DAC5 Special
Owner’s Information
The DAC5 Special is a Level 5 digital to analogue converter, developed for the best possible sonic performance rather than technical specifications. To this end, the DAC incorporates thermionic valve technology to produce the most accurate sound possible and has been brought to maturity through a development process we call comparison by contrast, which is currently unique to Audio Note. The article from which this technique is based, named ‘Audio Hell’, is available from Audio Note by request.
Please read this manual carefully in order to obtain the best possible performance from your DAC. Audio Note wishes you many happy years of listening pleasure.
Technology
Extensive research into the fundamental properties of the data stream itself have shown beyond doubt that regardless of the theoretical and measurable advantages of the signal manipulation employed in all currently available digital products, such as higher over sampling, noise shaping, re-clocking or jitter reduction, the result is this: all these corrective measures greatly interfere with the critical time domain requirements of the signal, based as current theory is, on an assumption that music is similar to book keeping data which of course it is not. Music is a time continuum from beginning to end, which when broken is irreparably damaged and no amount of clever manipulation can ever restore it to its original time-frequency-amplitude duration or relationship, regardless of what the theorists may tell you.
The DAC5 Special uses the revolutionary and currently exclusive Audio Note digital technology dubbed 1x oversampling™ direct from disc™ circuit topology. The technology in essence dispenses with all the correction measures inherent in all other D/A converters and presents the digital signal directly to the converter after reformatting. In other words, all products in the Audio Note DAC range have no oversampling, no jitter reduction, no noise shaping and no re-clocking. Having removed all the digital filtering that is part of the oversampling, all filtering is done in the analogue domain where it appears to be easier to retain good wide band phasefrequency and dynamically coherent behaviour than in the digital domain. The end result being the reproduction is more reminiscent of master tape in quality.
They use the highest grade Analogue Devices AD1865, 18Bit stereo converter chip because we found this chip to be the best sounding available (yes, even better than the 20Bit versions!). This is fully compatible with 16-bit 44.1kHz technology as well as 48kHz and can also be used with the 24-bit 96kHz DVD-A standard as the DAC chip will only loose resolution at the 20th, 22nd and 24th Bit, a truncation that mildly reduces the resolution. Tests have shown that this information loss is inaudible when compared to comparable methods used in digital technology, which involve either oversampling, up sampling or other digitally derived signal manipulations or “improvements”.
The DAC5 Special features Black Gate filter capacitors, Audio Note copper foil signal capacitors and tantalum resistors everywhere, an ECC82, 6463 zero feedback output stage, an improved choke smoothed and 6X5, ECL82, OB2 valve rectified power supply, balanced outputs, Perma 50% nickel double c-core output transformers and improved I/V interface transformers.
Unpacking & Installation
Please take care when unpacking the DAC5 Special. We recommend that you store the packing materials in case the unit requires shipping at a later date.
Next, select a suitable location for the unit, ensuring that adequate ventilation is provided (the valves generate a fair amount of heat). In the interest of safe, reliable operation, situate the DAC well away from dampness or direct sunshine.
Worthwhile sonic improvements may be obtained by locating the unit on a specifically designed audio component support system; we tend to prefer natural materials such as wood.
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