Lavry Quintessence DA-N5 User manual

Quintessence
Reference DAC and Digital Monitor Control
Model DA-N5

2
Lavry Engineering, Inc.
P.O. Box 4602
Rolling Bay, WA 98061
www.lavryengineering.com
June 19,
2014
Version 1.0.2

Table of Contents
3
Warning
Table of Contents
Warning...................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................4
Layout .....................................................................................................................................................5
Rear Panel.........................................................................................................................................................5
Fuses .............................................................................................................................................................5
AC Power Connector.....................................................................................................................................5
Power Switch ................................................................................................................................................5
Input 1 & 2 ....................................................................................................................................................5
Input 3...........................................................................................................................................................5
Main Out .......................................................................................................................................................5
Monitor Out ..................................................................................................................................................6
Balanced/ Unbalanced Switches...................................................................................................................6
Gain Range Switches.....................................................................................................................................6
Front Panel........................................................................................................................................................6
Sample Rate Indicator LEDs ..........................................................................................................................6
Invert On/Off ................................................................................................................................................7
Mono On/Off ................................................................................................................................................7
Calibration.....................................................................................................................................................7
Input Select Buttons (Input 1, Input 2, Input 3)............................................................................................7
Main Output Enable......................................................................................................................................7
Monitor Output Enable.................................................................................................................................7
Level Display .................................................................................................................................................7
Rotary Knob ..................................................................................................................................................8
Front Panel Illumination ...................................................................................................................................8
The front panel of the Lavry Quintessence is plated with 24 karat gold, which is vulnerable to
scratching and abrasion. When shipping this unit, protect the front panel with a non-abrasive cloth.

Table of Contents
4
Passive Features ......................................................................................................................................9
System Memory................................................................................................................................................9
Mono and Invert ...............................................................................................................................................9
Input Switching .................................................................................................................................................9
Enabling and Muting Outputs...........................................................................................................................9
Specifications......................................................................................................................................... 10
Performance ...................................................................................................................................................10
Digital Inputs...................................................................................................................................................10
Analog Outputs ...............................................................................................................................................10
Calibration.......................................................................................................................................................10
AC Power.........................................................................................................................................................10
Physical ...........................................................................................................................................................10
Example Connection Diagrams: .............................................................................................................. 11
Mastering/Analog Insert processing 1:...........................................................................................................11
Mastering/Analog Insert processing 2:...........................................................................................................12
Mastering with Digital processing or mixing: .................................................................................................13
Limited Warranty – Lavry Quintessence .................................................................................................. 14
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the Lavry Quintessence DA-N5, reference DAC and digital monitor
controller. This unit is a single stereo digital to analog converter, which comes equipped with dual stereo
XLR analog outputs. The output designated Main Out, provides fixed, full scale level signals. The output
designated Monitor Out, provides the same output signal as Main Out, attenuated by a user-controlled,
high-precision volume setting.
The Quintessence has 3 digital audio input connectors, and may be switched between them with the press of
a button. Each input has an independent volume setting for Monitor Out, allowing level matched AB
comparisons. The unit provides quick and smooth transitions when switching between inputs or other
functions

The Rear Panel
5
Layout
This section gives an overview of the controls and connectors of the Quintessence.
Figure 1- Rear Panel Layout
1. Fuses
2. Power Switch
3. AC Power Connector
4. Serial Number
5. Input 1
6. Input 2
7. Input 3
8. Monitor Out
9. Monitor Balanced/ Unbalanced Switch
10. Monitor Gain Range Switch
11. Main Out
12. Main Balanced/ Unbalanced Switch
13. Main Gain Range Switch
FUSES
This unit uses two AGC3/4A (750mA) 250V fuses.
AC POWER CONNECTOR
The power inlet contains a power-line filter, a fuse, and a voltage selector. While the voltage selector is set in
the 115V position, the unit accepts AC Power in the range of 90-264 Volts at 47-63 Hertz. The power supply
automatically adjusts within this voltage range, regardless of the position of the AC voltage selector.
POWER SWITCH
The power switch is a two position rocker switch.
INPUT 1&2
These XLR connectors accept either AES or SPDIF format stereo digital audio signals. Standard adapters can
be used to connect RCA coaxial SPDIF sources to these XLR inputs.
INPUT 3
This RCA connector accepts either AES or SPDIF format signals. A standard adapter can be used to connect
XLR AES sources to this RCA input.
MAIN OUT
This pair of XLR connectors outputs a fixed level stereo signal. The maximum output level is 24dBu in
balanced mode or 18dBu in unbalanced mode.

