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    Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series Review

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    Rarely do I hear a component that's truly a game changer, a component that's so good I can't stop listening through it, and a component that's so good it renders much of the competition irrelevant. I can't remember, off the top of my head, the last time I heard such a component. That is, before the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series arrived. The Alpha DAC RS, every bit a true game changer, blew me away from the first listen in my system. Since its arrival I've listened to more complete albums and heard more new sounds from old albums than any time in my life. The Alpha DAC RS is so good and such a game changer it may force consumers to reconsider their desire for high resolution music. Sure the Alpha DAC RS can reproduce high resolution music better than any DAC I've heard in my system, but its absolute magic can be heard with standard CD quality 16 bit / 44.1 kHz material. The Alpha DAC RS is without question the best DAC I've heard anywhere when it comes to 16/44.1 playback. I've never heard detail, delicacy, and transparency with my favorite music like I have when listening through this DAC. The Alpha DAC RS is so outstanding that I equate its presence in my system to that of a new pair of loudspeakers. That's correct; the Alpha DAC RS had an impact on my system equivalent to a new pair of loudspeakers. In fact, the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series is the most remarkable sounding product I've ever reviewed. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

     

     

    Alpha DAC Reference Series

     

     

    The Berkeley Audio Design team is well known for pursuing perfection of performance and producing peerless products. The original Alpha DAC is considered by many to be the best $5,000 DAC money can buy. The company's subsequent USB to AES converter has been unequalled when it comes to sound quality and electrical isolation in D-to-D converters. Pushing boundaries and shooting for unparalleled performance is not an easy task and frequently takes quite a bit of time. Such is the case with the Alpha DAC Reference Series. According to Berkeley Audio Design's Michael Ritter, the Alpha DAC RS contains proprietary parts that didn't exist prior to the creation of the DAC. During the initial design stages of the RS 'Berkeley' asked several manufacturers to build certain parts to its specifications. All but one of the companies said no because it was difficult to build and there was no market for such impeccably spec'd parts. In addition the cost of the parts ended up being 40x greater than parts used in the Alpha DAC Series 2 or the Alpha USB.

     

    Internal parts are but one piece of the Alpha DAC RS puzzle. The other major piece is intellectual property. 'Berkeley' previously made a $5,000 DAC sound as good as or better than many DACs costing several times more money. To do this requires the intellectual know-how that other DAC manufacturers, who just assemble parts and follow chip manufacturers' app notes, simply don't have. Talking to Berkeley's lead Engineer Michael "Pflash" Pflaumer, it's clear that the Alpha DAC RS contains engineering wizardry and original ideas that the previous 'Berkeley' products don't contain. The Alpha DAC RS isn't a sibling of the original Alpha DAC, rather it's a close cousin. Both DACs have the same designer, but the Reference Series is so above and beyond that it's in a league of its own. This time, using a mix of proprietary parts and vast intellectual property, Berkeley Audio Design has created a $16,000 DAC that may be the best in the world at any price.

     

    One of the strengths of the Alpha DAC RS that make it such a great component is its ability to playback standard resolution (16/44.1) material better than any DAC I've heard. According to many DAC designers, playback of standard resolution is where the rubber meets the road, not only because the vast majority of music is released at 16/44.1, but because it takes considerable expertise to develop digital filters for CD quality material. This is where Berkeley Audio Design excels. Michael "Pflash" Pflaumer's digital filter mastery is the stuff of legend in high end audio. One only needs to listen to the Alpha DAC RS at 16/44.1 to hear Pflash's superior skills shine. There's no chip a manufacture can purchase and implement that comes close to replicating 'Berkeley's' custom filtering technology.

     

    Now for the fun part, telling the world how the Alpha DAC RS sounds with some of my favorite music. The RS single handedly sent me into a Natalie Merchant binge that lasted a couple weeks. I couldn't stop listening to Natalie's new self-titled album and her Motherland release from 2001. Both albums are the standard issue, released at 44.1 kHz and not remastered. The detail and delicacy brought out by the Alpha DAC RS on both albums is unparalleled. For example, the track Maggie Said from the 2014 Natalie Merchant album has incredible separation and delineation between instruments. So much so that I can't get this good of sound even through my Sennheiser HD600, Audeze LCD-XC, or JH Audio JH13 in-ear monitors. The first track on the album, Lady Bird, opens with a delicate drum roll. Listening through other DACs and even through headphones, the drums tend to sound like paper, as if the drummer is striking a couple sheets of loose leaf paper from the Dollar Store. Through the Alpha DAC RS it's possible to hear the texture of the drum heads. I'm willing to bet any competent drummer could identify the exact drum kit, and even the sticks used by the drummer, after listening to this track through the Alpha DAC RS.

