Update on the SmartDac-One - 1st January 2010

Another update for you all.

The SmartDAC is almost ready for release now.

Mike has completed most of the software bring ups on the sDAC board.

All of the digital input selection, volume control has been completed and some minor errors on the PCB layout have been

Re-worked and tested. We have had a chance just before Christmas to have a listen to the sDAC.

We used my Logitec Squeezebox as the music source and tried out the SDAC on the Optical and SPDIF outs of the Squeezebox.

A pair of Chris Pelonis Signature PS110 Loudspeakers and one of my stereo amplifiers based on a pair of HPA-nxV201ps modules.

The performance increase was overwhelmingly obvious. The sound stage opened up like I had never heard it before.

Some of the music we listen to was Norah Jones, both Mike’s and my jaw dropped to the ground with how great it sounded.

My wife came in at this moment and her emediate response was “ it’s just like been there in the Club, sitting two tables from the front of the stage, you can hear her breathing into the microphone and with all of the layers of other instruments. It’s so real”

So suffice to say we are very happy with the sound quality and as you would expect from this device, the sound comes from an inky black background of no noise at all.

Mike still needs to bring up the IR control and we have ordered a new set of PCBs with the new updates.

Also we are planning to get some nice chassis made for the DAC in January, so the sDAC will be made available as a full retail product. At this stage we are thinking of two different versions.

The first version will have all of the bells and whistles and full I/O connectivity and the second version will

Be a minimum I/O connectivity, full details of which for both version are yet to be decided.

It take about 4 weeks to get a run of chassis done.

More to come soon!

The soon to be released HPA-DAC-1 Pre-amplfier represents the first step in a new direction that HPA is moving into and will be the first of many micro controlled high end audio products that HPA will be releasing this in 2010. The new DAC pre-amplifier will use the latest Burr Brown 24 bit /192khz digital to analog convertor chip with a digitally selectable spdif and AES inputs as well as USB and Ethernet inputs for software updates and the option of turning the HPA-DAC-1 into a high end audio media player via MS-Windows or MAC OSX personal computer or laptop. The HPA-DAC-1 will also work as a Pre-Amplifier with a nominal output voltage of 4.5 volts RMS and the volume and balance controlled at the digital level via quadrature controller. The inputs will also be selectable via the same controller and volume setting and input selection will be displayed on a high quality LCD or OLED display. The inputs and outputs will be XLR balanced as well as Un-balanced RCA's. Software updates will be available via the HPA web site or can be updated via snail mail with a SD FLASH card.  The first version of the HPA_DAC-1 will come as a short form fully factory asembled kit whereby the user installs the HPA-DAC-1 into a suitable chassis of the users choice or HPA's recommendation.

Listed below are the planned preliminary features of the HPA-DAC-1

• High quality Burr Brown DSD1794A 24bit/192kHz DAC
• Two Channel SRC4392 Sample rate converter.
• NSC LME49740 IV analog output stages - Quad version of the LM4562
• 4.5v RMS nominal output capable.
• 129dB dynamic range, THD+N 0.0004%
• Nichicon MUSE analog stage supply decoupling and coupling capacitors
• On board high quality isolated digital and analog power supply.
• Powered by a single 12v supply rail.
• Digitally selectable inputs 2 x SP/DIF, 1 x AES and 1 x Toslink
• 2 x Balanced 2 x Unbalanced and 1 x AES Outputs
• SD Memory Card interface
• PC or iMAC connectivity via 1 x USB or 1 x Ethernet port.
• Infra Red remote control for all input selection  and volume control.