The Classic Line absolutely competes with products from SimAudio, Martin Logan, and Macintosh, but at more affordable prices. Their Prelude line gives you most of that at even lower price points.

Here we have the Electrocompaniet Prelude PD-1 DAC, a 24bit/192KHz DAC with both USB and Wireless inputs. You will need the companion EMS-1 USB streamer to hook to your PC/MAC. The only disappointent… 16bit/48KHz on USB and Wireless.

Price should be around $2000USD and I have a feeling it is a very competent DAC.

Here is what Electrocompaniet has to say about this DAC.

The new Prelude PD 1 DAC from Electrocompaniet is our answer to the growing need for a user friendly DAC with USB interface.

Technical specifications:
• No. of channels: 2
• Output impedance: 100 ohm
• Output level: 3.4 Vrms
• Noise floor (20 – 20 kHz) : < - 140 dB
• Frequency response: 1 – 48 kHz
• THD + N: < 0.003%
• Upsampling rate: 192 kHz, 24bit
• Digital/Analog conversion: 192 kHz, 24bit
• Input sampling rate supported:
SPDIF 192 kHz, 24 bit
USB 48 kHz, 16 bit
RF Link 48 kHz, 16 bit
•Audio Outputs:
Stereo balanced line out (XLR)
Stereo single-ended line out (RCA)
•Digital Inputs: 2 x SPDIF Coaxial, 1 x SPDIF TOSLink,
1 x USB Type B, 1 x RF Link
• Weight 4,3 Kg
All measurements are made at 120V/240V//50Hz/60 Hz

Price should be under $2000US and here is what Bel Canto has to say about it…

The C5i DAC Integrated Amplifier powers it all, digital analog, USB and Phono MM in one compact, powerful component. The C5i converts any source into music while giving you an amazingly compact, cool-running, high output, low-power-usage analog and digital media center. The most complete integrated amplifier, Low jitter, low noise and power isolation delivers the startling dynamics in your music.

Bel Canto’s e.One C5i DAC Integrated Amplifier connects to your computer, CD player, turntable, cable box or game console, and now you’ve got control of an entire media center in one component. Compare your analog collection to your digital all through one component. Just add a pair of speakers and the listening room is open!

The Bel Canto C5i has an outstanding 115dB dynamic range and our proprietary low-noise D-to-A convertors are based on our award-winning DAC circuit design. The C5i Includes five digital inputs including RCA, TOSLINK and one 24/96 USB input. The analog section has one pair of RCA inputs and one pair of RCA Phono MM inputs. The core 24/192 D-to-A converters are based on our Two-Stage Master Reference Ultra-Clock™ circuitry ensuring that jitter from any source is reduced below the audible threshold.

The 24-bit digital volume control is completely transparent and accurate throughout the volume range. The engineering detail that Bel Canto is known for calls for custom 0.1% audio grade resistors, class-A output control circuitry, and low-noise power supply components. The heavy-gauge all-steel chassis design prevents mechanical resonance from compromising the audio signal quality. The stereo amplifier section is based on an elegant switching output stage that eliminates thermal distortion mechanisms caused by changes in operating temperature.

The front panel features a single multifunction control knob that selects inputs and volume level for both the main outputs and ¼” front-panel headphone jack, providing flexibility and control with a simple user interface, easy to read display and full remote control.

There was even a time when the T.H.E. show gave Toronto a try, but economy was much better back then. Of course we still have the Montreal Salon Son & Image, the best audio show in North America.

So, the guys and gals that bring us the Montreal show are giving Toronto a try for 2011! Keep an eye on their web page for updates!

http://www.taveshow.com/index.html

The dates will be September 30th to October 2nd, 2011.

Let’s support them as much as we can!

