Oppo SonicaDAC User manual

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Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................3
Installation...........................................................................................................................................4
FrontPanelControls........................................................................................................................4
BackPanelConnectors.....................................................................................................................4
SonicaApp........................................................................................................................................5
OutputConnections.............................................................................................................................5
RCAStereoAudioOutput................................................................................................................5
XLRBalancedAudioOutput.............................................................................................................6
TriggerInput&Output....................................................................................................................6
BasicOperations..................................................................................................................................7
PowerON/OFF.................................................................................................................................7
SourceSelection...............................................................................................................................7
VolumeControl................................................................................................................................8
UsingSonicaDACasaTraditionalDAC................................................................................................8
USBAudioInput(TypeB).................................................................................................................8
OpticalDigitalAudioInput...............................................................................................................9
CoaxialDigitalAudioInput...............................................................................................................9
SettingsandAdvancedOperations......................................................................................................9
BypassMode..................................................................................................................................10
ScreenDimmerSetting..................................................................................................................11
BluetoothConnection....................................................................................................................11
NetworkConnection......................................................................................................................12
ResetFactoryDefaultSettings.......................................................................................................15
FirmwareVersionDisplay..............................................................................................................16
UpgradingtheFirmware................................................................................................................16
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UsingSonicaDACasaHighResolutionDigitalPlayer.......................................................................16
PlaybackfromaUSBDrive.............................................................................................................17
PlaybackfromaDLNAServer.........................................................................................................17
UsingSonicaDACforMusicStreaming..............................................................................................18
MusicStreamingviaNetwork,AirPlay,andDLNA.........................................................................18
MusicStreamingviaBluetooth......................................................................................................19
AUXAudioInput.............................................................................................................................19
UsingSonicaDACinaMulti‐RoomGroup.........................................................................................20
Reference...........................................................................................................................................20
Specifications.................................................................................................................................20
DACPerformanceSpecifications....................................................................................................21
ImportantInformation.......................................................................................................................22
Precautions....................................................................................................................................23
RFExposureInformationandStatement.......................................................................................23
CEMark..........................................................................................................................................24
WEEEsymbol..................................................................................................................................24
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3
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Introduction
Inpursuitofoutstandingdigitaltoanalogaudioplayback,OPPOSonicaDACisequippedwithan
ES9038PRO32‐bitHyperStreamDACchip.AstheflagshipoftheESSSABREPROseries,theES9038PRO
setsnewbenchmarksforaudioperformance.SonicaDAC’spowercircuitryincludesalinearpower
regulatordrawingfromamassivetoroidalpowertransformer,whichprovidesaverycleanandrobust
powersupplytotheaudiocomponents.
SonicaDACcanbeusedasastandalonehigh‐performanceDAC,providingdigitalinputslikeOptical,
CoaxialandasynchronousUSBDACthatsupportPCMupto768kHz32‐bitandDSDupto22.5792MHz
(DSD512).
SonicaDACisalsoahighresolutionaudioplayerthatiscapableofdecodingupto24‐bit/192kHz
resolutionFLAC,WAVandAppleLosslessfiles,aswellasDSD64filesat64xsamplerate.Youcanalso
playmusicfilesfromUSBdrivesattachedtotheSonicaDAC,fromcomputersandserversconnectedvia
EthernetorWi‐Fi,orfromamobiledevicerunningtheSonicaapp.
AsamemberoftheSonicaWi‐Fispeakerfamily,SonicaDACisalsoamusicstreamer,allowingyouto
streammusicfromyoursmartphoneandtabletusingtheSonicaapp,AirPlay,orBluetooth.When
groupedwithSonicaWi‐Fispeakers,SonicaDACcanplaymusicstreamedtothespeakergroup,andyou
canalsoconnectanexistinganalogaudiosourcetothemulti‐roomspeakergroupusingSonicaDAC’s
AUXinput.
