Article: Audiophile 5: Elac DDP-2 DAC / Preamp / Streamer In 5 Minutes

[audiobomber]

Great teaser! I really liked Peter Madnick's explanations of the design. Having an on-board streamer synch with the DAC clock via I2S is brilliant. Hopefully the DLNA issue is resolved soon.

 

I used an Audio Achemy DDE3, DTI and PS2 in the 90's. I sold a bunch of old gear recently and connected the AA stuff to my main system to ensure everything worked. It did, and was a bit shocked at how good the old AA stuff sounded.

 

Peter's a talented designer with decades of experience, and the DDP-2 includes everything I want in a DAC/Preamp. It's definitely on my short list. I'm looking forward with great anticipation to the full review, and hopefully some comparisons.

[audiobomber]

The look won't discourage me from buying, but I do need to see how the sound compares to other DAC/Preamps in this price range, e.g. Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Benchmark DAC3, iFi Pro DSD, etc, and how the inboard streamer stacks up vs. separates from Sonore or SOtM. The PS Audio Stellar Gain Preamp with an Ultrarendu would be an interesting comparison and very close in price .

[audiobomber]

6 hours ago, Da Horsey said:

Is DSD incorporated? 

From the Elac website:

      • DSD 1x Ethernet (Roon Ready), 2x Via USB

https://elac-content.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/01/F.r1_Elac_AlchemyDDP-2-DAC_3.20.19.pdf

[audiobomber]

17 hours ago, yahooboy said:

Well I basically do not trust ANY company trying to push MQA.

So this company is of the list

So you wouldn't buy anything from Elac, over this? I see no evidence that they are "pushing" MQA. The only reference I can find is a simple statement that the DDP-2 is MQA capable, but not functional yet. I assume this is a business decision. The marketing department likely determined that leaving MQA out would negatively impact sales more than including it. 

 

I'm not a fan of MQA processing. I believe the technology will fail and die, but no one knows for certain. My overriding interest is in buying the best sounding DAC/Preamp I can afford, with the features I want. MQA is not one those features, but inclusion will not affect my purchase decision. The DDP-2 is a contender, with all the features on my needs list, and the right price.

 

My main system has three clocks right now, in the wi-fi/ethernet bridge, renderer and DAC/Pre. I am well aware of the benefits of a single clock from past experience. The fact that this unit has I2S wi-fi puts it ahead of the others on my short list.

[audiobomber]

3 hours ago, yahooboy said:

One way to rid the world of this illness, is letting manufacturers know that any association with a company that has been shown to have a strange take on the truth, looses them sales.

Certainly that is your right. It's a no-win situation for the manufacturers. I have a friend who's also shopping for a DAC, and will not consider anything lacking MQA. As mentioned, I don't care that it has MQA or doesn't, I just want the best value DAC/Pre I can find. I suspect both opinions are more prevalent than someone who will boycott a company because they've included it.

[audiobomber]

@The Computer Audiophile, any idea when you expect to publish the full review? 

[audiobomber]

7 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Looking like next week. RMAF really throws a wrench in things.

Awesome!