The Lotus DAC1 measures out at 13Wx10Dx3H which makes it bigger then expected, but its capacious backside allows for excellent spacing between connectors. Around back you will find 5 inputs comprising USB, Coaxial, AES/EBU, Toslink, and I2S with two chunky, widely spaced output connectors. To sweeten the deal, the power supply is built in and you can use your own power cables on the IEC socket. As a special bonus, this product is made in Taiwan, for those that think there are just too many products coming from China.

Enough of the physical, now for something more meta-physical!

The Contenders

In this corner we have long time semi-retired champion Aragon D2A MkII and ready to tag in at moments notice we have the Cambridge Audio 740C CD Player. Obviously, putting the 15 year old Aragon up against new technology might be unfair, but for it’s time the Aragon had a lot going for it. On the other hand, the PureAudio vs. Cambridge should be a good fight.

The Aragon sports a Burr Brown 18bit DAC, which allows it to get very close to 16bit accuracy. Its secret weapon is the discrete filter and output buffer. Most of the circuit is actually that discrete output stage, which gives the Aragon the most neutral tone of the three competitors, but its overall tone is on the dark side.

The Cambridge Audio 740C sports dual 24bit Wolfsen DACS running at 384KHz sampling rate with high quality opamp filters and output buffer that are setup in a balanced configuration. The Cambridge also throws in access to the DAC via three digital inputs. This is a versatile fight strategy.

The PureAudio Lotus DAC1 weighs in with a 32bit/192KHz AKM 4399 DAC from Asahi-Kasei company of Japan. For lower noise, it does its filtering and buffering with 4 single channel LME49710. The USB receiver is a Tenor TE7022l which will accept 16bit/24bit at 44.1K/48K/96K and will down convert higher bit rates. When it comes to living peacefully with your PC, we might have a winner.

Sound Off

I will be breaking this down from the top to the bottom, but in the interest of simple and complete, it has to be said that the PureAudio Lotus DAC1 does have a character. It is pretty easy to spot particularly when you hear it next to something that may seem more neutral.
All of the IC’s inside are socket mounted, so ever the tweaker, I investigated drop in alternatives for the filter and buffer opamps. What I learned was that the LME49710 have a characteristic sound, which is described as a detailed forward midrange with a slightly recessed bottom end.

Hmm, funny they should say that!

In case you are wondering about cabling, I used all Atlas interconnects, which where the Atlas Compass digital cable, Atlas Voyager interconnects and Atlas Questor interconnects. Power cable came from Unity Audio with fat 14 gauge wire and chunky connectors. The DAC1 indeed benefits from a better power cable, even if it’s just fat wire with good quality connectors.

The Upper Cut

The treble range of the Lotus DAC1 was a pretty good match to that of the Cambridge 740c. Both the DAC1 and 740C sounded ever so slightly rolled off in the top end. This gave them a smoothness that worked well with most music and helped with some poorly recorded tracks. The Lotus DAC1 did lean towards rounding out sound like bells or symbols making them sound almost sweet.

The Aragon sounded more metallic, and in some cases could sound harsh. Could this be the old school converter trying its best or just aching joints and sagging capacitors? Probably a bit of booth, and while detail/substance might have been lower, I could more believe I was hearing metal.

If I where to give the prize for most transparent treble range, it would have to go to the Aragon D2A. Actually, if transparent where the only criteria, the Aragon would be champion in this three way melee. Once again, the Aragon’s discrete output stage plays its hand.

Torso Jab

The biggest difference could be seen right here in the mid range. With the Lotus DAC1, what we have is an obvious boost in the presence region down to the lower mids. This is the detailed midrange that the LME49710 opamp is purported to possess.

This might sound unpleasant, but combined with the sweet treble; you get something ever so happy. It’s much like someone opened the curtains on a beautifully sunny day, and yes for a moment you might squint, but then it just makes you happy.

The PuerAudio Lotus DAC1 brought so much detail, out of the music. I could hear how close the singer was to the mic. I could hear how the snare drum shell vibrates and how an acoustic guitar moved around on the lap of the guitarist. I could hear how the fingers moved on the bass strings, the skin catching on the spiral wound wire. It added life, rhythm, pace and a bit of a smile. Rock and Metal guitars exploded with joyous over the top exuberance.

