R2R DAC

Musician Aquarius R2R DAC

Follow by the popularity of Musician Pegasus, his bigger brother Musician Aquarius is finally here!
Currently Musician Aquarius is their mid range DAC from Musician, a very much anticipate R2R DAC everyone is waiting for. Musician Aquarius with excellent reviews, easily can out perform many DAC (including other R2R DAC) which cost much higher.

Excellent Reviews:
1)https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/musician-aquarius-r-2r-dac-review/

Design and Build Quality:
-It uses CNC machined oversized metal plates on all sides, it will easily protect the precious unit from all wireless interference, including EMI and RFI.
-Equipped with shielded Linear O-Type Transformer effectively isolate the power supply use for digital and analog
-Equipped it with one of the best metal feet I’ve seen on D/A converters, with silicon absorption pads that will effectively absorb micro-vibrations
-The use of high precision 0.005% resistors to convert from digital to analog signal
-The R2R ladder network is being controlled by an ARM CPU and by an Altera Cyclone IV FPGA infused with their own custom code

Controls & Connectivity:
-There are 7 buttons on its front panel, the one in the middle is your On/Off button, on its left there is your input selectors and a phase invert button. To its right there is a NOS (Non-Over-Sampling) button, its either On (Non-Over-Sampling is engaged on) or Off (Oversampling mode is engaged), followed by a Mute and Mode button
-Digital inputs are present as USB, AES, Coaxial, Optical and two I2S inputs. Aquarius is a fully balanced DAC and as such it offers a pair of XLR and RCA analog outputs which have fixed volume levels. Its signal amplitude sits at 3.6V via XLR and 1.8V via RCA
-Custom-made USB interface that uses the full-bandwidth of the USB 2.0 standard. This is a future-proof module that supports the highest possible sample rates as 1536 kHz 32-bit PCM and DSD1024 (x8)

Sound Performance:
-Incredibly clean offering gobs of micro-details and highly resolving, easily highlighting all the tiniest details and it is such a natural sounding
-A wide-open soundstage that has no bounds or borders
-Holographic, layered and 3D sounding all the time
-Mostly linear sounding, extended frequency response with zero roll-offs
-Slams and pounds like a gorilla, goes in and out instantly – impressive transient response
-Superior low noise floor (basically noiseless)
-Engaging and toe-tapping, impressively dynamic
-Organic, full-bodied and life-like sounding

Selling at $4299
Currently available in Black / Silver
(Come with 3 years manufacturer warranty)

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Musician Pegasus R2R DAC

Many already know how good a R2R DAC will sound. Some manufacturers will over-populate that board with hundreds of electrolytic caps, others will put an insane amount of importance to the output stage and power filtering, others might develop their own resistors and challenge the best ones on the planet, there are some that are looking much better on the inside than on the outside, there are some that don’t like new technologies and are living in the past and there are some that are having a bit of everything and are priced accordingly which Musician-Audio is doing.

Something new and sometimes unique is born. A very solid device with an impressive build quality. Has the perfect size to be used in a desktop setup or in the living room. From the first second it sounded complete, honest and very extended at both ends. It carries a natural tone, it possesses a very good balance between sharpness, detail and naturalness and that is the hardest thing to balance in a digital source

Sound resolution, transparency, soundstage, depth, effortless frequency response, everything seem can be found in this little DAC.
– An incredibly wide soundstage and that is deep sounding too
– Precise pin point imaging, having a real 3D holography
– Linear frequency response and super extended on both ends
– One of nicest bass and midrange performance
– Impressive levels of transparency and resolution
– Good slam and kick into the best
– Black as night background, no distortion whatsoever
– Life-like and full-bodied sounding
– Wide selection of digital inputs

Proprietary R2R + DSD Architecture. Licensed Thesycon USB Driver For Windows Platform
True balanced 24BIT R2R + 6BIT DSD (32 steps FIR Filters).
Low Noise Power Supply,FIFO Buffer,Driverless On Mac & Linux.
DSD1024, PCM1536 Supports On USB & I2S Input (the audio source needs to be compatible with the native interface).
Proprietary USB Audio Solution via STM32F446 Advanced AMR Based MCU.

Many good review (not limited to these only but also reviews from real user)
1) http://highfidelity.pl/@main-1023&lang=en
2) https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/musician-audio-pegasus-r2r-dac-review/
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka0I71lhDfw
4) https://headfonics.com/musician-audio-pegasus-r2r-dac-review/

Selling at $1499
Currently available in Black / Silver
(Come with 3 years manufacturer warranty)

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Musician Draco R2R DAC

R2R Array DAC True Balance
R-2R network control decoding linear error, high decoding speed, Low digital noise, not only to ensure low distortion of the audio signal, but also to ensure very Low background noise music.

Self-Developed Technology
Make the sound more outstanding. Using self-developed and designed digital filters, which can greatly increase dynamic contrast, analysis, and more natural and delicate timbre, etc.

