Rega Dac

[betty boop]

http://www.decoaudio.com/deco_audio_rega_dac.html

some nice pics there

and with the obligatory easter egg inside there from rega chief designer terry bateman (TB) with "Best used with EL84 valves" hehe

anyways good to see judicious use of some quality caps there and a decent torroidal power supply, something seems almost absent with many equivalent cost dacs these days when all they seem to come with is a plug pack !

some more info from the rega website,

http://www.rega.co.uk/index2.htm

given how good their CD players are, I dare see this be a pretty damn good thing

ps good to see it comes in both black and silver, giving people the choice and also for those that grumble about our local pricing, you'll be suprised to know we actually get it quite a bit cheaper here than even the us !

[MLXXX]

anyways good to see judicious use of some quality caps there and a decent torroidal power supply, something seems almost absent with many equivalent cost dacs these days when all they seem to come with is a plug pack !

I daresay this DAC would almost certainly operate at its best simply with the power cord it comes with.

and with the obligatory easter egg inside there from rega chief designer terry bateman (TB) with "Best used with EL84 valves" hehe

Why a high gain power pentode (EL84) is mentioned is indeed perhaps for humour but it may also be to serve as a reminder that the data processing functions required of a DAC do not lend themselves to implementation with thermionic valves. Valves, if they are to be used in audiophile equipment, are suited to the role of amplification.

[Once was an audiophile]

I daresay this DAC would almost certainly operate at its best simply with the power cord it comes with.

TAKEN FROM SNA :

For those who want to use a different AC cable with the Rega Dac, there is apparently a custom built C5 cable from Rega, or alternatively use any standard power cable with one of the following adapters:

Budget no-name adapter:

http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=276

Pangea brand built to a higher quality:

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...P%20%20%20CYRO

mlxxxx lets just wait and see whjat happens when other people try different power cords,and one blokes is even mentions a fuse on the dac,his saturn (rega player)changed sq for the better using a furutech fuse

[MLXXX]

mlxxxx lets just wait and see whjat happens when other people try different power cords,and one blokes is even mentions a fuse on the dac,his saturn (rega player)changed sq for the better using a furutech fuse

How about someone using a high quality ADC to capture the perceived changes in SQ, and uploading extracts for all to hear?

It's actually much easier if you record as you don't need to continually swap power cords (or fuses). Once the recordings have been made under conditions A and B, and time aligned, they can be played back any number of times to compare the SQ. (And the playback can be done under blind testing conditions.)

[Once was an audiophile]

How about someone using a high quality ADC to capture the perceived changes in SQ, and uploading extracts for all to hear?

It's actually much easier if you record as you don't need to continually swap power cords (or fuses). Once the recordings have been made under conditions A and B, and time aligned, they can be played back any number of times to compare the SQ. (And the playback can be done under blind testing conditions.)

borrow beg or steal and try it yourself come out of the box into the real world forget the adc mumbo jumbo

[myrantz]

TAKEN FROM SNA :

For those who want to use a different AC cable with the Rega Dac, there is apparently a custom built C5 cable from Rega, or alternatively use any standard power cable with one of the following adapters:

Must say this is the first time I see cloverleaf connector on an audio product.. Thought it's only a IBM laptop only standard...

[betty boop]

from jan feb issue of positive feedback on this dac

"Proof That the Age of Chivalry is Not Dead and That Alchemy Works: The Rega DAC

by Andy Schaub"

http://positive-feedback.com/Issue53/rega.htm

[MLXXX]

borrow beg or steal and try it yourself come out of the box into the real world forget the adc mumbo jumbo

ADCs are how recordings are made of the electrical output of microphones. They are the best recording technology available. Even the slightest change in electrical output will be captured. (A person could use a sampling rate of 96KHz and a bit depth 24 bits if in any doubt that the output of a 44.1KHz 16 bit DAC cannot be adequately captured.)

I am not so vain that I think I could hear a change with my ears listening to a loudspeaker that a modern day ADC would not be capable of detecting in the electrical signal sent to that loudspeaker.

I have found that I can hear slight differences between two particular CD players, and I have posted:

(1) comparative recordings; and

(2) my own ABX results .*

I've been waiting for someone else to do the same with power cords. A bit of hard evidence, that can be shared.

Perhaps you yourself would be kind enough to make recordings of the different electrical output of your own killer DAC, when powered with different power cords. As I recall, treblid found breathing of a cellist noticeable with one power cord, and not with another. Such a difference could easily be captured with an ADC.