While this smiley sweet demeanor can be habit forming, I did feel that the overall tone was unrealistic. I used to record guitars, drums, voices, and I have heard them live most of my life. The DAC1 was great at reproducing details, but didn’t capture the “is it live” vibe. Overall, its middle tones leaned towards cool with a very lack of harmonic fullness.

Both the Aragon and Cambridge 740V where tonally flat with no midrange bump and the midrange presentation sounded more neutral. The Aragon again missing some of the details, and even though there was easiness in the sound, I could tell it just was not giving me everything in the bits.

The Cambridge 740C, compared to the Aragon, did indeed bring more details and it filled out the midrange in a more cohesive correct way. What the Cambridge and Aragon lacked was the pace and drama of the Lotus DAC1. The DAC1 was rhythmically stronger and had a seductive wow factor.

Below The Belt

Comparing the bottom end of the Lotus DAC1 to the Cambridge 740c was relatively simply, since both where so similar. While I originally thought that the PureAudio Lotus DAC1 suffered from recessed lower frequencies, this is an illusion brought on by the slightly forward midrange.

Both the DAC1 and 740c had fine bass extension and detail, though still not as natural and easy as the Aragon. The DAC1’s midrange boost, accentuated the details in various instruments, like the snap of a kick drum skin, the resonating body of a cello, the vibrations of bass guitar strings, and this time the sound had correctness. The effect was much like boosting 200Hz to 600Hz, which adds a touch of clarity to most low frequency instruments.

In the low registers, the winner is the Aragon D2A Mk II. Here the Aragon plumed the depths and pulled out the sweet rumble in the jungle. The all discrete output stage was paying big dividends. Neither the DAC1 nor the Cambridge 740c could match the low end extension and detail. The Aragon lets you hear the delicate inner workings of the subterranean.

Time Out

OH, did I mention all this listening was done with 16bit/44.1K audio files? Since the Aragon can not play high resolution recordings, and I had no way to feed high res files to the Cambridge 740c CD player, I choose to use redbook audio.

I did however listen to high res files with the PureAudio Lotus DAC1 and this is where the DAC1 really seems to shine. While the overall character still remained, that of the forward midrange, the overall tone smooths out quite a lot. I was listened mostly to tracks from B&W’s Society of Sound which are recorded in Peter Gabrial’s studio and provided as 24bit/48K files.

With these files the Lotus DAC1 sound smoother, more even, though still highlighting the mid range, but now the lower frequencies came forward and the treble, perhaps still a little rolled off, melded so much better with the midrange. It was a lot more cohesive with less spot lighting.

Other high res recordings had the same effect, bringing a bit more richness, more body, and more cohesiveness. The overall effect was very positive, both felt and to a lesser degree heard with all 24bit recordings. Would I call it a major difference? Probably between major and minor, lets call it minor plus.

We Have A Winner

The PureAudio Lotus DAC1 is a well rounded DAC with plenty of input options, which include USB at 24bit/96K, and offers up every possible sampling rate you will need. It is a well build, roomy steel chassis that includes an internal power supply. It is even tweak friendly, with all its IC’s and Opamps already in sockets, just itching to be replaced.

It has a sunny disposition that may be just what you are looking for, but its versatility may be its trump card and it only gets better with high resolution recording. As a bonus, it is made in Taiwan, which speaks to its quality over those units constructed in China, but necessarily brings its price to around $500US.

At this price point, the number one competitor would have to be the Cambridge Audio DacMagic. Since the DacMagic is slightly less good then the 740c CD player, I can only conclude the PureAudio Lotus DAC1 would slightly better the DacMagic, with the only big difference being that overall sunny tone.

If you are in the market for a USB DAC for your PC, the PureAudio is a great place to start, with its Tenor USB receiver, you get 24Bit/96K and that is better then the DacMagic. Why mess with USB-SPDIF converters when a USB cable will do?