     

    Continuing my Natalie Merchant kick, I spent countless hours listening to her Motherland album. Track two, titled Motherland, features a guitar, banjo, accordion, and some of the richest sounding vocals Natalie has ever produced. I've never heard this track sound so good and Natalie's vocals sound as wonderful as I have when listening through the Alpha DAC RS. The delicate accordion comes and goes in the background landing like a butterfly with sore feet. The banjo and guitar have terrifically distinct sounds that can be heard even at the lowest volumes through the 'RS'. In fact, I've never heard a DAC excel more at low volumes than the Alpha DAC RS. Listening to the entire Motherland album I kept the volume at such low levels that the crickets outside my listening room drowned out the quiet passages more than a few times. This is in stark contrast to listening through some DACs that lack resolution and force the listener to turn up the volume a notch for every track. After an hour of listening one's ears are tired and ready to retire for the evening. My experience with the Alpha DAC RS couldn't be more the opposite. I never wanted to stop listening once during the entire review period.

     

    Classical music isn't traditionally one of my favorite genres. However, when a component like the Alpha DAC RS is placed into my system I feel the need to listen to all of my music as if it was all new. During this review I frequently said to myself, "I wonder what X or Y sounds like through the RS." It was as close to the kid before Christmas feeling as I could have as an adult. Thus, I played the Kansas City Symphony's Britten's Orchestra recorded and released at 24 bit / 176.4 kHz by Reference Recordings. This album demonstrated the Alpha DAC RS' ability to reproduce transients like no other DAC I've heard. About 4:20 into the track Passacaglia things get real interesting. The horns start out quite delicate augmenting the string section that is building the scene. By 5:30 into the track the horn section is leading the way in the most transparent sounding symphonic reproduction I've yet heard. At 5:45 into the track the deep horns start to snap and the drums create an incredible sounding crescendo. Then all is quiet with the exception of a soft and delicate string section in recovery from the event that just took place. Throughout the track the Alpha DAC RS appears to only reproduce the music. There's no memorializing of an event after it happens and there certainly are no rounded edges of transients. This DAC starts and stops like no other.

     

    Organic and transparent is how I describe listening to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Fairytales through the Alpha DAC RS. This isn't the most well recorded album, but through the 'RS' something magical comes out of each track. The Alpha DAC RS isn't adding anything or forcing a Hi-Fi signature on the album, rather more sounds and nuances are coming through now than ever before through any other DAC. The track Flake features a very soft steel drum in the left channel and acoustic guitar in the right channel at the beginning. The guitar sounds incredibly organic and realistic while the steel drum smoothly floats in the background with its soft presence. Through less resolute DACs I frequently turn up the volume during this part of the track because I can't hear the steel drum enough for my liking. Through the Alpha DAC RS the steel drum magically comes through appropriately soft but appropriately present. It's really magical to hear these seemingly antithetical (soft / present) characteristics come through with delicacy and transparency like never before.

     

    Closing out the review period I wanted to push the bass limits of the Alpha DAC RS. What I had heard up to this point was incredibly tight and deep bass from more traditional sources like rock and roll and jazz. It was time for a little Jay Z, one of my favorite hip hop artists of all time. Jay Z's MTV Unplugged (with the Roots band) is a great sounding album but it doesn't have the bass of the Magna Carta... Holy Grail album. After warming up with MTV Unplugged I switched to track Holy Grail featuring Justin Timberlake. A synthetic piano and somewhat synthetic sounding vocal start the track before a huge bass beat kicks in. Under the right conditions I'm sure one could blow woofers into a listener's lap. Fortunately the track isn't just a bass monster / demo track. The deep beat is great as are the lyrics with a sample of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. The Alpha DAC RS puts out the deepest and tightest bass of any DAC I've yet heard. Listening to this deep tight bass gave me a similar feeling to listening to soft and present steel drums from Jack Johnson. The deep bass was omnipresent as it was supposed to be, but it wasn't overpowering. Jay Z's and Timberlake's vocals were clearly audible and intelligible as were the plethora of other sounds going on in the track. Chalk this magic up to the Alpha DAC RS and its brilliant designer Michael "Pflash" Pflaumer and the rest of the 'Berkeley' team who took part in creating the best DAC on the market.