The Front Panel
6
MONITOR OUT
This pair of XLR connectors replicates the Main Out signals with user adjustable attenuation, controlled via
the front panel Volume control.
BALANCED/UNBALANCED SWITCHES
Each of the output pairs has its own switch for balanced or unbalanced settings. When set to the unbalanced
position, pin 2 of the XLR output is hot and pin 3 is grounded.
GAIN RANGE SWITCHES
Each of the output pairs has its own gain Range switch. The gain range lowers the signal level by 6dB in
either balanced or unbalanced operation.
The Lavry Quintessence front panel has a simple user interface which consists of 6 LEDs, 8 illuminated
pushbuttons, a 4 digit segmented numerical LED display, and one rotary knob with a built-in pushbutton
switch. A pushbutton which is illuminated in green indicates an enabled setting. A pushbutton
illuminated in blue indicates a setting which is disabled.
Figure 2- Front Panel Layout
1. Sample Rate Indicator LEDs
2. Invert On/Off
3. Mono On/Off
4. Calibration
5. Input 1 Select
6. Input 2 Select
7. Input 3 Select
8. Main Output Enable
9. Monitor Output Enable
10. Level Display
11. Rotary Knob & Pushbutton
SAMPLE RATE INDICATOR LEDS
When the unit is locked to a digital audio input signal, one of these six LEDs will be illuminated, indicating the
sample rate. This Quintessence can accommodate sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz.
When the unit is not receiving a valid digital audio input signal, the LEDs will strobe in a repeated pattern.

The Front Panel
7
INVERT ON/OFF
This button toggles polarity inversion of all outputs on and off. This affects
both the left and right channels of the Main Out and Monitor Out signals.
When the invert mode is off, the signal on Pin 2 is in the normal polarity.
When the invert is on, the signal on Pin 2 is inverted. In balanced mode, Pin 3
is the opposite polarity of Pin 2. In unbalanced mode, Pin 3 is grounded.
MONO ON/OFF
This button toggles the signal output to mono when on, and to stereo when
off. This affects both the Main Out and Monitor Out signals. Loudness
differences between mono and stereo modes vary depending on the degree
of stereo separation of the music.
CALIBRATION
When in calibration mode, the Rotary Knob provides fine adjustment to both Main Out and Monitor Out.
The adjustment range is -0.70 dB to +0.70 dB in 0.1 dB increments. While in this mode, the Numeric Display
indicates the calibration setting.
Calibration is useful to compensate for minor level differences caused by differences in the input impedances
and input signal range tolerances of driven equipment.
INPUT SELECT BUTTONS (INPUT 1, INPUT 2, INPUT 3)
This group of buttons selects which of the 3 digital stereo inputs is received by the DA converter circuitry.
Each input selection retains an independent Volume setting.
MAIN OUTPUT ENABLE
This button enables or mutes the signals to the Main Out connectors.When
in mute, the output is hardware grounded.
MONITOR OUTPUT ENABLE
This button enables or mutes the signals to the Monitor Out connectors.
When in mute, the output is hardware grounded.
LEVEL DISPLAY
This 4 digit numeric display indicates the Volume level of the Monitor Out signals. The minimum level is
“00.00” at which the signal is muted. The maximum level is “80.00”, which is full scale.
When the unit is in calibration mode, this 4 digit numeric display indicates the output calibration setting,
which ranges from -0.70 dB to +0.70 dB in 0.1 dB increments.
The Lavry Quintessence
switches smoothly
between Normal and
Invert, between Mono
and Stereo, and
between Inputs 1, Input
2, and Input 3;
preventing high energy
pops or clicks, from
entering the output
signal.
The Output Enable
buttons are a fast means
to mute the outputs in
case of a corrupted
input signal.