__________________________________

* Post #126 of the Power Cords - Search For Sample Recordings, Can the human ear detect a difference? thread.

[Once was an audiophile]

ADCs are how recordings are made of the electrical output of microphones. They are the best recording technology available. Even the slightest change in electrical output will be captured. (A person could use a sampling rate of 96KHz and a bit depth 24 bits if in any doubt that the output of a 44.1KHz 16 bit DAC cannot be adequately captured.)

I am not so vain that I think I could hear a change with my ears listening to a loudspeaker that a modern day ADC would not be capable of detecting in the electrical signal sent to that loudspeaker.

I have found that I can hear slight differences between two particular CD players, and I have posted:

(1) comparative recordings; and

(2) my own ABX results .*

I've been waiting for someone else to do the same with power cords. A bit of hard evidence, that can be shared.

Perhaps you yourself would be kind enough to make recordings of the different electrical output of your own killer DAC, when powered with different power cords. As I recall, treblid found breathing of a cellist noticeable with one power cord, and not with another. Such a difference could easily be captured with an ADC.

__________________________________

* Post #126 of the Power Cords - Search For Sample Recordings, Can the human ear detect a difference? thread.

let me guess the ADC WILL CAPTURE:

sound stage width,depth

musical instruments separation

engagement

lack of harshness

ps:have no equipment to capture anything of my kd dac

[betty boop]

borrow beg or steal and try it yourself come out of the box into the real world forget the adc mumbo jumbo

dont waste your time kajak, some prefer to sit behind their armchair, waiting for others to serve up to them on a silver platter, others interested enough will check out for themselves. it aint that hard as many here have already shown !

in any regard, and I know a few here like riding their hobby horse. but lets not make this another thread about power cables. its about the rega dac.

from jan feb issue of positive feedback on this dac

"Proof That the Age of Chivalry is Not Dead and That Alchemy Works: The Rega DAC

by Andy Schaub"

http://positive-feedback.com/Issue53/rega.htm

to add another, tone audio have a very good review in their dec issue, can peak at it here, note you only get 3 zooms and its on page 200. or if you have a zinio subscription eg on the ipad its very good reading

http://www.zinio.com/browse/issues/index.j...51478&pss=1

[MLXXX]

let me guess the ADC WILL CAPTURE:

sound stage width,depth

musical instruments separation

engagement

lack of harshness

ps:have no equipment to capture anything of my kd dac

All of those qualities are present in the electrical output. If you lack a high quality ADC for making recordings, perhaps someone else can assist.

[betty boop]

~

to add another, tone audio have a very good review in their dec issue, can peak at it here, note you only get 3 zooms and its on page 200. or if you have a zinio subscription eg on the ipad its very good reading

http://www.zinio.com/browse/issues/index.j...51478&pss=1

a good review there, well worth a read indeed, in comparisons he says,

" On many levels, I found the sound on the Rega DAC more akin to that of its flagship, the P9 (which has been a long-term component in my reference system). It shares the P9's quick and open presentation with a healthy does of pace and timing. If this is the kind of sound that appeals to you, I think you will enjoy auditioning this DAC. "

as a P9 owner myself, think that is some pretty high praise coming from the reviewer there,

[Juicester]

quite keen on the rega myself. good looking unit....

[betty boop]

quite keen on the rega myself. good looking unit....

yeah not that probably need a dac as such but if needed one, the rega be a no 1 contender for me to check out, looks like a well thought through well made product

[kaanage]

How about someone using a high quality ADC to capture the perceived changes in SQ, and uploading extracts for all to hear?

It's actually much easier if you record as you don't need to continually swap power cords (or fuses). Once the recordings have been made under conditions A and B, and time aligned, they can be played back any number of times to compare the SQ. (And the playback can be done under blind testing conditions.)

Good idea but there's an even simpler way to do the comparison after redigitising - time align the outputs for a track from the 2 recordings and subtract one waveform from the other - what's left will be the difference. I'm betting what you will see is random noise introduced in the redigitising.

Must say this is the first time I see cloverleaf connector on an audio product.. Thought it's only a IBM laptop only standard...

Just about all notebooks use the stupid things with their plug packs. I cannot fathom why since the plug size is exactly the same as an IEC (plus thay can break while it's damned near impossible to damage an IEC unintentionally).