowl, beat them well, put a good piece of butter in the pan, throw in the eggs and stir. I am happy, Mister Viel, if this recipe pleases you. Annette Poulard

To Mister Brient, all your customer including soon this one will be delighted to eat up your marvelous recipe. But in the event that you should decide to navigate to other horizons, it would give us some peace of mind if you weren’t the only one to know your trade secrets and hired some apprentice cooks to share in the recipe of your divine omelet. I conclude with my warmest recommendations for the d1-server/d1-dual combination on audio quality, on being a turnkey solution for modern digital audio and as an example of efficient and pertinent innovation in this sector.
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