Beschrijving
MSB Technology Link DAC III
+ De Power Base 1000
aan één prijs tesamen liefst!!
Het toestel functioneert ook los van de Power Base maar dan is de klank wat minder goed.
Bieden vanaf 750,- euro
Lager bod wordt niet geaccepteerd.
Dit is al een goedkope aanbieding.
There are some other upgrades - perhaps we should just call them options - for the Link DAC III. One is HDCD capability ($199), and a second is upsampling 16/44.1 to 24/96 ($199). Upsampling and Oversampling can get confused with one another, because upsampling is a subset of oversampling. In both cases you end up with more data, i.e., more samples. Using mathematical computation, the original samples are "examined" and more samples are created in between the original ones. They might just be strings of 0s in some situations, but in any case, the process allows the DAC to do its job more easily. Upsampling in the Link DAC III is accomplished in a chip outside the DAC chip itself, while the oversampling is done inside the DAC chip. So, when the upsampling is engaged (a toggle on the back of the Link DAC III lets you turn on or turn off the upsampling), incoming 16/44.1 data are upsampled to 24/96. Then, the 24/96 data are fed into the DAC, where oversampling occurs. As far as the DAC chips are concerned, the incoming data are native 24/96 signals. Upsampling is for the purpose of actually creating more data, and the new data are computer representations of what the upsampling chip has interpolated from the native data. Oversampling is just for reducing noise and allowing the filters to more easily remove frequencies above 22 kHz so that you don`t get "aliasing", which are false frequencies created from having too few samples. In both cases though, the new digital information is computer generated as "best guesses".
In the final analysis, after all the hype, we should ask the question, "Does it work, and do I like the sound?" As you will see, upsampling does appear to improve the sound. However, true native 24/96 data, where the 24/96 samples are created in the analog-to-digital converter at the time of recording, will be better than anything the computer chips can come up with in estimating 24/96 from 16/44.1 samples, at least with known current technology. True 24/96 CDs and DVDs are just now becoming available, but what about all those millions of 16/44.1 CDs that are out there? Upsampling is the best that can be achieved. The unit we received had the 24/96 upsampling chip installed, and there was also an additional upsampling chip included in a separate box for us to experiment with, which upsamples to 24/132.
The inside of the Link DAC III is mostly empty space. This allows for better cooling and also to fit the standard size of most other components that might be on your equipment rack. The PC board sits at the rear (see photo above). In the center of the PC board is another, smaller, board where all the action occurs. The multicolored cable at the bottom of the photo supplies voltage to the indicator LEDs on the front panel. The front panel LEDs indicate power on (there is no on/off switch), Toslink or Coaxial digital input, and the sampling frequency being decoded (32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz). If the high speed upsampling chip is installed, the frequency LED does not light when upsampling is switched in). There is a 192 kHz LED for when that option becomes available.
The rear panel of the Link DAC III sitting on top of the P1000 Power Base is shown in the photo below. Starting from the left are a pair of coaxial analog inputs (for pass through), a pair of coaxial analog outputs, an XLR balanced digital input (this replaces the Toslink input when the Nelson upgrade is installed), a coaxial digital input, the connection between the P1000 Power Base and the Link DAC III, and a toggle for switching options in and out of the circuit. At the bottom right corner of the P1000 is the grounded AC socket for a detachable power cord.
The inside of the P1000 Power Base (photo below) is just as Spartan as the Link DAC III. The toroidal transformer is in the center, and the PC board, shown close-up on the right, is at the rear of the chassis. The advantage of the larger power supply is that filtering is superior to the wall wart, and this will reduce jitter.
Close-ups of the Link DAC III PC board are shown below. In the left photo can be seen the DAC portion, covered by a heat sink, next to which is the factory installed 24/96 upsampling chip (labeled FOX). In the right photo, the 24/132 high speed upsampling chip is shown, after I installed it (labeled CARDINAL).
In order to install the 24/132 upsampling chip, I removed the original upsampling chip with my thumb and fingers, and then I followed the procedure shown in the three photos below. (1) I aligned the new chip`s pins with two of the sockets (below, left). Make sure the label of the Cardinal chip is facing the same way that the original Fox chip was facing, i.e., not upside down. (2) I rocked the chip forward until the other two pins went into their sockets (below, middle), and then, (3) I pushed the chip down so that it was secure in position (below, right). Obviously, you should do this procedure gently.
