"For those who've waited for a computer friendly DAC that offers, with every type of music file, the best musicality of which DSD is capable, the PerfectWave DirectStream may be in a class by itself," he concluded. It was computer-friendly because, with an add-in card, you could connect it with USB or to an Ethernet cable and use it with, for example, Roon or JRiver.
DSD? The DirectStream's D/A conversion engine, designed by former Microsoft engineer Ted Smith, was unusual in that it synchronously upsampled all input data-regardless of format and native sample rate-to a 30-bit word length running at 28.224MHz followed by a digital-domain volume control. The data were then downsampled to 5.6448MHz, resampled to single-bit DSD128, and converted to analog with a low-pass filter.
Rather than using off-the-shelf chips, the DirectStream's digital processing was performed by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The performance could therefore be enhanced by reprogramming this FPGA and supplying users with firmware updates. Art installed the first firmware update while he was working on his review, and several firmware releases followed, culminating in the "Sunlight" version in 2021. Robert Deutsch, Jim Austin, and I reported on the effects of the upgrades up to 2017's "Huron" in follow-up reviews.' I purchased one of the review samples in 2015 to use as my everyday DAC, fitting it the following year with the Bridge II network card in order to use it with Roon, and installing the penultimate "Windom" firmware in 2019.
Enter the MK2
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.