If you are looking to add this to a home stereo, you might be better off with something like the Cambridge Audio 740c CD player, which gives you 3 digital inputs to play with. Yes, the Cambridge costs more then twice as much, but you can still play your CD collection while you are working on moving it over to a music server.

If you already have a decent transport or have already integrated a music server into your high quality playback system, at this price the PureAudio Lotus DAC1 would do a great job. If your system also accommodates DVD playback, the Toslink input has you covered up to 196K!

If you plan on spending 2 or 3 times the cost of the PureAudio, most any converter with a discrete filter and buffer output stage should provide better sound quality. I wouldn’t exactly call the Lotus DAC1 or the Cambridge 740c veiled, grainy, gauzy or even noisy; but they still sound a little “opampy”, for lack of a better word.

In the end, I really like the PureAudio Lotus DAC1. It is not perfect, but one can get used to its qualities. I will probably try chip swapping, and most likely will look into discrete opamp replacements, like the Burson Audio models. If the discrete amp evens out the tone, this maybe just be a killer product.

You can find the PureAudio Lotus DAC1 on eBay. It is being sold directly by a Taiwanese distributor, and I can only imagine that is what keeps the price relatively reasonable.

There is better sound quality to be had from a proper S/PDIF output, especially compared to te Mac Mini’s Toslink optical connection, which is located at the bottom of the line output jack.

The Konnekt 8 specs at 24bit/192KHz and it does every sampling rate from 44.1KHz to 192KHz. I figured I would be fine for an future high rez music that would come into my possession.

Looks like I was sort of wrong. The Konnekt 8 does do 24Bit/192KHz, but those numbers are internal only! The S/PDIF jack will only do 44.1KHz, 48KHz, 88.2KHz and 96KHz.

Oh well, still not enough Hi-Rez music, but eventually will need to try something else!

It will go head to head with my old 16bit Aragon D2A MarkII with its all analog output stage based around transistors. Yes, the PureAudio DAC uses opamps, BUT it is a modern DAC design, and with 24bit music, it may indeed be a winner.

Stay Tuned for the review!

Best Sound


A good place to start is at the top. This brings us to the MBL room, where they were showcasing their newish 121Compact monitor speakers. They gave this speaker a great chance of successes with a front end, amps and cables totaling over $150K. I think if one has heard the MBL speakers, one knows what I mean when I say they just disappear as a sound source.

The melon shaped compression drivers radiate in a 360degree pattern and do not sound anything like speakers cones. The easy of sound, the cohesiveness, and the transparency is out of this world. This was the only room where a choir opened up the end of the room. Brilliance at $12,500/ pair! Um Yah.

Favorite Sound

I’ve heard talk of the midrange purity of the carbon fiber drivers in a lot of the Reference 3A speakers. I’ve also heard these same drivers playing some of my favorite songs. I think ‘they’ is very correct. The Reference 3A Grand Veena was my favorite sound of the whole show. The way they played Song Of The Stars from Dead Can Dance’s Spirit Chaser CD was magical. I have never heard it sound so coherent, clear, rhythmic and musical. The warmth, or was it naturalness in the voice was quite marvelous.

Tied for the coveted favorite sound must be the Gershman Black Swans speakers, powered by Roksan gear. These speakers sound so solid, detailed and sweet. Did they sound better then the Grand Veena’s? To my ears, no they didn’t but then again, I am no sure if the Roksan gear was up to the standards that the Black Swan sets.

Cheapest Sound

Ok let’s get this going with the crazy gear from Grant Fidelity! What you can’t see in the picture is the red lettering on the price cards. They were slashing prices for the audio show and you could take home any of the gear on display for pocket change. Ok, $500 for an integrated amp isn’t exactly pocket change, but come on, it’s a Hybrid Tube integrated amp with great build and lovely appearance. How about $800 each for the tube based CD Player and Integrated in the right? Yah the price is sweet, but I wouldn’t expect more then high end looks and average high end sound. Think NAD/ROTEL in a fancy box!

