automatic detection of sampling
frequency and pre-emphasis
The DAC20 automatically detects the
sampling frequency of the incoming
digital data stream and switches its internal
circuits to match. If the original recording
was made with pre-emphasis, the DAC20
will automatically switch on de-emphasis
to take advantage of it.
high-quality analogue output
With all our effort on the digital side
(and we have only listed a few topics here),
we have not forgotten the analogue music
reproduction, which is as important as the
recovery of the music from the digital
domain. The analogue circuit in the DAC20
is a ‘no-compromise’ design using high-
quality, high-stability components to send a
smooth, clean signal to your amplifier for
excellent sound quality. The analogue
output terminals are duplicated for your
convenience.
The DAC20 combines digital precision
with analogue purity.
stable internal clock
The timing of the data is as important as
the data itself. Timing inaccuracy, known
as ‘jitter’, is responsible for a wide range
of subtle distortions. In the DAC20, jitter
is reduced to an absolute technical
minimum by a very stable electronic clock
which is synchronised to the incoming
digital data stream to provide accurate
timing. The retimed output is sent to a
digital 75
Ω
coaxial SPDIF output for
digital recording purposes, as well as to
the analogue section of the converter.
HDCD
®
decoding
HDCD
®
(High Definition Compatible
Digital) is a proprietary technique
developed by Pacific Microsonics Incor-
porated. Using HDCD
®
, the recording
engineer can record the music at a higher
resolution and quality than on a standard
CD. A digital to analogue converter with an
HDCD
®
facility, such as the DAC20,
is necessary to make use of this higher
resolution.The DAC20 recognises
recordings made with HDCD
®
encoding and
applies the appropriate decoding to make
use of the improved music information.
multiple input formats
The DAC20 accepts digital data in three
different formats: SPDIF 75
Ω
coaxial
using both phono and BNC connectors;
optical EIAJ using TOSLINK
™
connectors
and, for optimum noise rejection,
AES/EBU 110
Ω
, balanced, transformer-
coupled using XLR connectors. Input can
be selected from one of the three optical
inputs, one of the three coaxial inputs or
from the AES/EBU input.
06
welcome
07
welcome
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