Audio Research DAC8 Datasheet

Brand: Audio Research

Model: DAC8

Category: Musical Equipment

Type: Datasheet

Audio Research DAC8 is a state-of-the-art digital-to-analog converter that offers exceptional sound quality for a wide range of digital audio sources. With its advanced Dual Master Clock, low-jitter design, and fully-balanced, zero-feedback, solid-state design, the DAC8 delivers pristine audio reproduction with exceptional clarity, detail, and dynamics.

The DAC8 features a comprehensive range of digital inputs, including S/PDIF (RCA, BNC, XLR), TOSLINK, and USB 2.0 HS, making it compatible with a vast array of digital audio sources, from CD players and streamers to computers and music servers. The USB 2.0 HS input supports high-resolution audio up to 192kHz/24-bit, ensuring optimal sound quality from your digital music collection.

Audio

Reseqrch

DAC

digitol

converter

B,rn,n.Hugh

nce

upon a t me,

buy ng an

outboard DAC was

simply

an em nent

sens b e way to

upgrade

an o der CD

ayer

that was

starting to

sound

a ltlle

laded.

After

al, buyng a new DAC

promises

to rejuvenate

the sound of

your

ht-

system. upgrading

your

entire siver

disc

colect

on at a stroke.

why not?

Cedany thal's

the ure lor

paying

audroph les. Therefore

one sense,

the DAC

wrl

stand or fal

by the eve

rmprovement it

de lvers

over af exist ng

player's

interna

ta to

ana ogue conveder

But. access

to other sources

of d

gital

mus

s another

reason to

cons der buy ng

DAC

8 n-rore

on th s later.

Like alAudio Fesearch

products,

the DAC

requires

a hefty

burn,I

per

od llefore

soufd ng at ts

best ARC reckon

on at least

600

hours.

pllor

be ng fuly rln n.

the DAC 8 rnay

sound a shade

ght

ancl unbend

ike

a brand new

pair

of shoes that fit

pedect

but nonetheless

fee

wee

b t st tf.

However, with

extended

use the trebe

opens-lp and

grows

sweeter

Overa l. the

sound wi I becorne

fleer and more

re]axed, with r-ro loss

of def n

tton

or resolulion.

Fodunately,

oLrr Tevew

DAC 8 had

seen

prevous

actof ancl

prompty

produced

mpressive results.

were immed

ate

impressed

by the bolcl,

big bonecl sound

of the

DAC

B which de ivered

massive

presence,

powe(

and sca e. Of

course, thls

s down to lhe

quaity

of the

sound

produced.

But

there's

ar"rother reason.

Shrewdly, ARC

has

gven

the

DAC B's analogue

outputs

significanty hgher

gain

than

usua.

So,

expect to hear

increase

n volume

of at east 2

or 3dB.

{probaby

more),

cornpared to most

ayers. When

compar ng

the DAC I

against

your

existing

player,

thrs means

you'l

need to reduce

alnp ifier voume

leve

wth

the forrfer

to compensate for

this extra

gain.

But,

lntr

guingly,

even when vo

ume leve s are reduced

for the

DAC 8, the

sublect ve mpression

st ll

seems to be one

of increasecl

power

and

greater

drve. Va the

DAC B, mus

c seerns to have

extra

presence

and immed

acy

hftffi+ 33

AUDIO RESEARCH

DAC

8 DIGITAI-

CONVERTER

"The

DAC

8's state-of-the'q'rt

digital

performance is the

result

of a

low-jitter

Dual

Mqster

Clocls,

which

Produces

superior

D/A

conuersion.

But it's

than

a one

trich

pony,

and

ARC haue

talzen

great

care

ensure

the

DAC 8

does

full

justice

a wide

range of

digital

source

options."

soundinq

'bigger'

and

more dimensional,

with increased

dynam

c range

and

enhanced

impact and

attack.

Curiously

perhaps,

this

makes it

posslb,le

listen at slightly

reduced

volume

levels.

Because

the sound

has

greater

drive,

lt seems

to fill the

room

more effortlessly.

As a result,

you

don't

have

play

ihings

excesslvely

loudly

to create

a big

room-fil ing sound.