Then there is this other beast that is Cambridge Audio. This set up was one of my favorite sounding with Cambridge 800 series components up front and super primo ELAC speakers on the back end. Seriously and surprisingly good sound which might be in some peoples price range. I would guess around $20,000 for the whole setup? That is at least 10 times less money then the best systems. You don’t really need that new Honda Fit do you??

Sound In The Round

Yah, I have to mention all the turntables. It seemed that less rooms where actually playing vinyl compared to last year, but there where a lot of turntables on display just about everywhere. I thought it was great seeing all these new designs and pricing that seemed at least partly doable for someone that just had to dip their feet into the vinyl pool. I also like the fact that there will be a lot more choice in the used market, when the vinyl revolution starts to fade. Yay me!

Worst Sound

Oh I know you’ve seen the ads in Stereophile and you have always wondered if there was another way to build a speaker. Perhaps, with sheer size, power and will? Perhaps with the adage that ‘more is more’? Maybe with as many drivers as you can cram into a somewhat wood like box?

I really don’t know where to start with these monstrosities from Legacy Audio. The Whisper HD’s where hooked up to relatively inexpensive Ayon electronics, perhaps as a nod to the idea that the speaker is king. Actually, if your speakers are really good, they might let you hear what the upstream components are doing to your music. As they say, ‘garbage in, garbage out’.

So how did they sound? Well, those drivers are huge, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything. I am not saying I want my bottom end over ripe, but if you plan on using 4 15” drivers, please let me hear them at least shake the room a little. The best thing I could say about the $16,500 Whisper HD’s is that they were polite. They tended towards a ‘nice’ sound which is better then boomy and spitty. Still, I would expect much more for this kind of money.

Sound Off

This was a really good sounding show for the most part. The new hotel has already been booked for the next 2 years, so hopefully some of the exhibitors will have learned how to get the best out of the rooms. It was a great weekend of music, friends, and yummy Montreal cuisine. Next year we are going for an extra day to take in the city sites, and to do some record shopping.

If you are into this kind of audio thing, then the Salon du Son & Image is highly recommended.

Located just across the street from the Central Train Station, the Montréal Hilton Bonaventure is a new venue for the show, and it promises much better rooms and easier access to the exhibits. Penthouse style guest suites are layed out all on the same level, so no elevators, or getting lost. This hotel should make for better sound and hopefully more chairs for listening sessions.

There will be photo’s and posts after the show! So come on back!

I could have sourced a new tonearm cable with the proper 5-pin din connector and there where plenty of them available from the price of $100 to up and over $500. I would be more then willing trying out a $100 cable, but I’ve learned that $100 gets you something better then crap, but no more then that. I would love to try more exotic fair, but the wallet seems a little lite. I do have some pretty decent cables laying around, but none of them with a joined 5 pin din, so I got the great idea (saw it online actually) to build me an adapter box that goes from 5-pin din to 2 RCA outputs. What you see above is the culmination of all my hard research and work (one days work!).

I bought me a Cardas 5-pin din and a foot of Cardas 4×22 gauge shielded cable. Locally I picked up a plastic project box and a much to large grounding post. The RCA’s I had in my parts box from a mod I was trying 5 years ago. For the soldering, I had my liquid rosin flux and some 4% silver solder. It melts pretty quickly and makes for a great contact if done right. The organic liquid rosin flux really helps the wetting process, but keep in mind it does leave a somewhat sticky residue. The residue isn’t particularly problematic though. Once I had it all soldered down, I bolted the box to the back of the Systemdek and plugged in the 5-pin din.

