ALTMANN ATTRACTION DAC THE REFERENCE CONVERTER SOUNDWISE

A FANTASTIC SOUNDING DAC, YOU WILL FIND NOWHERE AT A NOTICEABLY DISCOUNTED PRICE !!!

PLEASE NOTE : For sale here is the CD-only, 44.1kHz sample-rate, SPDIF input only, version. Then, the 12 V power supply cable has the factory mounted car battery connectors taken off, but delivered to you, and changed for two banana plugs. (I used a Paul Hynes very low noise power supply, not on sale).

LIST PRICE IS 1250 $, and item is 9/10 as for condition. So don't expect to get it, a reference product, at half-price, but still nicely discounted !

The Attraction DAC

The Altmann Attraction DAC is a complete DA converter solution with exceptional sound quality and unique features.

It operates on CD (44.1kHz sample-rate) without the use of oversampling.

It features one coaxial digital S/PDIF input.

The digital input signals are recovered with extremely low jitter as they are generated by custom made voltage-controlled crystal-oscillators (VCXOs) and employ the UPCI (Ultra Precision Clock Injection) technology.

A switchable JISCO-function (Jitter Scrambling Decorrelator) further increases sound quality as jitter-components from the DVD-A or CD player are decorrelated before being ultra-precision-filtered.

The practical outcome of this setup is a level of sound quality that is unrivalled.

Sample-rate can be selected by two toggle-swtiches.

A lock-detector mutes output by sending zero-data to the DAC plus shorting analog outputs to ground, in order to prevent pop-sounds, when invalid data is received. Lock-status is monitored by a red LED.

Digital to analog conversion is performed by a R2R converter operating on true sample-rate (no oversampling) and true sample-values. This means, that the data on the disc (input data) is converted sample-by-sample with high precision and without altering any data. No DVD-playback machine can do this.

The Altmann Attraction DAC is today's only digital playback machine, that can play high sample-rate material in true fidelity and transparency, as it plays the true data-on-disc sample-by-sample.

The high integration of unique features was achieved by the development of a special digital receiver-chip (Altmann R16).

The elaborate analog and powerful output-circuitry is similar to that of the much more expensive Altmann Superlative DA Converter and employs ten high-quality Burr-Brown operational amplifiers.

Like the BYOB amplifier, the complete electronic assembly of the Attraction DAC is vibrationally optimized, as the pcb is flat-press-mounted on a specially treated spruce-board. This construction is time-consuming during manufacture, but improves sound quality, as all components are mechanically coupled to a musical sound board.

Digital input and analog outputs are high-quality RCA connectors, that are directly singal- and ground-soldered to the pcb.

The Attraction DAC is designed to be powered by a single 12V car- or motorcylce battery, as battery power is pure, and a prerequisite for precision DA conversion. Power consumption is 200mA.

The unit is reverse polarity protected. Battery status is monitored by a blue power-LED.

Options and Prices

This is the leading edge of thought, sound, joy and well-being.

The performance standard of your ALTMANN ATTRACTION DAC is A Performance Standard.

Every Attraction DAC comes complete with battery connection cable and a 5 years limited warranty.

CD-only 44.1kHz sample-rate SPDIF

This is the basic Attraction DAC for CD-only (44.1kHz) playback. Includes UPCI jitter filter and coaxial (RCA) digital input. EUR 950, ie 1250 $.



Applications

1) Audiophile ecstasy

It grooves, it punches, it sings, it's one, it's real, it's got it all and it runs up to 192kHz.

Signal path length: 4cm from DAC to RCA analog output.

2) Mastering & Recording

Top of the world jitter processing combining UPCI (Ultra Precision Clock Injection) and JISCO (Jitter Scrambling Decorrelation) techniques -> for more info on that see www.jitter.de.

True sample-per-sample DA conversion from 44.1 up to 192kHz enables you evaluate your recording and not the sonic faults of your current DA converter. The Altmann Attraction DAC is the world's only digital playback machine with static non-oversampling DA conversion up to 192kHz.

No calculations, no averaging, and no 1-bit noise involved, but straight down conversion with a full scale output of +/- 5Volt.

OSS Ultra low Latency System: One Single Sample definitely helps keeping the groove.

That means: From digital input to analog output latencies are:

0,022 ms @ 44.1 kHz

0,010 ms @ 96 kHz

0,005 ms @ 192 kHz

Mains independent noise-free battery operation. Optical and coax digital inputs.

Make your virtual instruments sound like real instruments.

It's cool to have virtual instruments but its way cooler to have them sound great. Keeping them in the digital domain makes things sound clinical. But hey, forget about the crap that comes out of your soundcard.

The Attraction DAC does it bigger, better and real.

"ENJOYTHEMUSIC.COM" SAYS IT'S A REFERENCE !!!

