Audio Note DAC 2.1X Signature
The Audio Note (UK) DAC2.1x Digital to Analogue converter has been specifically engineered for sonic performance rather than technical specification, and fulfils all Audio Note (UK) Level 2 criteria: -
Valve rectification
Materials and component quality
Extensive research into the fundamental properties of the data stream itself have shown beyond doubt that, regardless of the theoretical advantages of the signal manipulation employed in our competitors products, such as higher over sampling, noise shaping, re-clocking or jitter reduction, these corrective measures greatly interfere with the critical time domain requirements of the signal.
Music is a time continuum from start to end which when broken is irreparably damaged, and no amount of clever manipulation can restore it to its original time / frequency / amplitude duration or relationship, regardless of what the theorists may tell you.
As a result, we have developed a way of excluding or bypassing all these corrective measures, to allow the conversion from digital to analogue to be done without any manipulation whatsoever. All we do is to reformat the data stream to allow the converter chip to be able to interpolate the incoming information correctly.
In other words, the Audio Note (UK) DAC2.1x has no over sampling, no jitter reduction, no noise shaping and no re-clocking. Having removed all of the digital filtering that is required for over sampling, all filtering is done in the analogue domain where it is easier to retain good, wide band phase-frequency and dynamically coherent behaviour. It uses the highest grade Analogue Devices AD1865, 18Bit stereo converter chip solely because we found it to be the best sounding available (yes, even better than the 20Bit versions!).
The filter-interface coils / transformers are of extremely high quality, and are custom designed and manufactured in house by us.
The DAC2.1x Signature also features an abundance of upgraded components in comparison with the standard edition, including our own Audio Note (UK) Tantalum resistors and Copper coil capacitors used in key areas. It also features a valve rectified power supply (the standard DAC2.1x uses solid state rectification).
Available with both silver and black fascia optoins
INPUT - RCA 75 Ohms SPDif , XLR 110 Ohms AES/EBU
OUTPUT IMPEDANCE - 600 Ohms, RCA Single Ended
REFERENCE OUTPUT - 3.2V RMS
CHANNEL BALANCE - Less than 0.2dB
VALVE COMPLEMENT - Signature: - 2 x 6DJ8, 1 x 6X5
UNIT WEIGHT - 5.1 kg
UNIT DIMENSIONS - 145mm (h) x 300mm (w) x 415mm (d)
DIGITAL SYSTEM - 18Bit Analogue Devices AD1865N 44.1 / 48 / 96KHz input capability.
NOTE - Due to Audio Note (UK)'s ongoing research and development program, specifications are subject to change without notice.