The Front Panel
8
ROTARY KNOB
The Rotary Knob has a built in pushbutton switch. By pressing and releasing the knob, the volume adjustment
toggles between 0.25 dB and 3 dB steps.
This knob can be used to adjust the Monitor Output Volume of the currently selected digital input. Rotating
the knob clockwise increases the level, and rotating the knob counter-clockwise decreases the level.
When the unit is in calibration mode, this knob adjusts the output calibration setting in 0.1 dB increments.
There are 3 groups of illuminated elements on the Front Panel: the 6 Sample Rate LEDs, the 8 Illuminated
Pushbuttons, and the Level Display. Each of these 3 groups has an independent, user adjustable intensity
setting.
To adjust the brightness of the Sample Rate Illumination LEDs, press and hold the INVERT, MONO, and CAL
buttons simultaneously and rotate the knob.
To adjust the brightness of the Illuminated Pushbuttons, press and hold the INPUT 1, INPUT 2, and INPUT 3
buttons simultaneously and rotate the knob.
To adjust the brightness of the Level Display, press and hold the MAIN and MONITOR buttons
simultaneously and rotate the knob.
Once the Volume reaches the top or bottom of the range, the knob may continue to be turned, but no
further adjustments are made.

Passive Features
9
Passive Features
This section assumes that you have read the Layout section of the manual, and are familiar with the basic
operation of the front panel controls as well as the input and output connections and switches.
The unit retains all settings in non-volatile memory. When the unit is powered on, the last used settings are
loaded from memory.
During switching between either Mono/Stereo or Polarity Invert On/Off, the volume ramps down and then
ramps back up to prevent pops and cracks due to signal discontinuity.
This unit enables quick comparison of music before and after processing, with level matching accuracy up to
0.25 dB. Inputs signals may have different sample rates and word lengths. During input switching, the
volume ramps down to mute while the unit stabilizes to the new signal; afterwhich, the volume ramps up to
the new input level. This process is fast enough to compare music, but slow enough to prevent pops and
clicks.
The unit is minimizes the audible impact which occurs when changing between settings by fading the volume
up/down as necessary. This is useful to protect ears and speakers from damage.
Muting the Main Out or Monitor Out begins with a volume fade out and ends by hardware shorting the
output. On unmuting or unit power-up, this process is reversed.
Muting or unmuting Monitor Out will have no effect on Main Out. When muting or unmuting Main Out a
moment of silence will be heard on Monitor Out.
Before switching to an input with an unknown volume setting, it is advisable to first mute the monitor
output. Then after switching inputs, proceed to lower the volume setting, unmute the monitor output,
and raise the volume. This will prevent damage which may result when switching to a much higher
volume.

Specifications
10
Specifications
•Distortion: 0.0005% at – 3dBFS, 1kHz; 0.0009% at -3 dBFS, 20 Hz- 20 kHz
•Noise: -110 dBFS un-weighted
•Flatness Response: 0.05 dB
•Channel Separation: 107 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz)
•Mute: -125 dB (Volume = 0)
•Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz
•Stereo Level Matching (Left to Right): 0.04 dB
•Main to Monitor Level Matching: 0.04 dB (Monitor Setting at Maximum Value)
•Crosstalk: -127 dB at 1kHz, -112 dB at 20Hz – 20 kHz
•Click & Pop Protection: fast fade out, fade in
•2 XLR: transformer isolated
•1 RCA: transformer isolated
•Main Stereo Output: 24 dBuFS into 600 Ohms
•Monitor Out: 24dBuFS into 600 Ohms maximum
•Monitor Level: Digitally controlled analog attenuation (3 dB or 0.25 dB steps)
•Monitor Attenuation: up to 79.75 dB + Mute
•Calibration Range: ±0.7 dB
•Calibration Steps: 0.1 dB
•Calibration Step Accuracy: ±0.002 dB
•This unit automatically adjusts to AC power in the range of 90-264VAC, 47-63 Hertz. No change
of settings is necessary.
•Fuses: 1.25A 250V Slow
•Dimensions: 19”W x 1.75”H x 10.75” D (front panel to rear panel connectors; front panel knob
adds 5/8”)
•Weight: Unit ~8.85 lbs
•Shipping weight: ~10 lbs