I had a few cables for a comparison, a 1m pair of Atlas Questor, 1m pair of Atlas Voyager, 1m pair Atlas Navigator and a 1m pair Prisma cable. Of the four, I settled on the Atlas Questor. Compared to the original Audioquest Tonearm cable, the Atlas Questor was much less bright, more detailed and added quite a lot to the bottom end detail and depth. I did prefer the more expensive Atlas Voyager with it’s more neutral and realistic presentation, but that cable is currently on my digital front end. The Prisma, while being a very inexpensive cable, does sound pretty good, but it omits so much even compared the relatively inexpensive Atlas Questor. The Prisma is a great cable for all around niceness and would be perfect for a tuner or tape deck. The Atlas Navigator does nothing for me, sounding lifeless and in some ways broken. You can’t win em all.

As of this writing, the cost of this project, with box, RCA’s and cabling was around $50CDN. The most expensive parts being the Cardas DIN and cable. I am quite happy with the outcome and will eventually look into swapping out the RCA’s with something a little more upscale, like the copper Vampire RCA’s. I’m not sure if that will improve anything, but till then, I will experiment with cable swapping, which means I have an excuse to hunt down more used Wireworld cables! Yay me!

I believe the most important part of an audio system is the source. As they say, you can’t fix down stream what’s broken upstream. My Aragon D2A MKII is great, but I it is over 15 years old, and that’s why I went to compare it to the Bryston BDA-1.

Well actually, I did not compare Bryston BDA-1, but I did compare it to the BCD-1 CD player. I have been told that the Bryston BDA-1 does sound better then the CD player, so I figured if the CD player bested the Aragon, I’d have an even better time with the BDA-1 Dac.

I dropped by my favorite dealer, Ovation Audio in Aurora Ontario. Mike helpfully hooked up the Aragon to the digital output on the Bryston BCD-1 and hooked the Aragon to the Macintosh remote controlled pre-amp. The Bryston was using balanced outputs with a pair of Nordost cables. For the Aragon DAC I brought with me the Atlas Compass Digital cable, and the Atlas Voyager Interconnects. So, using the remote I could switch between the Bryston player and the Aragon DAC.

I popped in my first CD, Tori Amos’s Scarlet’s Walk, and I got a surprise! The Bryston and Aragon sounded pretty much the same! Ok, ok there were some differences, but the most obvious difference was that the Bryston sounded closed in with a recessed mid-range. It made the snare drum sound every so tiny. What the hell?!? I mean, I could tell there was more bottom end, although I wondered if that was the illusion of no top end?

The Aragon D2A MKII sounded open and detailed. The snare drum had snap, body and a reverberant background. The sound was just more lively. At this point, I thought I should try my Atlas Voyager cable on the single ended outputs of the Bryston. So, I hooked up to the Bryston and left the balanced cables in place. Now when I switched back and forth on the preamp, I would be sampling the Bryston BCD-1 from it’s single ended and balanced outputs. Turns out the BCD-1 was being crippled by the cables!

With the Atlas single ended cables, the Bryston BCD-1 sound much much better. The upper frquency’s came back, the mid-range filled out, and the bottom became more detailed and solid. At this point I could already tell the Bryston BCD-1 was an improvement over the Aragon D2A MKII. It filled in the foundation of instruments and voices, sounded cohesive, smoother, it was more solid and went deeper in the low end. While the Aragon did not sound harsh, it lacked a certain softness of tone that the Bryston showed.

The market place for external DAC’s is exploding. I think the Bryston sounded very excellent and if the DAC is better then the CD player, I will have to take a serious listen to the DAC. The Bryston BCD-1 is a good improvement over the Aragon D2A MKII. The Bryston is somewhat more organic compared to the Aragon and I could see being pretty happy with the Bryston. That being said, I am waiting it out to see what else is coming down the pipe.

I am waiting to hear the SimAudio Moon 300D, the Wadia 121 Dac, the Naim DAC, CAry Audio Exciter DAC and the arm fulls of other DAC’s that we are going to see from every high-end company. It’s an interesting time for digital audio and I am having fun again. That I think is most important.