NuPrime DAC-9X User manual

DAC-9X
U S E R ’ S M A N U A L
Reference Class DAC With 6.3mm Headphone Output
DesignedFor Studio Professionals

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Table of Contents
FCC Notice - Declaration of Conformity Information..................................................................... 2
EU Declaration of Conformity ....................................................................................................... 3
Safety Instructions......................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction................................................................................................................................... 8
Specifications ...............................
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. 12
13
. 14
16
17
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NuPrime’s Limited Warranty and Limitation of Liabilities .............................................................19
1
Quick Start Guide
Display
Rear Panel
IIS / DSD Pin define
Headphone Pin define
Remote Control

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FCC Notice - Declaration of Conformity Information
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
WARNING: Only peripherals complying with the FCC class B limits may be attached to this
equipment.
Changes or modifications made to this equipment, not expressly approved by us or parties
authorized by us could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. This device complies
with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesired operation.
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EU Declaration of Conformity
Hereby, NuPrime Audio, Inc. declares that this device is in compliance with the essential
requirements and other relevant provisions of Directive 2004/108/EC.
The manufacturer of this product is NuPrime Audio, Inc., 1712 Pioneer Ave. Ste 1817, Cheyenne,
Wyoming 82001, USA.
The Authorized Representative for EMC and product safety is NuPrime Audio, Inc., 1712 Pioneer
Ave. Ste 1817, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001, USA.
For any service or guarantee matters please refer to the addresses given in separate service or
guarantee documents.
For Customers in Europe
Disposal of Old Electrical & Electronic Equipment (Applicable in the European
Union and other European countries with separate collection systems)
This symbol on the product or on its packaging indicates that this product shall
not be treated as household waste. Instead it shall be handed over to the
applicable collection point for the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment.
By ensuring this product is disposed of correctly, you will help prevent potential
negative consequences for the environment and human health, which could
otherwise be caused by inappropriate waste handling of this product. The
recycling of materials will help to conserve natural resources. For more detailed information
about recycling of this product, please contact your local Civic Office, your household waste
disposal service or the shop where you purchased the product.
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Safety Instructions
There are two categories of Safety Instructions included in this manual:
•Product Warnings, (i.e., what must never be done to assure avoiding those hazards that
•could cause bodily injury or property damage); and
•User Directions (i.e., what must always be done to assure the safe use of your device).
The Safety Instructions contained in this manual have been categorized in accordance with the
seriousness of the potential hazards through the use of Signal Words. Those Signal Words, and
their intended meanings, are as follows:
DANGER: Indicates that a failure to observe the Safety Instructions could result in death or
catastrophic bodily injury.
WARNING: Indicates that a failure to observe the Safety Instructions could result in serious
bodily injury.
CAUTION: Indicates that a failure to observe the Safety Instructions could result in minor bodily
injury or property damage.
NOTE: Designates important information that relates to activities and/or conditions that might
result in loss of data and/or damage to your device.
Safe Use and Operation of Your Device
This equipment emits stray RF energy and will interfere with the reception of signals by airborne
electronic navigational devices or medical devices. Do not operate this equipment near any
sensitive medical devices.
WARNING: Use only grounded AC power cords.
Always immediately disconnect the power to the equipment in the event the device emits an
unusual odor or sound or generates smoke.
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WARNING: Never attempt to disassemble, repair or make any modification to your device.
Disassembly, modification or any attempt at repair could cause bodily injury or property damage,
as well as damage to the device itself.
WARNING: Your device is not a toy. Never allow children to play with your device. Misuse, rough
or improper handling of your device by children could result in serious bodily injury for any of the
enumerated safety warnings in this manual. In addition, always keep all accessories and
components out of the reach of small children as small parts might present a choking hazard.
Seek immediate medical attention if choking occurs or if any small part has been swallowed.
CAUTION: Never raise the sound volume level too high when using your device with earphones.
An excessive sound volume level could cause damage to your hearing.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose the unit to moisture or water.
Do not allow foreign objects to get into the enclosure. If the unit is exposed to moisture, or a
foreign object gets into the enclosure, immediately disconnect the power cord from the wall.
Take the unit to a qualified service person for inspection and necessary repairs.
Read all the instructions before connecting or operating the component.
Keep this manual so you can refer to these safety instructions.
Heed all warnings and safety information in these instructions and on the product itself. Follow
all operating instructions.
Do not use this unit near water.
You must allow a minimum 10 cm or 4 inches of unobstructed clearance around the unit.
Do not place the unit on a bed, sofa, rug, or similar surface that could block the ventilation
openings. If the unit is placed in a bookcase or cabinet, there must be ventilation of the cabinet to
allow proper cooling.
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any other appliance that
on the rear
Keep the component away from radiators, heat registers, stoves, or
produces heat.
The unit must be connected to a power supply only of the type and voltage speci ed
panel. Connect the component to the power outlet only with the supplied power supply cable or
an exact equivalent. Do not modify the supplied cable.
Do not route the power cord where it will be crushed, pinched, bent, exposed to heat, or
damaged in any way. Pay particular attention to the power cord at the plug and where the cord
exits the back of the unit.
The power cord should be unplugged from the wall outlet during a lightning storm or if the unit is
to be left unused for a long period of time.
Immediately stop using the component and have it inspected and/or serviced by a quali ed
service agency if:
•The power supply cord or plug has been damaged.
•Objects have fallen or liquid has been spilled into the unit.
•The unit has been exposed to rain.
•The unit shows signs of improper operation.
•The unit has been dropped or damaged in any way
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From Hi-Res to Extreme Resolution
High-volume storage has become cheap enough for the proliferation of hi-res music beyond CD
quality (16-bit/44.1kHz). Storing 24-bit/96 kHz or 192 kHz music with PCM encoding in
uncompressed format (typically WAV) or lossless compression format (such as FLAC, M4A, WMA)
has become standard practice for audio enthusiasts.
Music is typically recorded in 24 or 32-bit PCM or DSD format at the recording studio. It is then
converted to lower resolution format for mass-market distribution.
Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to digitally represent sampled analog signals. It is
the standard form of digital audio in computers, compact discs, digital telephony and other digital
audio applications. In a PCM stream, the amplitude of the analog signal is sampled regularly at
uniform intervals and each sample is quantized to the nearest value within a range of digital steps.
A PCM stream has two basic properties that determine the stream's fidelity to the original analog
signal: the sampling rate, which is the number of times per second that samples are taken, and the
bit depth, which determines the number of possible digital values that can be used to represent
each sample. DXD is simply PCM 24-bit/352.8 kHz.
Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) is the trademark name used by Sony and Philips for their system of
digitally recreating audible signals for the Super Audio CD (SACD). DSD uses pulse-density
modulation encoding – a technology to store audio signals on digital storage media that are used
for the SACD. The signal is stored as delta-sigma modulated digital audio, a sequence of single-bit
values at a sampling rate of 2.8224 MHz (64 times the CD Audio sampling rate of 44.1 kHz, but only
at 1⁄32768 of its 16-bit resolution).
The same music in DSD64 (2.8 MHz sampling rate) format takes up about 20% more storage space
than 24-bit/96kHz format. The NuPrime DAC-9X is designed to faithfully reproduce the music
irrespective of the format used.
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Introduction
With six digital (including 2 x IIS/DSD) and one analog stereo inputs, RCA stereo and XLR
balanced outputs, and decoding capability of PCM 384K, DSD256 & MQA, the NuPrime
DAC-9X is a reference-class DAC designed for studio professionals and high-end audiophiles.
The DAC-9X can support 6.3mm standard stereo headphone outputs; the sound is clear, rich,
and has a sense of naturalness. The midrange performance is prominent and sound imaging
is also solidly focused.
Preamp
To meet the requirement of customers who want to eliminate extra components in their
system, a preamp capable of driving the power amplifier is an essential part of the design.
The DAC-9X high-end preamp features include:
• Analog volume control design using a low noise and low distortion resistance ladder
circuit similar to switch-resistor network.
• Digital controlled dual-mono analog shunt to ground volume control achieves zero
added noise or distortion.
• Individually adjustable volume on each input for precise source level matching.
The integrated preamp eliminates the need for more analog signal cables and connectors’
signal breakpoints