The mus c

projects

with

greater

ease

just

good

analogue.

While

the DAC 8

produces

tremendous

weight

and security,

its

musical

presentatlon

is subtle

and finely

shaded,

with

plenty

of delicacy

However,

there's

nothing

effete

or fragile

about

the sound;

it's always

soLid

and

authoritative.

Tonally, the

results are

smooth

and reflned,

with a

nlcely open,

highly detailed,

top-end.

Subjeciively,

the

internal

separation

between

voices

and instruments

is extremely

good

too.

This

produces

enhanced

sense

of space

and

depth,

wlth

increased

dimensionality,

plus

the impress

on of a

wider deeper

soundstage,

and less of

ihat dynamic

'flatness'

that can

mar CD

reproduction.

lmpressive

stuffl

But while the

sonic

improvement

delivered

by the DAc

B overyour

player's

interna

DAC s

important,

the versatility

of the

product

is an equally

strong

selling

point.

With CD

sales

in dec ine

due to download

ng, many

listeners

want a

product

that allows

access

to music

ln ditferent

digita

formats

The

DAC BS state-of-the

digital

pedormance

is the result

of a low-jitter

Dual

lvlaster

Clock

which

produces

superior

D/A conversion.

But it's

rnore

than

a one trick

pony,

and

ARC

have taken

great

care

to ensure

the

DAc

does full

justice

to a

wide

range of digltal

source

options.

Those of

partnering

the

DAC B with

a CD

player/transporl wlll

probably

connect

using the

conventional

S/PDIF

intedace

But, a USB

2.0 HS

input, optimised

for six

different

sampling

rates,

is also

provided

These rates

are 44.1,

48,88.2,96,

176.4,

and

192kHz,

makjng the

DAC 8 compatible

with a

wide variety

oJ sources.

While S/PDIF

remains the

input of choice

to'

'igc

qJal

ly auoio.

rhe

DAC

om ses

comparable

high-grade

peformance

from

USB

based

digital sources.

a result,

Audlo Research

claims

the DAC

B will

provlde

superior

sonic

resuts, regardless

the digital

input chosen.

Moreovet

unlike

AFC'S

DAC 7, the

DAC

lets

vou

listen to digitaL

music at

its original

sampLing

rate, ensuring

'bit-perfect' low

jitter

resuts.

Because

PC and

[,4AC systems

not

properly

support

sampling

rates

over

96kHz,

ARC'S special

ASIO

drivers ensure

USB sources

stay sonlcally

transparent

at all

sampling

frequencies.

Four

24bl

digital to-analogue

converters

are

emploved,

with each channe

having

dual converters

running

in mono

mode.

AFC claims

this lowers

the noise

floor

and lncrease

dynamic

range.

Two low

jitter

master osci

lators are

used

one

for 44.1

88.2,

and

176.4k14 and

the other

for 48,

96, and

192kHz

sampling

rates.

The master

osci lator

selects the

correct

sampllng

Jrequency

automatlcally,

avoiding

decod

ng and

quantization

errors.

I inputs

are Galvanlcally

isolated

from the

source to

iminate

noise and

jitter

entering

the DAC

The analogue

output

stage

features a

true

direct coupled

differential

amplifler

wth

bandwidth

excess

of 90kHz.

The DAC I

is a fully-balanced,

zero

feedback,

solid state

design,

with a direct-

coupled

FET output stage.

The

power

supply

generously

regulated,

with separate

audio

ftflffi+ 34

AUDIO

RESEARCH

DAC 8

DIGITAL CONVERTER

and digital

power

transformers,

plus

seven

stages of regulation

Circuit boarcls

are

made

from the same material

used for

ABC's Feference

products

Those using

the DAC Swith computer

based

sources can setthesampling

rate

from 44.1 to

192kHz, allowing

the inbuiit

music seTver

management

software

to up/down

convert digital

mus c source

to the selected

sampling

rate.

This helps ensure

optimum

sound

quality,

regardless

of sampling

frequency.

