Digital to analog audio converter review

#Digital to analog audio converter review free

And even though the tube component, the EZ-80, is employed for tube rectification and that no tubes are present in its output stage, I preferred the DAC in the system with my PASS Labs INT-250 over the one with my Audio Note I-Zero and ever so slightly more than with my Manley Stingray. I placed the SE-i in all of my systems, including those of both tube and solid-state amplification. If one Is looking for extreme sonic range, best to move on from here. And if the absence of stridency is what one is after, then by all means the SE-i is worth a listen in either its USB, SPDIF or USB + SPDIF configuration. With the SE-i, I can be there as well, in the knowledge that the SE-i excels in the midrange. I could and do listen to that combo for hours on end. The purist design of the BorderPatrol brought me back to the sound of my California Audio Labs Icon Mk II coupled with the Audio Note DAC 1.

#Digital to analog audio converter review free

Once free from the constraints of meeting the requirements of the playback of DSD and super hi-res files in my mind, I, much like Dr Strangelove, learned to stop obsessing and love the musicality. To approach this ease with digital audio it became necessary and apparent that I lower my resistance and eschew the common tick-the-box mentality. My struggle is with the sonic fatigue and a certain tension welling up inside of me from certain digital players that I donвЂ™t get while spinning vinyl. I am also not looking for digital audio to mimic and/or assume the very qualities and nature of analogue audio and its sound. Also, I am not one who pits one format over another, ie. Now letвЂ™s be clear: I am a strong proponent of digital audio, if for nothing else than its convenience as I grow older. Some months ago, I would have scoffed at the idea, but I found myself wondering why my digital listening sessions never lasted more than a few hours. Since DACs can sound precise, detailed, and extreme, thereвЂ™s something to be said for a DAC that is not and, as mentioned earlier, this is not without compromise. The DAC was not alien to me and I wanted to hear more. I do believe it was one of the first things that attracted me to the sound of this DAC. It is a favorite of many audiophiles, myself included.

The DAC chips being put to the test are the venerable Philips TDA-1543 variety that has graced many a CD player/transport, especially back in the day. Over time, like Doug, I found myself opting to bypass the tube and pretty much go solid-state. As the power supply is indeed regulated, and the push-button on the front of the chassis makes activating the tube a snap, leaving the intrepid audiophile to invoke or not. Prospective owners of the SE-i USB/SPDIF will be heartened to learn that they switch between either of the connection and decide where to activate or de-activate the EZ-80 tube rectifier. The tube rectification and choke do set this DAC apart, as this approach is indeed unique in todayвЂ™s DAC marketplace.ДonвЂ™t take this to mean that all options have been withheld. Conversely, if you can rise above such conventions please do read on.Д«orderPatrolвЂ™s SE-i makes use of a hybrid tube/solid-state choke input filter power supply with high-speed low noise diodes, over-sized power transformers and a high inductance choke featuring an EZ80 tube rectifier. This is where I advise readers looking for a DAC that supports MQA and DSD, or that plays back PCM files at resolutions higher than 24/96, to look elsewhere. The SE-i employs an R2R DAC chip with absolutely no over-sampling, nor is there any digital filtering, and its tube rectified power supply along with its choke set it apart from most DACs currently on the market. I much prefer musicality вЂ“ the quality or state of being musical.Д«orderPatrol takes a no-nonsense purist approach to DAC design.

Several people in the Hi-Fi community will refer to gear as being musical, and I take issue with the term being used as such. I marveled at its diminutive footprint - not a bad thing, mind you - as rack space grows dear and I am adding more gear to my systems. Right out of the box I was expecting this DAC to be somewhat more imposing in size. That Q&A is integrated into this updated review along with a question or two I added about some of the SE-iвЂ™s new additions. Doug did manage to ask Gary Dews of BorderPatrol several questions relating to the philosophy and design of the DAC. Note: Two years ago, my fellow Dagogo staff member, Doug Schroeder, reviewed an earlier model of the BorderPatrol DAC, the SE, which, unlike the SE-i, did not make use of Jupiter Beeswax film and foil output capacitors.