Appendix: Example Connection Diagrams
11
Example Connection Diagrams:
The Lavry Quintessence has a unique digital monitor function that can allow precise comparisons of two or
three digital sources. However, it cannot take the place of two DA converters in systems with analog
processing. The Quintessence can be used for the comparison of pre and post processing signals when
configured in one of the following manners. Each of these configurations requires the DAW to have multiple
AES/SPDIF outputs.
This configuration uses
the Quintessence as the
source DA converter for
analog processing. It is
necessary to record the
processed signal to use
the monitoring feature
of the Quintessence to
compare the
preprocessed (flat)
source to the post
processed (EQ’d) file. A
second DA converter
may be used prior to
and during recording to
monitor the processed
signal.
Once recording is
complete, it is necessary
to mute the recording
inputs in order to
prevent the potential
for feedback when the input of the Quintessence is changed to the post processing signal. In this setup, Main
Out would feed the analog processing, and Monitor Out would feed a monitor controller. Source selection on
the monitor controller would be used to select the Quintessence or the separate monitor DA converter.
During setup and recording, the monitor DA would be selected to listen to the processed signal. Once the file
is recorded, the monitoring features of the Quintessence could be used to make precise comparison of the
original and processed files playing from the DAW, and possibly a third source such as a CD player.

Appendix: Example Connection Diagrams
12
This configuration uses
the Quintessence as the
monitor DA converter,
and a second DA is used
as the source for analog
processing. The
monitoring feature of
the Quintessence can be
used at any time to
compare pre and post
processing signals to
each other, or to a third
source such as a CD
player.
This also makes it
possible to feed a
monitor system directly
from Monitor Out,
without a separate
monitor controller. The
front panel Volume
control of the
Quintessence would be used to control the listening level, and the output enable would serve as a Monitor
Cut control.
Main Out could optionally be used to feed a headphone amplifier or a 2nd monitor path.

Appendix: Example Connection Diagrams
13
This example
configuration uses the
Quintessence to easily
switch between inputs
in order to compare
the original, and
modified version of an
audio file. The ability
to adjust channel
Volume
independently,
enables comparing
music at equal
Volume. This setup
may also be used for
live comparisons
during digital
processing. In either
case, the 3rd input of
the unit could
alternatively be
unused, or connected
to another DAW output instead of to an external media player.

Warranty
14
Limited Warranty – Lavry Quintessence
Subject to the conditions set forth below, for one year after the original purchase date of the product, Lavry
Engineering will repair the product free of charge in the United States in the event of a defect in materials or
workmanship.
Lavry Engineering may exchange new or rebuilt parts for defective parts. Please call the factory for an RMA
number prior to shipment. No product will be accepted for warranty service without a pre-issued RMA number.
This warranty is extended only to an original purchaser of the product from Lavry Engineering, or an authorized
reseller of Lavry Engineering. Products that are purchased from unauthorized resellers do not have any warranty
coverage. A valid purchase receipt or other valid proof of purchase will be required before warranty service is
provided. This warranty only covers failures due to defects in materials or workmanship and does not cover
damages which occur in shipment or failures resulting from accident, misuse, line power surges, mishandling,
maintenance, alterations and modifications of the product, or service by an unauthorized service center or personnel.
Lavry Engineering reserves the right to deny warranty service to products that have been used in rental, service
bureau, or similar businesses.
This limited warranty gives you specific legal rights. You may have others which vary from state/jurisdiction to
state/jurisdiction.
LIMITS AND EXCLUSIONS
LAVRY ENGINEERING DOES NOT, BY VIRTUE OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR BY ANY COURSE OF PERFORMANCE,
COURSE OF DEALING, OR USAGE OF TRADE, MAKE ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE, TITLE OR NONINFRINGEMENT, AND ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY
DISCLAIMED. LAVRY ENGINEERING EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED INDEMNITIES. LAVRY
ENGINEERING SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE,
SPECIAL OR EXEMPLARY LOSSES OR DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES TO
RECORDINGS, TAPES OR DISKS, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS
OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, LOSS OF GOODWILL, COVER, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS, ARISING OUT OF OR
RELATING TO THE USE OF THE PRODUCT, OR ARISING FROM BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT,
NEGLIGENCE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF LAVRY ENGINEERING HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSSES OR DAMAGES. ANY DAMAGES THAT Lavry ENGINEERING IS REQUIRED TO
PAY FOR ANY PURPOSE WHATSOEVER SHALL NOT EXCEED THE ORIGINAL COST PAID TO LAVRY
ENGINEERING FOR THE APPLICABLE PRODUCT. BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW
THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE
FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.