New DAC in Town

[tyrion]

Emotiva Audio XDA-1 Digital-to-Analog Converter

I saw a thread about Emotiva's $299 DAC on Audiocircle. I will get a chance to check it out at RMAF this weekend.

[Duggeh]

I think that they are going to sell a great many of those.

[n_maher]

Good lord that's cheap.

[Salt Peanuts]

For those with the knowledge, any opinions on the chips used?

[Iron_Dreamer]

Emotiva Audio XDA-1 Digital-to-Analog Converter

I saw a thread about Emotiva's $299 DAC on Audiocircle. I will get a chance to check it out at RMAF this weekend.

I'll be right there to check it out as well! Certainly sounds promising for the price.

[postjack]

consider me very interested.

[GPH]

That's a FOTM train I might ride.

[luvdunhill]

AD1955 with discrete output stage?

[manaox2]

Damn. This seems like it could be very popular. I like the remote.

[swt61]

Good lord that's cheap.

And literally hours after I pull the trigger on a used Adcom for nearly the same price.

Reserved one anyway. At that price why not?

Edited October 12, 2010 by swt61

[recstar24]

USB input, all those different inputs. Digital volume control for line stage option. Fully balanced design. $299 WTF. It's worth it just for the functionality.

[Currawong]

The digital input chip excepted, that has much the specs of the Cambridge 840c. Might be quite a good value pairing with one of the better digital input boxes.

[blessingx]

Reserved. And only 24 hours since they hit my wallet with the Ultra 10 sale. Wish I still had my RPA-2s.

[n_maher]

USB input, all those different inputs. Digital volume control for line stage option. Fully balanced design. $299 WTF. It's worth it just for the functionality.

Honestly one wonders what they could have actually put in there for the price. I mean don't get me wrong, I love a bargain, but stuff isn't free and economies of scale and China only go so far.

[dcpoor]

i've been following the thread over at their forums for a while.

there's some info and a internal pic of a prototype here.

[blessingx]

Thanks for the link.

For those interested in size:

17" wide

14" deep

1 3/4" high (faceplate)

2 1/4" high (with rubber feet)

[luvdunhill]

The digital input chip excepted, that has much the specs of the Cambridge 840c. Might be quite a good value pairing with one of the better digital input boxes.

Let's hope they went more in the direction of the Accuphase sound, which also uses the same DAC than the 840c.

[shellylh]

Wow, that seems rather cheap. Interested to hear what Mike thinks.

[Jon L]

Two transformers and a pretty interesting discrete output stage. Unbelievable at the price..Reserved one!

"The DAC used in the XDA is the AD1955 which is the same DAC as used in the ERC-1, But the real magic is in the analog drive stage after the DAC. In the ERC it has a single stage drive where the XDA uses a Dual Differential input stage with cross linked current sources, Darlington VAS stage and Darlington output stages. The discrete output stage can easily produce in excess of 2 amps of current and swing in excess of 12v. So it will completely take all cables out of the equation."

[Duggeh]

Just to be smug (and because I want to try one of these DACs and have to stop myself), I call trumps.

[postjack]

reserved. i share nate's skepticism but hey, whateva.

[Dusty Chalk]

Pfff -- I'll wait for the reports to come in, myself.

And I fully expect one or two of you to pop the hood and let me know how modifiable it is.

$300 == MSB Link DAC III, for me, still is. And that one is famously modifiable. Only no USB input.

[atothex]

It's kinda funny:

$300 for dual differential with all the other features makes it a crazy deal, but balanced drive is probably one of the last things I'd worry about in that price range. Take that away, though, and it's suddenly not quite the screaming deal it seems to be.

[Pars]

Opamp I/V however:

# I/V conversion: Burr Brown OPA-2134

[Filburt]

i've been following the thread over at their forums for a while.

there's some info and a internal pic of a prototype here.

Hmm...in the picture it sure looks like I/V is done via a dual opamp but maybe I'm looking at it wrong. I was kind of wondering about the discrete I/V since even at a cursory glance with that many devices I'd have guessed it'd be an opamp topo and for $299 I'd have been surprised about the 0.001% THD spec on that.

Edit: heh, nice catch Pars. That's what I get for not checking the second page of the thread first.