![]() ![]() The ANK DAC is a tube aficionado’s dream come true. That would be tubes in the case of the DAC 2.1 and solid-state for the Terminator. However, to be fair, it isn’t clear if the differences noted are strictly assignable to bit-depth reduction or influenced by the current-to-voltage converter or the output stage. For example, streaming Miles Davis Kind of Blue at 24/96, I did notice a slight loss of ambient detail through the DAC 2.1 when compared with the more expensive 26-bit discrete R-2R Denafrips Terminator DAC reviewed in Issue 316. Could I hear the difference? Well, it was subtle, but I thought so. As a result, delineation of transient decay and hall ambience should both improve. But how important is the six LSB bit-depth loss during playback of 24/96 or 24/48 PCM files? Theoretically, greater bit depth increases dynamic range, and on a good recording that should push the threshold of audibility closer to the recording’s noise floor. There is nothing to worry about if you’re spinning CDs or streaming 16/44.1 files. In addition, being an 18-bit DAC, the AD1865 will truncate bit depth from 24 bits down to 18 bits. That means that it cannot handle high-res 24/192 PCM data. The AD1865 can accommodate up to a 24/96 data stream. The expense in manufacturing was driven by laser-trimming both the segment and R-2R resistors to provide extremely low total harmonic distortion. The 14 remaining least significant bits (LSBs) were converted using a standard R-2R ladder. Partial segmentation was incorporated on the AD1865 by separating out the first four most significant bits (MSBs) of each DAC and segmenting them into 15 resistor elements with their own logic. That’s actually a shame because in the early 1990s R-2R DAC technology had come of age through the use of segmented DAC architecture to reduce glitching at major digital code transitions. It was introduced in 1991 and has by now been designated obsolete by Analog Devices, not an unusual outcome for R-2R chips of that era. The digital board is outfitted with an Analog Devices AD1865 dual-18-bit stereo DAC chip. In fact, the kit’s digital board doesn’t even have an anti-aliasing analog filter. Audio Note did much to popularize this approach. Eventually, the art got better, and, to my ears, a key element was the embrace by some manufacturers of R-2R DAC technology with no oversampling (NOS) digital filters. Having suffered through a multitude of excruciating digital products, I was almost ready to fully retreat into the soothing world of vinyl. customers for a reasonable surcharge.Īs I survey the past 40 years of digital audio and consider the sonic carnage inflicted by so many DACs and CD players, I am reminded of the title of Don and Carolyn Davis’ book, If Bad Sound Were Fatal, Audio Would be the Leading Cause of Death. It needs to be emphasized that ANK is not in the business of manufacturing finished products, though they do occasional build for U.S. As with other kits, the customer has total freedom to experiment in wiring, capacitor choices, and tube-rolling to tailor the sound to his liking. The one exception is the digital board, which is supplied fully assembled. As Brian puts it, ANK basically sends out a box of parts, and 50% of the success is ultimately in the customer’s hands. ![]() It has seen several variations, though currently production is only focused on an upgraded version known simply as the DAC 2.1 Signature. The $1700 DAC 2.1 kit is considered an entry-level product, but is one of ANK’s longest running products with a significant DIY following. It’s absolutely brilliant that ANK can leverage Audio Note’s engineering and parts development for DIYers, who can thereby approach the AN sound at a lower price point. By 2014, after many regular engineering trips from Canada to the UK and lots of AN part purchases, the kit business was taking on a life of its own, with a full range of products including E元4, EL84, and 300B amplification, phonostages, preamps, and DACs. To avoid confusion, the branding was changed to ANK or ANKits. It was then that Brian Smith approached AN’s president, Peter Qvortrup, with a proposal to keep the kit business going, and the end result was. But while originally the kit business was integrated with AN’s finished-product side, in 2004 it was shut down internally due to the support-heavy requirements and low margins of kits. Yes, this is an Audio Note UK (AN) design. Well, to be more specific, my report is strictly about the sonics of this DAC since I purchased the unit fully assembled. T his is a rare bird in the pages of TAS-a kit report for the intrepid DIYer, who’s in search of an affordable DAC and not afraid of wielding a soldering iron. ![]()
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