Audio Research DAC7 Shows Its Face

ARC refers to it as a "preamplifier-sized chassis."<br />

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I suppose it's a little bigger than the <a href="http://www.devilsound.com/DAC/">Devilsound DAC</a> :-)

BTW, based on your positive experiences, I have a Devil Sound DAC on order to use in my office. I haven't ordered speakers yet, but I'm leaning towards getting a pair of NHT M00's, their matching sub S00, and their passive volume control... <br />

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Still, I'm open to suggestions....do folks have any recommendations for a good set of small desktop computer speakers?

Ummm, have you thought about LaScalas - nice for desktop. You could put your desktop on them I mean. Oh, small ... missed that part!<br />

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*ducks*

in the dedicated listening room, just off the master suite and adjacent to the indoor swimming pool, across the way from the stables and the 8 car garage with my vintage Ferrari collection.

FWIW - I've been using X-HiFi (http://www.xhifi.com/pindex.php?section=products) desktop speakers/sub with a Stello DA 100 dac for about a year. I really like 'em.

Hi Joe - I'm interested to hear your impressions of the X-HiFi speakers. I've been a little skeptical of them for some reason. Maybe they look more like speakers designed for a certain look rather than a certain sound. Since I've never heard them I can't say that with any certainty however.<br />

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By the way I have the Stello DA 100 Signature DAC in for review right now :-)<br />

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Sammie - Check out the Audioengine speakers. I haven't heard anyone that has been disappointed with them considering they are very reasonably priced.

at first read, I thought you were referring to this speaker: www.scaena.com, which would be a really nice speaker system if the price was not in the stratosphere...maybe they're worth it. I'll never know. The speakers you were referring to are very affordable and would work great supporting a desk.

I have a pair Audioengine A5's at my office, which I really like except for the volume control....it seems sort of cheap and poorly executed. They sound great though. So, anyway, I'm just looking to try to something different.

I saw those Scaena speakers at CES or T.H.E. Show this year. They look interesting but I don't remember much about the sound. Does that say something? I'm not sure, but the sound at shows can really suck for any product.

The Specs on the ARC website say that the USB input supports 32khz or 48khz. Surely a dac of this caliber would support 44.1khz? If not, why would anyone buy this? Who wants to destroy their carefully built lossless 44.1khz CD library by mucking with the sample rate?<br />

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I was hoping this would be the ideal front-end for my ARC LS26 preamp, but now i'm not too sure.

Hi phunge - Welcome to Computer Audiophile. I can't believe you posted this today. I've actually been talking to ARC the last couple days about this very thing and a few others surrounding the DAC7.<br />

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I am 99.999% sure 44.1 is fully supported via USB, but I will talk to them in the next couple days to verify this and a couple other items.

On the website it says "...our initial development was focused on the USB input..." -- I can't imagine them not getting this part correct. I sure hope so, because otherwise this DAC sounds like a winner.<br />

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Please keep us posted Chris. the other thing I was curious was the lock LED. This suggests that they may use some kind of Phase Locked Loop to lock onto incoming digital SPDIF signals and re-clock them.<br />

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Do you have a picture of the remote?

I heard back from my contact at ARC this morning and they confirmed the supported resolutions are as follows:<br />

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The USB input supports 16/32, 16/44.1 and 16/48 formats.<br />

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The other inputs support up to 24/192.<br />

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Look for a spec change sooner rather than later.<br />

I knew it had to be a mistake.<br />

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Would love to know more about how the USB is implemented. Being ARC it must be good, but would be interested in hearing a more technical description. Does it use I2C? What's being done to reduce Jitter? etc.<br />

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I'm definitely gettin' one.

He There<br />

sitting in front of my rack system of my HiFi System, just looking on the the front of a DAC7. In order off the lack of the right USB cable, i have to get the first impression via USB tomorrow.<br />

Connected to a CD-5, i got a lot more of that what a CD-5 can do for you. The amount of abilities of the CD-5 is incredible.<br />

I have and had a lot of very High End CD player and drives in my system, but the CD-5 is almost "The One".<br />

You know that movie from Jet Lee? The CD-5 seams to me to be sort of the same.<br />

By the way my office speakers are from Paradigm, Millenia 20 in polished alu. Combined with a Velodyne Microvee an driven by Project Audio mono amps (flying mole modules inside) and feed by a<br />

LS-17 and a CD-5<br />

The sound is more than outstanding.<br />

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Best<br />

Armin<br />

It now says:<br />

USB: Spec 1.0 to 2.0 16 BIT 32kHz to 48kHz, MAC or PC. <br />

NICE!

Chris, do you have any more information for us?

I talked to them a couple weeks ago and they are still trying to catch up on backorders etc... Once they are all caught up I'll get on in here.

Hi there<br />

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Armin did I get this right, you have CD5 and DAC7?<br />

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I was wondering if the performance of DAC7 is the same as CD5 on CD playback, tru ASE/EBU Digital. <br />

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My plan is to get Audio Research DAC7 and Audio Research CD3MKII as transport for CD playback, and USB offcourse, thats two fly in one hit!<br />

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Regards<br />

<br />

Fredrik

Hey Chris,<br />

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What have you heard about this unit? Is it at the same level sonicaly as the Berkeley Alpha Dac? Same price point?<br />

/Lee

Hi Lee - I haven't heard much about the DAC7 in a month or so. I am interested in comparing it with the Alpha DAC as well and I hope to get a chance fairly soon. I think the price of the DAC7 is either $4000 or $4500.

If the USB in the DAC7 doesn't support up to 24/96, then I don't see how they could have done a truly good job of it. Maybe that's not a fair statement, but I think doing USB "right" means going down the path of the Steve Nugents and Gordon Rankins. I don't think Bryston has done this and I wonder about ARC.

Hi Dan - I don't think a good job of USB equates to higher sampling rates. Yes, it would have been great to get up to 24/96 via USB in the DAC7, but this is not required to excellent sound quality. In my opinion ARC will make this available in a reference grade DAC or allow an upgrade in the future. <br />

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I do agree that Steve and Gordon are definitely doing USB extremely well and offering things that nobody else is.

with regards to this DAC. I'd really like to know how the USB input was implemented.<br />

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Right now i'm also interested in the new Ayre QB-9: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue41/ca_hansen.htm