The Heart
As the heart of an audio system, the DAC-9X supports an extensive number of inputs and
formats. Dual ESS Technology 32-bit audio DAC ESS9028Q2M independently decode left and
right channels improve channel separation and reducing overall noise. The Vishay professional
film MELF resistors provide excellent sound quality.
Power Circuit
The AC hum is kept to a minimum by using a low noise power supply with antivibration
treatment. The rest of the onboard power circuit is designed to minimize noise as well.
Native MQA Decoding
The DAC-9X includes MQA technology, which enables you to playback MQA audio files and
streams, delivering the sound of the original master recording. The front panel LED indicates
if the MQA stream is detected. 'Green' or 'Blue' and 'Magenta' indicate that the product is
decoding and playing an MQA stream or file and denotes provenance to ensure that the
sound is identical to the source material. "Green" indicates it is playing an MQA Authentic file,
and "Blue" means it is playing an MQA Studio file. "Magenta" means it is playing an MQA ORFS
(Original Sample Rate) file which has either been approved in the studio by the artist/producer
or has been verified by the copyright owner. For more about MQA, please visit:
http://www.mqa.co.uk/
‘MQA and the Sound Wave Device are registered trade marks of MQA Limited.© 2016’
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Other notable features:
• NuPrime SRC IC chip (co-developed with IC vendor) provides DSP processing where
Input signals are up-sampled to megahertz before down converted to the targeted
sampling rate with ultra-low jitter and distortion.
• Extension port for Bluetooth receiver and WiFi audio streamer (optional).
• Full microprocessor control with memory retention.
• Supports DSD native playback by ASIO2.1 and DoP method.
• Ultra-low-noise JFETs in the input stage for the lowest possible noise floor.
• Individually adjustable volume on each input for precise level matching of sources.
• Asynchronous transfer mode.
• Very low power consumption on Standby Mode.
NuPrime Extension Port
NuPrime defined an USB Type-A port to carry S/PDIF data and 5V power for connecting to
external wireless audio receiver using just one standard USB cable. The NuPrime Omnia WR-1,
BTR-HD, Stream Mini, and Stream Mini DAC wireless receivers have a micro USB port that is
compatible this specification.
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Inputs : Rear panel
• USB : Type B 2.0 Hi-Speed, Windows OS : data stream up to 384KHz/24Bit and Native DSD 256.
Type B 2.0 Hi-Speed, Mac / Lunix OS : data stream up to 384KHz/24Bit and DOP DSD 128.
• IIS/DSD : Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 384KHz/32Bit and DSD 64 ~ DSD 256 data streams.
• OPTICAL : Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 192KHz/24Bit and DOP 64.
• COAXIAL : Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 384KHz/24Bit and DOP 64 and 128.
• RCA : Up to 1.5 Vrms audio signal.
• EXTENSION : Supports PCM 44.1KHz ~ 192KHz/24Bit.
Outputs : Front panel
• TRS 6.3mm headphone out
Output power: 1700 mW, 32 ohms, <0.01% THD (watts per channel).
Output power: 135 mW, 600 ohms, <0.005% THD (watts per channel).
Outputs : Rear panel
• RCA unbalanced outputs : 4 Vrms
• XLR balanced outputs : 8 Vrms
• Optical S/DPIF out (PCM up to 192KHz supporting DoP format DSD64)
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 KHz / ±0.3 dB.
• SNR: > 110 dB.
• THD+N: < 0.0005%.
• Dimensions: 235 mm W x 281 mm D x 60 mm H (including feet)
• Weight: 2.5Kg
• Worldwide AC voltage: (90VAC~130VAC // 210VAC~ 250VAC) With Voltage Select Switch
• AC Fuse: Slow-blow, 2.5A, 250VA
Specifications:

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Quick Start Guide
Front Panel
Power / Input Selector:
Briefly press for 3 sec to On/Off standby mode
Turn the knob to switch between inputs
1
Standard 6.3mm (1/4") stereo headphone jack
2
Remote IR receiver
3
Display
LED
4
5
VARIABLE: volume can be adjusted
FIXED: output is at max volume can’t be adjusted (DAC out)
Volume control:
Turn the knob clockwise to increase volume
Turn the knbo counterwise to decrease volume
Briefly press the knob to Mute / un-Mute
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Display
PCM Sample rate:
44.1
48
88.2
96
176.4
192
352.8
384
DSD Sample rate :
d2.8 (64)
d5.6 (128)
d11.2 (256)
Volume display:
00 ~ 99
Inputs Display:
C1: Coaxial input
O2: Optical input
U3: USB input
E4: Extension port input
A5: Stereo analog input
H1: IIS/DSD Digital input
H2: IIS/DSD Digital input
LED :
Green For MQA Authentic Format
Blue For MQA Studio Format
Magenta For ORFS ( Original Sample Rate) Format
Yellow For DSD Format
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Rear Panel
NuPrime STREAM-9
WIFI Router
Extension
STREAM-mini / BTR-HD
NuPrime CDT-8
IIS/DSD Digital Output
I2S(I)
I2S(II)
X
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C1: Coaxial input for CD/DVD/BD players, TV and any device with a coaxial source.
O2: Optical input for CD/DVD/BD players, TV and any device with an optical source.
U3: USB input for computer (PC/MAC) and for NAS devices.
E4: Extension port for Bluetooth or WIFI. (Optional)
A5: Stereo analog for CD/DVD/BD players, TV and any analog source device.
H1&H2: IIS/DSD Digital input With HDMI cable to transfer IIS and DSD data from NuPrime source devices.
Do not connect to the HDMI output of SetTop Box or BD / DVD player.
Note: DAC-9X does not guarantee that all NAS will operate and be compatible due to wide variety of
brands and custom specs.
Inputs:
Outputs:
1x Optical Output ( PCM up to 192KHz supporting DoP format DSD64 )
1x Balanced Stereo Audio Output ( XLR MALE )
1x Stereo Audio Output ( RCA )
1x TRS 6.3 mm headphone jack
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1
CASE
3
21
Pin 1 : Ground
Pin 2 : Positive (+)
Pin 3 : Negative (-)
XLR MALE Pin define
Note : DAC-9X does not guarantee that all IIS/DSD source will operate and be compatible due to wide variety of
brands and custom specs.
PIN14 : NC
PIN13 : NC
PIN12 : NC
PIN11 : GND
PIN10 : NC
PIN9 : LRCK + / DSD R +
PIN8 : GND
PIN15 : NC
PIN16 : NC
PIN17 : GND
PIN18 : NC
PIN19 : + 3.3V OUTPUT
PIN3 : SDATA + / DSD L+
PIN1 : SDATA - / DSD L-
PIN2 : GND
PIN4 : BCK + / DSD CLK +
PIN5 : GND
PIN6 : BCK - / DSD CLK -
PIN7 : LRCK - / DSD R -
IIS / DSD Pin define