Multiple ports and multiple options
DRACO has a complete digital audio input interface that supports high-definition audio decoding and playback output. The digital input is equipped with optical fiber, USB, 125, AES Balance, and Coaxial. It can meet the needs of different people for the use of equipment.

Tailored for the sound
Using the main control ALTERA high-efficiency chip, the audio signal transmission is not distorted and the sound quality can reach the HIFI standard hardware. The simple design makes the signaL circuit reach a more ideaL state, and the sense of hearing is more clear and balanced than the traditionally design.

Selling at $1050
Currently available in Black
(Come with 3 years manufacturer warranty)

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Gustard DAC R26 (R2R DAC)

Gustard unveils with its DAC-R26 an absolutely exceptional digital to analog converter. This one uses an R2R architecture using discrete components of very high quality and perfectly optimized to offer exceptional sound performances. Practical, it benefits in addition to a complete connectivity, of a Bluetooth and network connectivity, allowing to control the reading of your music at distance. The whole is integrated in a sublime modern and luxurious chassis of the most beautiful effect.

Discrete R2R
The R2R DAC used in the Gustard DAC-R26 relies on high precision resistor switching to perform the digital to analog conversion. Compared to a Delta-Sigma DAC, the R2R offers a more pure and natural sound. A more expensive and demanding design, but one that offers incomparable performance.

Synchronous clock technology
The principle of this technology is that the source clock is used only as a frequency reference. The synchronous signal provided by the ultra-low noise K2 module is then used to replace the source clock. The source clock is therefore abandoned and the DAC uses only the extremely precise femtosecond clock and the conversion is therefore not affected by the source clock. This architecture thus allows a significant reduction in jitter.

LPF
The Gustard DAC-R26’s LPF low-pass circuit parameters are finely optimized. The use of discrete components rather than integrated circuits allows independent adjustment of each element to achieve the best operating conditions.

Network connectivity
The DAC-26 benefits from a network connectivity thanks to its RJ45 port. It supports UPnP, AirPlay and Roon Bridge protocols. It will allow you to enjoy your music stored on your network devices.

Bluetooth 5.0
In addition to its network connectivity, the DAC-26 is also equipped with a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver chip. This one offers the possibility of controlling the reading of your music remotely, directly from your smartphone.

XMOS USB Interface
Another high quality component embedded in the DAC-26, its USB XMOS interface. This one allows him, via its USB input, to decode high resolution audio streams, until the PCM 32bit 768kHz and DSD512.

Selling at $2259.99
Currently available in Black / Silver

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SMSL VMV D3 R2R DAC

SMSL continues to roll out its high-end VMV desktop audio lineup with the VMV D3 R2R DAC. Unlike most modern-day DACs, which use delta sigma chips to handle D/A conversion, the D3 uses four discontinued Texas Instruments R2R chips in a two-chip-per-channel fully balanced design.

4 Discontinued Texas Instruments R2R chips
The SMSL VMV D3 uses four discontinued PCM1704U-J Texas Instrument R2R chips for digital-to-analog conversion. Featuring two chips per channel in a fully balanced design, the D3 uses a series of resistor ladders totally unlike the modern-day delta sigma chips found in most DACs.

Top-of-the-line NPC SM5847 digital filter chip
An NPC SM5847 digital filter chip works in tandem with the R2R chips for a truly high-performance audio experience. A 4/8-times oversampling filter, it features independent left and right channel digital deemphasis filters and soft muting function.

16-core USB processor
The VMV D3 implements the XMOS XU216 chip. This 16-core flagship chip enables bit-perfect audio from multiple inputs at sampling rates up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512.

Isolated power supply
The D3’s power supply is isolated in a partially partitioned chassis of its own. This effectively reduces interference and results in an overall cleaner system.

2 ultra-low phase noise crystal oscillators
The D3 uses two Accusilicon ultra-low phase noise crystal oscillators. Offering more precision than regular TCXO clocks, they’re prized for their low power consumption, high resistance to thermal stress, and extremely low jitter.

7 Texas Instruments OPA1612 op amps
Seven dual bipolar-input Texas Instruments op amps help the D3 achieve low noise density with extremely low distortion. Total harmonic distortion + noise for the entire DAC is 0.001%.

All-aluminum remote control
The SMSL VMV D3’s fully functional remote lets you sit back, relax, and have full control over the DAC’s functionality. Buttons for menu, input selection, bluetooth mode, and more let you operate the DAC with the style and convenience of an all-aluminum remote.

Product highlights
4 legendary Texas Instruments R2R chips
NPC SM5847 digital filter chip
2nd generation XMOS XU216
Native DSD512
PCM 32-bit/768kHz
2 ultra-low phase noise crystal oscillators
7 Texas Instruments op amps
Color LCD display screen
High-end all-aluminum remote control
Low-noise discrete component power supply regulator circuit

Selling at $4699