T+A Elektroakustik DAC 8 with Remote

We are Sunny Components Inc,

www.sunnyaudiovideo.com

626-966-6259

T+A Elektroakustik DAC 8 with Volume Control. 

With built-in volume, eight digital inputs and remote control operation this luxurious
DAC/preamp covers all bases for today’s audiophiles. It’s also beautifully engineered
With Remote 1 owner trade in... was purchased here from us last year.

With the exception of its
high-end, valve-laden V-Series
range – which includes the
company’s awesome flagship
M10 hybrid monoblocks [HFN Sept ’12] –
the cosmetic design of T+A components
tends to be unfussy and understated. Its
latest D-to-A converter is no exception.
But while the overall look is low-key and
unassuming, the DAC 8 boasts a wealth of
audiophile design details that the German
company has been refining over the years.
the heart of the matter
At its heart are four stereo Burr-Brown
32-bit/384kHz Sigma Delta DACs in
a ‘double symmetrical’ quadruple
arrangement. Oversampling is carried out
by a 56-bit digital signal processor, the
DAC 8 featuring four selectable digital
filters [see boxout] and a choice of 60kHz
(Standard) or 120kHz bandwidth (Wide
Mode) reconstruction filters in its analogue
stage. Two on-board power supplies
separately feed the DAC 8’s digital and
analogue sections, the latter being of fully
discrete and symmetrical design.
A further key design feature is galvanic
isolation between the digital and analogue
sections – not just between a computer
source and the DAC 8’s USB input – using
‘i-couplers’ made by Analog Devices. This
aims to prevent any interference from
source devices finding its way into the
DAC’s analogue audio circuits.
Meanwhile, to minimise jitter, T+A
employs a sophisticated system for clock
regeneration: in the first stage a raw clock
is derived from the received data stream
and a PLL circuit used to remove coarse
jitter from the source device and transfer
path. This clock is then analysed by the
DAC 8’s microprocessor, and if it fulfils
minimum frequency and stability criteria
the D-to-A converters are switched to an
extremely accurate master-clock that’s
generated internally. This clock is entirely
de-coupled from the source device,
designed, says T+A, to eliminate all trace
of jitter from the source [see Lab Report,
p69]. The DAC 8 employs two quartz
oscillators: one for 44.1/88.2/176.4kHz and
another for 48/96/192kHz clock families.
If the incoming signal does not fulfil the
requirements for switching to one of the
local clock oscillators, a second PLL stage
is employed instead. T+A says this greatly
improves performance from the first
‘jitterbug’ stage, claiming it reduces the
residual jitter by a factor of 4.
Sporting no fewer than eight digital
inputs, the DAC 8 can be used as a preamp
in an all-digital-source system, its design
incorporating a bespoke volume control
that works in the analogue domain down
to low levels to avoid truncation and
reduction of dynamic range. A slider switch
on the rear panel determines whether
or not the DAC 8’s volume control is
activated. Two gold contact relays bypass
the volume control when it’s not required,
removing it entirely from the signal path.
dinky remote does the job
There are volume up/down buttons on the
front panel; however, the DAC 8 includes
remote control operation – including input
switching – via a supplied IR handset. You
might feel a little short-changed by the
remote controller: it’s one of those very
dinky plastic affairs of the sort typically
supplied with camcorders. Nevertheless
it does at least allow control from your
listening seat, and includes buttons for
S/PDIF and USB DAC with variable output
Made by: T+A elektroakustik GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
Supplied by: Avoke Ltd
Telephone: 07876 246956
Web: www.taelektroakustik.de; www.avoke.co.uk
RIGHT: The ‘quad DACs’ are under four bronze
T+A stickers while the large black DSP that
handles the digital filtering sits below. The
discrete analogue preamp stage(s) lie above
W

 1. We make the effort to accurately describe EVERY item that we sell.   2. We pack EVERY item so that it will arrive in the same condition as when we evaluated it.   3. We ALWAYS ship within 48 hours of payment.  4. We treat EVERY buyer with the courtesy and respect that we expect in return.   5. We treat EVERY transaction as if WE were buying it - we want EVERY buyer to be satisfied with his/her purchase.    PLEASE check out our other auctions - we ALWAYS have some of the WORLD’S BEST audio gear for sale   6. All CA Residents will pay Sales tax on all new items  7. All payments received by Credit Card or Paypal will pay 3.5% extra.  
   Buyer pays all shipping costs please see our other adds for lots of great products! Local pickup is available in store @ Sunny Components Inc, www.sunnyaudiovideo.com 626-966-6259