     

     

    Conclusion

     

     

    The Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series is a DAC for the ages. Delicacy, detail, and unparalleled transparency are hallmarks of the RS. Reproducing soft yet present background instruments as clearly as the lead guitar is something only the Alpha DAC RS has done in my system. This DAC is capable of hooking the listener in to hours long listening sessions even at the expense of getting other work done. In other words, the Alpha DAC RS reproduces addicting sound. The Reference Series is what the term "game changer" was meant to describe. It's a PCM only DAC that renders most other universal DACs on the market irrelevant. Irrelevant because they cost more and don't sound as good. A DAC that can make standard resolution (16/44.1) material sound as good as high resolution is a true game changer. The advanced digital filtering algorithms created by Berkeley Audio Design do exactly that with 16/44.1 music. I know of no DAC available today that can reproduce Redbook CD content as well as the Alpha DAC RS. Period. If I could afford it and my job allowed it, the Alpha DAC RS is the only DAC I'd use for the foreseeable future.

     

     

     

     

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    Product Information:

    • Product - Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series
    • Price - $16,000
    • Product Page - Link

     

     

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    Where To Buy:

     

    The Audio Salon

     

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    Ciamara

     

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    Associated Music:

     

     

     

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    I just wonder how would Alpha Reference sound with Chris's previous amplifiers(Spectral).

    As far as I know Pass labs amps are much better as are non MIT cables.

    There were some opinions that Alpha Dac 2 was "filtered to death"-is RS in the same category?

    For red book and CDs I will choose audio research CD 9.

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    Lukaz often says stuff like:

    "I strongly believe that 44.1 and 16 bits is all we need. There are some EXTREMELY good recordings on 44/16 that prove by their high quality that the medium is not the limiting factor - it is the recording engineering , love, passion and attention to detail that makes good recordings. Most of the hi-rez stuff is utterly boring and meaningless. Having said that, most valuable artists recorded many years ago and only on analog or 44/16 so whats the point of discussing benefits of Hi-Rez files if Louis, Ella, Miles and Zappa are dead ?"

     

    I disagree that "most of the high rez stuff is boring and meaningless" but what I find endlessly fascinating is that we are just beginning to mine the possibilities of the format most of us have become so invested in since the mid 1980s. Fremer says a similar thing about vintage vinyl.

    "They had no idea how great the recordings that they were making were and it is only with modern analog equipment that we are discovering that."

    That DACs are being made that render my properly done CDs truly satisfying and my crappy ones better is big....huge....to me.

    If I have to create a special savings account and wait a year or two for an Alpha DAC Ref or a Lampi 7 that is a worthwhile thing to do. In the mean time the technology will keep pushing the envelope and those advances will trickle down into more affordable gear.

     

    I spend a small amount of time every week looking into what new high resolution downloads have been added to the catalogs at Acoustic Sounds and HD Tracks. They are growing very quickly but are still somewhat limited. Also $25-30 a pop isn't cheap.

    I buy used CDs all the time for a few bucks each.

     

    BTW - I appreciate Chris's enthusiasm. I've read enough on this site to know it's not habitual pandering.

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    I think the review Chris did was ok afer all I look at a review, as 50% fact and 50% entertainment. This review which is based solely on Chris's opinion, using his equipment in his room. If Chris would have noted, the dac sounds pretty good, people would question what "good" meant. It's a endless cycle trying to please all that read reviews.

     

    So Chris hasn't heard all the other dacs that reside in this world, big deal. He wrote the review. If someone wants to write their review on this dac, so be it, get the dac and do it.. And them let the residents of this site question that reviewer.

     

    Chris, keep the reviews coming

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    Thanks for the review Chris. I also read Robert Harley’s equally glowing report in TAS. In Robert’s review he mentioned that a registered license for J River Media Center is included with the DAC. This is interesting particularly because it’s been my experience that the software player has a huge impact on the final sound quality.

     

    I have also experienced what to my ears seemed like miraculous transformation of Redbook quality sound using HQPlayer in combination with various DSD capable DAC’s using HQP’s PCM to DSD conversion capability, and specifically the built in poly-sinc filter. This filter is very demanding of resources; but on a system which enables it to be used, it produces an uncannily life-like and natural result from plain old rebook CD.

