French digital specialist Totaldac has announced a trio of DACs featuring refinements to the company’s proprietary ladder-based technology coupled to improved output circuitry.
The product launches include three new digital-to-analogue converters starting with the d1-unity, the d1-triunity and the flagship d1-sublime all which include the option of Totaldac’s streamer board implementation. Further, the new architecture allows current Totaldac DAC owners to upgrade to the ‘unity’ technology. Company founder and Chief Engineer Vincent Brient told SoundStage! Australia, “The ‘unity’ architecture allows a better clock distribution, lower jitter, a lower R2R power supply rail impedance and a lower noise in the digital section.”
The starting point is the d1-unity which, as Totaldac states, features a total of 150 upgraded and changed components and a single R2R resistor ladder network per channel (numbering 100 units).
The next step up the ladder (pun intended) is the new d1-triunity which now employs a total of 290 components either upgraded and/or changed. As the ‘tri’ in the name suggests, the d1-triunity integrates three R2R resistor ladder networks per channel (numbering 300 units).
Finally, the top-most DAC in the ‘unity’ range and the company flagship is the new d1-sublime which comes in a four-box configuration and has had a staggering 680 component changes. The d1-sublime includes monoblock DAC units (2 chassis), a full-sized ‘live-power’ dedicated power supply component and a stand-alone bespoke reclocker. The d1-sublime also offers two UP12 AES/EBU cables, a custom BNC cable and a remote cable.
In its R2R ladder network, Totaldac still employs the high quality “naked Vishay Foil” resistors while the company has also improved the all-discrete output stage with higher quality components and enhanced circuitry. The output voltage of all the units is 3.5V single-ended RCA or 7V balanced XLR.
The three new DACs offer built-in custom clock technology with “anti-jitter FIFO memory”. The DACs support 192KHz asynchronous Xmos USB, 192KHz coax RCA, 192KHz AES-EBU and 96KHz optical, all at 16- and 24-bits, with all inputs switchable via the supplied remote control. Support is also provided for 44.1KHz, 48KHz, 88.2KHz, 96KHz, 176.4KHz and 192KHz. Totaldac offers an optional DSD (DoP standard) feature available via the S/PDIF coaxial, AES/EBU XLR and USB inputs.
As Totaldac states, the sonic performance of the new DACs has been fine-tuned via the company’s own analog master tape player and master tapes collection. Direct comparisons with Totaldac’s digital recordings were also conducted in the company’s newly-built “auditorium”, an acoustically-treated space incorporated at the headquarters.
Vincent Brient further asserted, “The ‘unity’ architecture gives more presence, more contrast between the timbre of each instrument, more contrast between the size of each instrument, more clarity at the same time as more body and more dynamics, the sound is more realistic and natural giving you more pleasure and no fatigue.”
Totaldac products are available directly from the manufacturer.
Totaldac d1-unity, d1-triunity & d1-sublime DACs
Price: EU11,500, EU22,000, EU46,000 (all ex-VAT, out of Europe)
Manufacturer Direct: Totaldac
+33 6 18 03 14 08
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www.totaldac.com