Altmann Micro Machines Attraction DAC

And now for something completely different; and yes, I did leave the best for last! What you see is far from the typical DAC in a box. In fact, there is no box. All components fit neatly onto a small surface-mount circuit board, which is affixed to a piece of spruce that has been treated for vibration control. The Attraction DAC is designed to be powered by a single 12V automotive battery. It is part of AMM’s BYOB line – that is, Bring Your Own Battery. AMM recommends the Optima Redtop spill-proof lead-acid battery, which is what I use (model 34). You will also need a battery charger, but with a current draw of only 200 mA, there’s a reserve of well over 200 hours of enjoyable listening before re-charging is required. And battery status is monitored by a blue LED; when it starts dimming it is your cue to start a re-charge cycle. Every Attraction DAC comes complete with a gold-plate battery cable and a five years limited warranty.

While the idea of battery power is not new, it is particularly relevant in the case of a DAC. For example, power supply voltage fluctuations induce jitter at the input of an R2R type converter chip, since the reference voltage controls the firing of the switches at the input to the resistor ladder. This is clearly a situation where the purest power supply is needed, and the idea of decoupling it completely from the AC mains represents the right call. No need for power transformers, rectifiers, filters, and regulators with all of their attendant noise. Battery supplies neatly cut through all of issues raised by AC supplies.

An all-sample rate option is available that allows the DAC to negotiate sample rates from CD (44.1kHz), DAT (48kHz),a and DVD-A (88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192kHz). A couple of toggle switches are used to select the actual sample rate. The Attraction DAC is said to be the world's only digital playback machine with static non-oversampling DA conversion up to 192 kHz. Needless to say, the receiver-chip used (Altmann R16) is not a garden-variety off the shelf design. Altmann explains that he had to use a custom design realized with a Xilinx programmable logic chip, as no "useful" receiver chip for 192kHz is available from either Crystal (Cirrus) or from AKM Semiconductor. The digital input signals are recovered with extremely low jitter as they are generated by custom (Golledge, UK) voltage-controlled crystal-oscillators (VCXOs) and employ AMM’s proprietary UPCI (Ultra Precision Clock Injection) technology.

Yet another DAC option is Altmann’s Jitter Scrambling Decorrelator (JISCO), which may be switched in or out. The JISCO is also available as a stand-alone device that is said to improve sound quality even with the cheapest CD or DVD-A player transports. The goal of the JISCO is to reduce jitter at the input to the DAC chip by manipulating jitter before the digital data stream is processed by an off-the shelf-receiver chip (e.g., one of the ubiquitous Crystal chips). It accomplishes that paradoxically by actually increasing jitter at its output. After getting through the scrambling algorithms, jitter below 10kHz is shifted to a frequency range of several MHz where the receiver chip’s internal clock extraction PLL is most effective in reducing jitter. According to Charles Altmann, jitter attenuation of the CS8414 is quite good at 1MHz and above, but poor below 10kHz where much jitter is produced in CD playback. So when all is said and done, the actual jitter at the DAC chips is lowered and uncorrelated with the signal.

The DAC chip used is our old friend, the Philips TDA1543. Altmann is also a firm believer in the Burr-Brown OPA134 operational amplifier because "I am good at getting the best sound out of them. There are many other op amps available, also much more expensive ones, but the ones I have tried out just don't have that "134-sound". A total of five of these devices are used per channel: one for current to voltage conversion and four as an output buffer. The OPA134 has been around for a while and according to Burr-Brown features a true FET input stage and increased headroom to provide superior sound quality and speed for audio applications. Note that the Attraction DAC does not invert signal polarity.

The Truth Changes Everything
The Attraction DAC changes everything. Attraction=Revelation. Its level of performance is so superior to that of other DACs in the under $3,000 price point that it simply obliterates the competition. In fact, upon further review, I have to admit that the Attraction DAC has given me the best CD sound I have experienced in the past 25 years... cost no object. No, I have not heard every DAC or CD player out there, so I am not proclaiming it as the best there is, just that it is a fantastic performer in every important musical aspect.

Audio critics, on the whole, tend to magnify small differences between competing components. At the highest levels of high-end audio such differences become elusive, and in some cases may well be a function of system and room interactions. With this DAC, the differences were obvious and dramatic. The impression of clarity was immediately startling in its diamond-like precision. There was simply no veiling of the musical fabric. Low-level detail was resolvable as if peering into the soundstage via a high-powered microscope. This was no cheap trick achieved by brightening or etching harmonic textures. Many speakers have sold in the showroom on the basis of a presence region boost or high-frequency emphasis. Such a tonal balance is most impressive, at least in the short run, but rather fatiguing as most consumers discover to their dismay much later. In this case, detail resolution was a function of pristine, pure harmonic textures free of digital artifacts, so that the auditory system had an easier time unscrambling and resolving the various instrumental lines. Vocals, laced in EQ and artificial reverb (standard protocol on pop multi-track recordings), that would turn "corrosive" on most DACs were reproduced with the full splendor intended by the recording engineer. You should really hear the expansion and decay of reverb through this DAC. Absolutely breathtaking! I am not suggesting that I was inundated with detail. Much like observing a school of fish in an aquarium, most of the time it was the ensemble that captured my attention, but it was always possible to focus on an individual and follow its explicit movements.