     

    I am skeptical as to whether the Alpha RS can truly exceed the best I’ve heard from a combination of HQP and a DSD capable DAC. The DSD DACs in question were all far less expensive than the Alpha reference; but if the Alpha reference can surpass the results I’m currently achieving I will be forced to take it very seriously.

     

    J River is a friendlier and much more feature rich program than HQP. I love J River for many reasons and wouldn’t be without it. If J River can sound that good through the Alpha Reference that’s clearly an advantage to Berkeley Designs.

     

    On the other hand a purchaser of the Alpha Reference as their sole DAC would have to sacrifice the possibility of PCM 352.8/384 KHZ files as well as DSD up to DSD256 in their native states. Files at these higher resolutions are, of course becoming increasingly available.

     

    Robert Harley actually used Pure Music on the Mac for his computer audio auditioning. Of course there is a version of J River for Mac, though the Windows versions remains far more mature with more features.

     

    J River’s audio engine, though good does not sound nearly as good to my ears as HQP converting to DSD or foo_asio also converting to DSD when used to replace J River’s audio engine, from within J River.

     

    The software player and dac do often seem to work as a system. So I’m wondering if, when it comes to Computer Audio, the Alpha Reference has somehow been optimised around the sound of J River.

     

    It would be interesting if you, or someone else with the Alpha DAC could try it using HQPlayer using the poly-sinc filter up-sampling PCM to the Max of 192khz and report on how this compares to J River.

     

    Perhaps the Alpha reference is simply performing a lot of sophisticated filtering itself which would negate any advantages HQP’s filters have to offer; but perhaps not. Anyway, the comparison would be very interesting.

    Geoff

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    Berkeley has typically updated firmware through WAV files just like dCS. Playing them through the DAC updates the firmware.

     

    I never heard about this. Is it documented anywhere? Checked with my dealer and they didn't know about this. What's the process? Do you simply find a disk with some wav files and rip to computer and playback?

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    I never heard about this. Is it documented anywhere? Checked with my dealer and they didn't know about this. What's the process? Do you simply find a disk with some wav files and rip to computer and playback?

    It's an undocumented feature only used in special circumstances.

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    Thanks for the review Chris. I also read Robert Harley’s equally glowing report in TAS. In Robert’s review he mentioned that a registered license for J River Media Center is included with the DAC. This is interesting particularly because it’s been my experience that the software player has a huge impact on the final sound quality.

     

    My understanding, when I last spoke with Michael Ritter, was that rather than offer their own software for converting source material to PCM that they found that the JRiver software was optimally suited to do this task. I don't believe that they specify a particular software player for the DAC, though Pure is noted for the Alpha USB for Mac users.

     

    I have also experienced what to my ears seemed like miraculous transformation of Redbook quality sound using HQPlayer in combination with various DSD capable DAC’s using HQP’s PCM to DSD conversion capability, and specifically the built in poly-sinc filter. This filter is very demanding of resources; but on a system which enables it to be used, it produces an uncannily life-like and natural result from plain old rebook CD.

     

    I am skeptical as to whether the Alpha RS can truly exceed the best I’ve heard from a combination of HQP and a DSD capable DAC. The DSD DACs in question were all far less expensive than the Alpha reference; but if the Alpha reference can surpass the results I’m currently achieving I will be forced to take it very seriously.

     

    J River is a friendlier and much more feature rich program than HQP. I love J River for many reasons and wouldn’t be without it. If J River can sound that good through the Alpha Reference that’s clearly an advantage to Berkeley Designs.

     

    On the other hand a purchaser of the Alpha Reference as their sole DAC would have to sacrifice the possibility of PCM 352.8/384 KHZ files as well as DSD up to DSD256 in their native states. Files at these higher resolutions are, of course becoming increasingly available.

     

    Robert Harley actually used Pure Music on the Mac for his computer audio auditioning. Of course there is a version of J River for Mac, though the Windows versions remains far more mature with more features.

     

    J River’s audio engine, though good does not sound nearly as good to my ears as HQP converting to DSD or foo_asio also converting to DSD when used to replace J River’s audio engine, from within J River.

     

    The software player and dac do often seem to work as a system. So I’m wondering if, when it comes to Computer Audio, the Alpha Reference has somehow been optimised around the sound of J River.

     

    It would be interesting if you, or someone else with the Alpha DAC could try it using HQPlayer using the poly-sinc filter up-sampling PCM to the Max of 192khz and report on how this compares to J River.