You can

a so use custom

sampling

rate conversion

algorithms

or other

file formats

provided

by third-party

suppliers,

including

Windows l\,4edia

Player,

Tunes, J Blvers

l\y'edia Centre,

lvledia

N,4onkey, Foobar, and

others

Perhaps

the onlv thing

mlssing is a docking

station

for an iPod, and

some sofi of USB

wireless connection.

The DAC

8's USB driver

software

provldes your

computer

with specjal

high-

speed

audio drivers

not supplied

by lvlS Windows

or l\4ac OS

Audio Research's

USB drivers

are specially

designed

to deliver low

iitter

'bit-perfect'

data transfer

between

the server/computer,

and

the DAC 8, at all

sampling

rates

ABC

drivers set up

a USB

interface that

guarantees

wide bandwidth'

independent

of active

bulk transfers

from the hard

dive Via the

ARC icon

your

computer,

you

can set the

DAC B to any sampling

rate

from 44 1

to 192kHz.

This allows

the music server/management

software to up/down

conven music

to the appropriate

sampling

frequency.

Thjs makes

the DAC 8

perfect

for those

into downloads

and computer-

based

hiji,

gjving

a very broad

appea.

But, even when used

iust

as a

stand-alone DAC

for CD. the

DAC B delivers excellent

resulis.

Best sound

quality

is obta ned

via the balanced

analogue outputs,

but even

the standard

unbalanced

outputs

sound

great.

The DAC 8's big

lmposing style

presentation

ensures an

lmpressively

full, commanding,

solld

quality

of sound.

Bass s

very welghty and

fu l-bodied

for CD, and

th s helps create

a sense of

power

and

presence.

The

music a I

but leaps out

of the speakers

and bounds

over to

greet

you

lt's a

very tactile

vlv d sort of

presentation.

Those

who usualy

flnd CD a litt e

reined-in and circumspect

should

revel

in the big, bold,

three dimensional

soundstage

produced

by the DAC 8.

really does brlng

out the colour

and drama

in the music, especially

when

you

utllise

its balanced

analogue

XLB outputs.

The sound has

real depth and

dimensionality.

ln some

ways, the DAC 8ls

a mix of opposites.

While

t delivers a

bg dimensional

sound

that's

notab e for its depth

and separation,

it's also

surprisngy

subtle and

refined.

Nlassed violins,

for exarnple,

have excellent

attack and

plentv

brilliance,

whlle retaininq something

of that

'woody'

me lowness

you

experience

in real

ife.

ln this

respect, the

DAC B sounds

very

'analogue'.

lt's the sofi of digital

product

that

would find

favour with those

who have mixed

fee ings about

CD,

while absolutely

delighting

those

fundamenta

ly happy

with silver

disc. lt

sounds

very cean, and

tona

quality

smooth and

natural, with

good

extension

bass and treble

extremes.

Summing

up, the

DAC B is truly an

awesome sounding

device.

For Red Book

CD,

this is about

good

gets -

though

perhaps

lronically,

the

product

comes

rnost

fuly

into its own

when used

wlth sources

other

than Fed Book

CD. But even

if CD is

all

yol.r play,

the DAC

B can lle reled

on to

deliver

impressive class-lead

ng results.

TECHNICAT

SPECIFICATIONS

Audlo Reseqrch

DAC I

lnputs:

S/PlDF,

(RCA,

BNC.

XLR), TOSLINK,

ond USB 2.0

H5.

Outputs: RCA

{Unbolqnced)

XLR

(Bo

qnced).

Dimer sion': 48cm x l3/cm

x 2/cr .

Hondles

odd o furiher

4cm to fronl/

bqck depih

Weighl:7kg

Price: t4.698.00

Distributor:

Abso

ute Sounds, 58

Durhom

Rd, London, SW20

OTW

Tel:

020 8971 3909

RL:

www.obsoluiesounds.com

Monufocturer: Audio

Reseorch

ilRL: www orrclioreseorch.com

hstr+ 36

Audio Research DAC8 Datasheet

Brand: Audio Research

Model: DAC8

Category: Musical Equipment

Type: Datasheet

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Audio Research DAC8 Datasheet

Audio Research DAC8 Datasheet

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