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AC Inlet : Connect the supplied mains lead to the AC IN (115V or 230 V) terminal on the rear of the DAC.
Others :
AC Voltage Selector : Make sure that the AC voltage selector switch at the bottom of the unit is switched
to the appropriate voltage for your country. All NuPrime products are shipped with
the switch set to 230V AC in order to prevent accidental damage.
230
LEFT RIGHT GND
Headphone Pin define:
Standard 6.3mm stereo plugs

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• Toggle power STANDBY and ON
• DIS: Show Sample rates on display. Return to the original display after
3 seconds.
• Vol +: Volume up
• Vol –: Volume down
• Mute: Volume Mute
• COAX: Coaxial input selection
• OPT: Optical input selection
• USB: USB input selection
• EXT: Extension port selection
• AUX: Analog input selection
• H1/H2: IIS/DSD Digital input Note: Press H1/H2 to toggle between H1 &
H2 input
Battery Replacement:
To change the battery, please remove the 4 screws and the bottom cover
to reveal the battery casing.
Remote Control

NuPrime’s Limited Warranty and Limitation of Liabilities
ADDITIONAL RIGHTS
For consumers, who are covered by consumer protection laws or regulations in their country of
purchase or, if different, their country of residence, the benefits conferred by this warranty are in
addition to all rights and remedies conveyed by such consumer protection laws and regulations.
This warranty does not exclude, limit or suspend any rights of consumers arising out of
nonconformity with a sales contract. Some countries, states and provinces do not allow the
exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages or allow limitations on how long an
implied warranty or condition may last, so the limitations or exclusions described below may not
apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that
vary by country, state or province. This limited warranty is governed by and construed under the
laws of the country in which the product purchase took place.
LIMITED WARRANTY
For a period of ONE (1) YEAR from the date of retail purchase by the original end-user purchaser
(“Warranty Period”), NuPrime warrants (in) this product against defects in materials and
workmanship, and (ii) that each Product, unmodified and under normal use and conditions, will
substantially comply with NuPrime’ applicable written technical documentation for the Product.
NuPrime reserves the right to make substitutions and modifications from time to time in the
specifications of Products sold by NuPrime, provided that such substitutions or modifications do
not materially affect overall Product performance.
If a hardware defect exists and a valid claim is received within the Warranty Period, at its option
and to the extent permitted by law, NuPrime will (1) repair the hardware defect at no charge,
using new or refurbished replacement parts, (2) exchange the product with a product that is new
or which has been manufactured from new or serviceable used parts and is at least functionally
equivalent to the original product, or (3) refund the purchase price of the product. NuPrime may
request that you replace defective parts with user-installable new or refurbished parts that
NuPrime provides in fulfillment of its warranty obligation. A replacement product/part assumes
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