|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
160.62.7.250
In Reply to: RE: IF you want a DAC to play normal "redbook" cds then you shouldn't buy the latest and greatest... posted by flood2 on April 15, 2014 at 20:05:19
I have owned TWO different DACs that use the Anagram Technolgies digital filters: An Audio Aero Prima DAC (this is the DAC section from their Capitole 24/192 cd player) and a OEM supplied version + high precision clock.
I have compared the Audio Aero Prima DAC (which uses the Analog Devices AD1853 sigma/delta 24/192 DAC) to my Monarchy Audio M24 (BB PCM63K) and my Kinergetics KCD55 Ultra (Analog Devices D20400). The Audio Aero has a very robust and well regulated power supply and uses subminiature tubes as the output stage. The same DAC is in the Capitole 24/192, which was highly regarded. The resolution of the AA was quite good and tone was also pretty nice. It got weird though when it came to imaging and soundstageing (air but diffuse) and I strongly preferred the Ladder DAC implementation, which despite one being tube and the other discrete transistor, sound more similar than different. I kept the AA about 3 months and then had enough of it and got a good deal trading it away.
The other OEM filter/DAC/clock has a similar character to the AA in terms of resolution and smoothness even though it is using a different DAC chipset (AD1855 I think). It lacks the dynamics of the AA, which are good but still not to the ladder DAC standard. This lack of dynamic contrast leads it to sound refined but somewhat boring. Bland very bland.
The more recent OEM setup is the exact same digital filter that is now used in the Audio Aero La Source as is the clock. I think they use a different DAC but maybe that is the same too. THe only difference is the power supply (important) and the output stage (also important). The AA La Source sounded quite good when I heard it at shows but the first listen with the AA Prima DAC is also pretty impressive. THe cracks show with time...
Needless to say the older DACs sound MORE like my very good vinyl setup than the Audio Aero implementation.
Follow Ups:
I'm not familiar with the STARS version of Anagram Technologies algorithm. However, as it is quoted as being specific to Audio Aero, you cannot assume that it is the same algorithm as the more recent ATF version employed in Cambridge Audio decks. Indeed they now have a newer refined ATF2 version which handles 24 bit input data better.
Often a clue is in the wording - they refer to this as being RE-sampling. Which implies that the data effectively goes through the D/A process, then is sampled at the new desired sample rate and therefore synchronised to the new clock reference.
ATF on the other hand uses polynomial interpolation from a series of input samples and a synthetic sample is created at the appropriate output sample rate.
This is very different. If STARS is what I think it is, then the quality of the output waveform will be dependent on the quality of the first stage in creating the waveform at the original sample rate.
The ATF system gives 3 different filter characteristics - conventional linear phase, minimum phase and "steep". The linear phase filter is anything but diffuse! The minimum phase gives greater realism to acoustic instruments at the expense of spatial precision. The steep filter is ....well... a classic brick wall filter with a rather coarse sound.
One other area you haven't addressed is in the quality of the I-V conversion and analogue filter. The quality of signal path capacitors in the filters and amplifier design will strongly influence your perception of soundstaging.
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
To the best of my knowledge, and I have met the guys in Switzerland who developed the Anagram modules, Audio Aero is putting fancy spin on the exact same modules that were used also by Audio Mecca (I think they did use the ATF name). The other DAC I have uses the latest version (Anagram is out of business now but there is an OEM company called ABC PCB that has their last generation ATF now called something else). I am pretty sure that the algorithms in these SHARC based processors is exactly the same because the math involved is quite complex to begin with.
Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think Anagram tweaked depending on the customer.
Either way, I had a circa 2006 version and a circa 2010 version and didn't love either of them.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: