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Audio Research begins shipping Foundation Series DAC9


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Just got this from Audio Research:

 

 

 

 

From the same engineering and design team responsible for the award-winning Reference Series, the Foundation family of vacuum tube components has been created to provide incredible musical experiences. Spatial definition, dynamics and detail abound while providing the most natural musical experience.

 

Audio Research is pleased to announce the DAC9 has begun shipping from its Minneapolis, Minnesota manufacturing plant.

 

The new DAC9 is the digital product consumers and dealers have been demanding from Audio Research: a straightforward DAC with a vacuum-tube analog section and the latest digital design, capable of decoding DSD music files, upsampling to 384kHz, with the ability to accommodate multiple digital inputs.

 

DAC9 design features include:

· Native DSD file decoding: Converts DSD files to a true Direct-Stream-Digital signal running at 2.8224 MHz or 5.6448 MHz. DSD-to-PCM file conversion is not necessary.

ARC designed two distinct digital paths to the DAC9’s D-A converters: One path for PCM music files from 44.1kHz to 384kHz sample rates; the other separate path is for serial DSD music files at 1x and 2x DSD clock rates. (The DAC9 will also play DoP files if desired.)

· Quad D-A converters: Each channel uses dual stereo DACs running in mono to increase dynamic range and lower the noise floor. Audio Research pioneered this approach—almost all other manufacturers use only one stereo (or two mono) DACs.

· The DAC9 uses two different TCXO crystal Master oscillators, one for 44.1-88.2-176.4-352.8 sampling rates, the other for 48-96-192-384kHz sample rates; this assures proper integer decoding so there are no interpolation distortion errors that would degrade sonic purity. The proper time clock is selected automatically.

· Native sample rate upsampling is available for all inputs, up to 352.8kHz for 384kHz for non-DSD (PCM) music files.

· Selectable digital filters are available, with both Fast and Slow roll-off, so the user can customize according to personal taste.

· Reference Recordings DVD-R HRx recordings are compatible.

· Four galvanically-isolated inputs include RCA, AES/EBU (XLR), BNC and Toslink to assure no ground loops.

· The zero-feedback, pure Class-A analog section features two high performance, long-life 6H30 vacuum-tubes directly coupled to the D-A converters, with no capacitive coupling to diminish low-frequency response at this critical point.

· The DAC9 is a fully balanced design, with both XLR (balanced) and RCA (single-ended) analog outputs.

· 8 very low noise, low voltage regulators are used in the digital section, with a low noise, high voltage regulator for the vacuum-tube analog section.

 

The DAC9 is the most technologically advanced digital product ever developed by Audio Research, and represents a sonic breakthrough in digital-to-analog music reproduction.

 

The US Retail price is $7,500.00 in natural anodized silver or anodized black finish.

 

 

 

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Chris, would this DAC interest you to review if given then opportunity? I don't think you have ever reviewed any Audio Research equipment, but I'm sure you have heard plenty products from them. Just curious :)

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No volume control (like one needs an Audio Research tube output stage to then be controlled by a second box of tubes/transistors, switching and a volume control in a digital file playing world?) and no DSD 256 or 512 capability?

 

Obsolete upon introduction, from my perspective. YMMV.

Tone with Soul

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I'll bet you that, under the hood, it's a DAC8 with added DSD capability.

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Looks great, Quad DAC, native DSD into No-feedback Class A Tube. That's going to sound very, very good.

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I'll bet you that, under the hood, it's a DAC8 with added DSD capability.

 

That's doubtful.

 

Here is what I wrote a few months ago about it:

 

"More about the DAC9. It features five digital inputs, USB, RCA, BNC, AES/EBU, and TosLink. The USB input accepts audio up through 384 kHz and will play native DSD. Specifications for exact DSD sample rates has yet to be released. The analog circuit features two 6H30 vacuum tubes. One of the largest contributors to the great sound I heard was, I believe, the new native rate up-sampling and selectable digital filters in the DAC9. During an ARC presentation earlier in the day the company said its digital up-sampling chip was proprietary to ARC and that we would have a hard time finding it on the board or identifying the manufacturer. i don't blame them, the sound I heard was excellent and I'd want to keep that to myself as well."

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  • 3 months later...

I owned the DAC8 for six months about six years ago but I didn't like the sound. I will keep an open mind on this one.

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  • 1 month later...
On 2/15/2017 at 4:55 AM, KolBer said:

Does anyone have any experience using Audirvana playing DSD with the new Audio Research DAC9? Does it work OK? Any setup proposals?

In short ... DSD via Audirvana  doesn't work yet. I've had my DAC9 for a couple of months now and there is currently no DSD playback on a MAC and no playback at all via a Linux based music server. I've talked to ARC and they are working on a fix but its going to be a bit before its out and likely going to be a trip back to the factory for parts swap out. That said if you feed it via the AES input it sounds simply amazing. Takes 80-90 hours to start sounding pretty amazing then at 200 hours it really opens up and the bottom end fills out. Great presence, sound stage, and a very sumptuous vocal presentation. Very natural sounding. Its voicing is very similar to my ARC PH8 which I love so it works out really well for me! :-)

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