The tension generated by microdynamic nuances and transient attack was left fully intact. Transients were unfolded with racing-car speed and dynamic conviction. On the flip side, decay of musical lines was preserved down to a velvety black background. Couple that with a soundstage of immense transparency. It felt as though a giant searchlight had illuminated the inner recesses of the soundstage. Depth and width perspectives were fully fleshed out. Image outlines were laser sharp, so that it took no effort to resolve the ebb and flow of individual instruments within the musical tapestry. The Gestalt of listening to a cohesive musical ensemble, in the same place at the same time, usually a strength of analog sound, was much in evidence.

Above all else, the music possessed both body and soul. The music’s full palette of emotions was propelled forward with verve, from a whisper to a scream, from a sweet refrain to a touch of the blues – a veritable "soul train" of emotions. This is not the sort of DAC that will ever put you to sleep. Audiophile obsession with detail and imaging is akin to mental masturbation. That’s no way to reach a sonic orgasm. Fidelity to the real thing starts with timbre accuracy, and this was an area that the Attraction DAC excelled in. The corpus of each instrument was portrayed with a believable foundation and a purity of harmonic texture. Bass lines were full, tight, and in time with the upper octaves. The midrange with associated tube amplification was slightly rich and warm, which is the way I like it. My guess, as I have yet to pin this down, is that this rich and dark disposition is not intrinsic to the DAC but a reflection of the character of the associated tube gear.

Bottom line: It should be clear that the Attraction DAC pushed all of my buttons. Anyone serious about music needs to audition this DAC. It will redefine your expectations of what is possible with the standard CD format. What a enjoyable way to rediscover your CD collection. Simply put: a tour de force of digital design!

Overall rating: 5 blue notes out of 5

Reviews

Digital Zen (enjoythemusic.com)

Shake my world's basis

"This is it" - End of trip

Totally drowned in the beauty of the reproduction

Countless hours of musical ecstasy

Most musical component I ever encountered

I find it hard to leave the room

I am absolutely blown away with the sound (MUSIC) I am getting

NATURAL MUSICAL FLOW !

This is really world class!

It totally outclassed his $5500.00 SACD player

Utterly fantastic!

A GIANT KILLER !

The Altmann has the upper hand

My journey to find an excellent source has ended with the Altmann Attraction DAC

Am I cool enough?

Attraction DAC and iTunes

Instruments just sound right through the Altmann, what more can I say?

I received 8 new LP’s in the mail on Friday that I have not touched

This DAC easily outperforms

The best DAC that I have ever owned or heard

What is the secret of the DAC ?

Mostly its just plain Awesome! :-)

Das Entscheidende war: Ich hörte Reife

Your DAC outperformed them all !

Dieses Ding macht einen richtig süchtig

I smile...I smile.....and I smile............

With this dac, I've stopped looking for a digital upgrade

The beauty of the truth

LECK MICH AM ARSCH!!!

And I have played and played ever after...

Altmann Attraction DAC on Youtube

It is just how beautiful the music flows as a whole

I couldn't believe how honest and musical the presentation was

It is indeed a fine, lovely musical instrument.

So much noise before ...music now,,

Its everything I hoped for and more

New instruments are appearing ?? . . . where did those come from - nice surprise !

Fantastically accurate to the Vinyl sound

Blue Note Equipment Award

What can I say but wow !

A 'Music Shock' !

And oh my God it is playing

Because your DAC was better!

I am thrilled thank so much.

It's a DAC Jim but not as we know it...

Fette Gratulation zu Deiner Meisterleistung

I've never heard this depth of timing and resolution from any source

Everyday I discover or rediscover, i mean, the music I own with ur DAC

It’s like the best champagne on a beer budget

JISCO-Funktion erfüllt alle Erwartungen!

The state of peace of mind

Great musical enjoyment...

I am getting high on 3D sound! :)

From audioreview.com

Sounds great instantly

It was bloody brilliant

The most honest and most musical

Immer wieder positiv überrascht

Now I understand the word timbre

So this is Christmas !!!

It sounds wonderful !!

Hammermässig gut, unglaublich!

The 'Robin Hood' of audio

STABLE, SOLID, RELAXED

I love my Attraction DAC !!

Undoubtedly the best...

First off ...

Am Besten

At the 1st minute i LOVE it

Das Teil gebe ich nicht mehr her...

But this one is the first

Wonderfully and very musically

Un disco, due cavi, e un DAC