     

    Perhaps the Alpha reference is simply performing a lot of sophisticated filtering itself which would negate any advantages HQP’s filters have to offer; but perhaps not. Anyway, the comparison would be very interesting.

    Geoff

     

    I've move from JRiver Win to Mac and lately the best is the current iteration of Amarra, by a mile or more.

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    It's an undocumented feature only used in special circumstances.

     

    Hello Chris,

    This comment catch me by surprise as well...there is an "RJ-45?" port labelled BADA at the back of my Series 1 which I understood to be the mechanism for software enhancements but none have ever been offered, as far as I am aware. Have there been WAV file software updates?

    Regards

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    Have there been WAV file software updates?

    Regards

    Only for special circumstances. The initial firmware, I believe version 0.70, is still what's put on the Alpha DAC Series 2 units leaving the factory today.

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    Chris maybe you can elaborate more on why Berkeley Audio Design can only manufacture 2 of these DAC's a day. In the interview in TAS they mention how it's not just getting boards made and putting them in the chassis, but some sort of laborious adjustment process that goes on. They were not talking about hand matching components (which is a 'before the PCB' issue), but adjustments to an already running product.

     

    No doubt this could be smoke and mirrors or marketing talk, but if true it is intriguing to know what they are actually doing.

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    I really didn't try it with the Aries more than for a couple minutes testing bit perfect output of the Aries.

     

    From your review of the Aries it seems you've had than more a cursory experience in testing with the Reference.

     

    "...I've also had the Aries connected via AES/EBU to the new Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC RS with great results..." 8/31/2014

     

    Guess you'll have more to say in future about this "Wireless streaming bridge" as they describe it. Looking forward to the results for various means of sending the songs to the Aries and getting the outbound bits to your DACS. And, of course, how the Aries compares sonically to alternative players, like MacBooks.

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    Chris maybe you can elaborate more on why Berkeley Audio Design can only manufacture 2 of these DAC's a day. In the interview in TAS they mention how it's not just getting boards made and putting them in the chassis, but some sort of laborious adjustment process that goes on. They were not talking about hand matching components (which is a 'before the PCB' issue), but adjustments to an already running product.

     

    No doubt this could be smoke and mirrors or marketing talk, but if true it is intriguing to know what they are actually doing.

     

    2 a day, that's 500 a year, really. Its a good bet that the dealer price is in the 10k range, cost of good maybe 1 or 2 k, how can you pay for a couple of engineers, marketing expenses, admin overhead, rent in the bay area for that sort of pittance?

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    I'd like to thank you, Chris, for your exhaustive and thrilling review of Berkeley RS Reference DAC.Why not to use superlatives when you meet something which is exceptional? When I watch to a movie starring Grace Kelly, why shouldn't I say that, in my opinion, she has been, and still now is, the most beautiful actress on the screen? "In my opinion" is the magical formula which underlines the subjectivity of every aesthetical judgment (and not only aestethical, but also ethical very often..).

    Chris I trust you and your review for two major matters: 1) Your review of Berkeley Alpha USB had changed my life of Audiophile transforming me in a "Computer Audiophile" .

    2) I subscribe every superlative you have used in your last review and I can do that properly...because since one week I am a lucky owner of the Berkeley Reference DAC!

    Considering that I am more a music lover, in particular Classical Music, than an Audiophile, I usually evaluate the music reproduction comparing the reproduced sound to the "natural sound" I hear every week at live concerts, in my town (I'm lucky enough to live in Florence -Italy, where is an important orchestra, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, lead by one of the most important conductors all over the world, Zubin Mehta), as well around all over Europe (last week for instance I was in Paris at La Salle Pleyel and at Theatre des Champs Elyseè, for two different recitals of two most famous living iRussian violinists, Vangerov and Repin).

    I'm happy to say that, for the very first time, I'm completely satisfied of the naturality and the "sound like living event" of a digital recording: Berkeley Reference DAC does really this "kind of magic", and it does it with the red book format files!

    I'd like to write more about my listening experience, in particular with classical music, but I'm not sure that is the right place to do it.

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    If this has already been covered I apologize for not having found it before now, but when used purely as a DAC, at what numerical setting should the Alpha Reference DAC's output be set?

    It's always been conventional wisdom that a DAC should be set at full output. But I see in Robert Harley's review that he had set it at 59 (60 being full output).

    Does anyone know what Berkeley recommends?

