This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

Description: This is a low-profile unit placed inside an aluminum enclosure with a thick front where we have two buttons, one for powering the unit, the other to switch on the LEDs. There is an input selector with indicators and a blue LED indicating sync with the drive. I missed an indicator for input signal parameters. On the back we have S/PDIF, TOSLINK and USB input sockets and the RCA analog outputs. Inside we have a small toroidal transformer, the USB input and digital receiver board and the main conversion board.



The CS8416 is the main receiver/decoder for the S/PDIF signal. The USB port allows streaming music from a computer and the USB signal is converted to S/PDIF and processed by the CS8416 just like the other inputs. After connecting the unit to the computer, the “USB audio device” gets installed and the USB interface is powered from the computer. The USB input is limited to a max sampling frequency of 48kHz by the chosen input chip. All inputs including USB are galvanically isolated from the signal source. The logic of the receiver mutes the signal in case of S/PDIF receiver errors or if the signal is not an audio signal. The PLL generator power supply inside the CS8416 has a separate stabilizer to minimize jitter.




The DAC uses two stereo CS4398 chips, one per channel in phase and counter-phase. Channel separation and phase reversal are performed digitally by logic chips ahead of the CS4398. To lower jitter, an additional IC in the logic section improves the shape of the digital signal sent to the converter chips. The differential Analog Devices AD825 op amp sums —or rather subtracts—the CS4398 counter-phase signals to improve certain parameters like dynamics, S/N ratio and distortion by 3dB over having one chip handle both channels. This unmasks micro detail otherwise hidden behind noise and distortion. The power supply to the analog sections of the right and left channel are separated by RC filters and the direct-coupled signal path is free of capacitors.



Voltages are supplied by a toroidal transformer with a fourfold power rating with separate secondary windings for the digital section of the CS4398 and the receiver logic; the analog output of the CS4398; and the operational amplifiers. The output stage relies on fast rectifier diodes. The values and makes of electrolytic capacitors in the power supply section feeding the analog section of the CS4398 and op-amps were chosen based on listening and are Rubycon ZL and Nippon Chemicals LXV units. The analog ground is separated from the digital ground to minimize interference propagation between both sections.









opinia @ highfidelity.pl
Company email