    Joel

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    If this has already been covered I apologize for not having found it before now, but when used purely as a DAC, at what numerical setting should the Alpha Reference DAC's output be set?

    It's always been conventional wisdom that a DAC should be set at full output. But I see in Robert Harley's review that he had set it at 59 (60 being full output).

    Does anyone know what Berkeley recommends?

    Joel

     

    Does the manual say anything about this? For Alpha DAC 2, the paper manual says 55 and the latest PDF copy from the Berkeley website says 54.

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    I've sent an e-mail to the company for clarification, they haven't replied me yet. I am really curious why we need to adjust volume (54 or 55) while using with an integrated amplifier. Doesn't make sense. Is the volume adjustment based on a software control or a voltage gain selector, if the case is the second one then it should be very useful to match the input voltage of an amplifier.

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    In looking at their manual, they state that when using a preamp, the level should be set to 54.

    Obviously they know how their product should be used better than me.

    At the same time, I'm curious why Robert Harley used his at 59 and most other DAC's are to be used at full output.

    corehun, I'll look forward to finding out what you hear back from Berkeley.

    Joel

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    I wrote a comment but it flew away? Joelha can you read what I wrote?

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    corehun,

    This is the only post I've seen from you.

    Joel

     

    "I've sent an e-mail to the company for clarification, they haven't replied me yet. I am really curious why we need to adjust volume (54 or 55) while using with an integrated amplifier. Doesn't make sense. Is the volume adjustment based on a software control or a voltage gain selector, if the case is the second one then it should be very useful to match the input voltage of an amplifier."

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    Many preamps can only accept a line level input voltage of 2V RMS (like my CF-080) or 3V RMS (talking single ended here; XLR is usually double that). Many many DACs that have their own volume control are wayyyy hotter than 3V at maximum volume (like 5V or 10V). That volume output would clip the hell out of you preamp. So, yes, take care to match output with your pre's input max. The Ref has a 3.25V max output via single ended, so if 60 is that number (not sure what scale they are using), then 54 is possibly around the 2V recommended mark. As I mentioned, XLR is double that, and yes, their max output with XLR is 6.15 V.

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    Many preamps can only accept a line level input voltage of 2V RMS (like my CF-080) or 3V RMS (talking single ended here; XLR is usually double that). Many many DACs that have their own volume control are wayyyy hotter than 3V at maximum volume (like 5V or 10V). That volume output would clip the hell out of you preamp. So, yes, take care to match output with your pre's input max. The Ref has a 3.25V max output via single ended, so if 60 is that number (not sure what scale they are using), then 54 is possibly around the 2V recommended mark. As I mentioned, XLR is double that, and yes, their max output with XLR is 6.15 V.

     

    So it is not a software volume control, ıt adjusts the output voltage right?

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    corehun,

    This is the only post I've seen from you.

    Joel

     

    "I've sent an e-mail to the company for clarification, they haven't replied me yet. I am really curious why we need to adjust volume (54 or 55) while using with an integrated amplifier. Doesn't make sense. Is the volume adjustment based on a software control or a voltage gain selector, if the case is the second one then it should be very useful to match the input voltage of an amplifier."

     

    That's the one :) thank you...

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    Great review and wondering if i should sell my vinyl, digital and preamp to replace it with alpha reference? How close does it compare to vinyl? And finally does it mean DCS will be out of business....

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    In looking at their manual, they state that when using a preamp, the level should be set to 54.

    Obviously they know how their product should be used better than me.

    At the same time, I'm curious why Robert Harley used his at 59 and most other DAC's are to be used at full output.

    corehun, I'll look forward to finding out what you hear back from Berkeley.

    Joel

     

    Hi Joelha,

     

    I got a reply from Berkeley. They say,

     

    "The Alpha DAC Series 2 has a digital volume control but it does not degrade audio quality. 54 is the level setting that produces the industry standard 2 Volts at full signal amplitude on the single ended outputs.

     

    The balanced XLR outputs have a level of +12 dBu at full signal amplitude when the level is set to 54."

     

    A little bit qurious, it ise a digital volume control but does not degrade the sound quality and affects the output voltage. Kinda mix of 2 worlds?

     

    Best.

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    Thanks for the information, corehun.

    That's very helpful

    There's no way I'm knowledgeable enough to answer the question you raise.

    But I'm going to send a message to Robert Harley asking why he set his Alpha Reference to 59.

    It might have been an assumption on his part or it might have worked better given the equipment in his system.

    Joel

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