SonicaDACprovidesXLRbalancedandRCAstereooutputs.Theaudiooutputpathisfullybalancedfrom
theDACchipallthewaytotheXLRjacks.EventheRCAoutputsignalisderivedfromthebalanced
output.Thebalanceddesignprovidesbettercommon‐modenoiserejectionandimprovessignalquality.
Italsoprovidesbetterchannelseparationbyeliminatingthecommongroundreturnpath.Youcanset
eitheroutputtovolume‐controlledorbypass,allowingSonicaDACtobeconnectedtopreampsor
directlytopoweramplifiers.A12Vtriggerinputandoutputallowsyoutoturnonandofftheentire
audiosystemwithoneclick.
SonicaDACsportsanaluminumchassiswithclassicvolumeandsourceselectionknobs.A2.8‐inchOLED
displaycomplementsthebrushedmetalfrontpanel,showingthecurrentvolumeanddetailedaudio
information.
SonicaDACbringshigh‐resolutionaudioplayback,networkstreaming,andmobiledeviceconnectionto
yourexistinghomeaudiosystem.AsamemberoftheOPPOSonicaproductfamily,theAUXinputof
SonicaDACenablesyoutoconnectanexistinganalogaudiosourcetotheSonicamulti‐roomnetwork.
Addone,two,ormoreSonicaWi‐Fispeakersandenjoyyourfavoritetunesanywhereinyourhome.
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Installation
FrontPanelControls
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1. PowerButton2. PowerStatusIndicator3. SourceSelector/FunctionKnob
4. FrontPanelDisplay 5. USBPort(TypeA,Host)6. VolumeKnob
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BackPanelConnectors
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1. XLRBalancedAudioOutput2. RCAStereoAudioOutput3. CoaxialDigitalAudioInput
4. OpticalDigitalAudioInput5. USBAudioInput(TypeB)6. AUXAudioInput(RCA)
7. TriggerInput&Output8. EthernetPort9. USBPort(TypeA,Host)
10. GroundConnector11. VoltageSwitch12. ACInlet
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5
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SonicaApp
TheSonicaappisafreesmartphoneandtabletappcontrollerfortheOPPOSonicafamilyofproducts.It
enablesyoutoplaymusicstoredonyourmobiledevice,fromasupportedmusicstreamingservice(e.g.,
TIDAL),fromamediaserveronyourhomenetwork,orfromaUSBdrivepluggedintotheUSBportof
theSonicaDAC.WiththeSonicaapp,youareincompletecontrol,andcanchoosewhatmusictoplay
andwhatdevicetoplayfrom.
TheMinimumOSrequirementsfortheSonicaappareAndroid4.0oriOS8.0.TheminimumOS
requirementsfortheUSBDACareWindows7orMacOSX10.8MountainLion.Availabilityand
performanceofcertainfeatures,servicesandapplicationsaredevice‐andnetwork‐dependentandmay
notbeavailableinallareas.AirPlayworkswithiPhone,iPad,andiPodtouchwithiOS4.3.3orlater,Mac
OSX10.8MountainLion,andMacsandPCswithiTunes10.2.2orlater.
OutputConnections
SonicaDACoffersbothRCAandXLRBalancedoutputs.TheoutputleveliscontrolledbytheVolume
Knob.Youcanbypassthevolumecontrolifyoursetuprequiresafixedleveloutput.SeeBypassModein
theSettingsandAdvancedOperationssectiononpage10fordetailedinstructions.
RCAStereoAudioOutput
RCAisthemostcommonanalogaudioconnection.Ifyourpre‐amplifier,poweramplifier,oractive
speakersofferRCAanaloginputs,youmayuseapairofRCAaudiointerconnectcablestoconnectthe
SonicaDAC’sRCAStereoAudioOutputtotheRCAinputofyourdevice.
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6
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XLRBalancedAudioOutput
XLRbalancedconnectionoffersbettercommon‐modenoiserejectionandimprovedsignalqualityover
theRCAconnection.Ifyourpreamplifier,poweramplifier,oractivespeakersofferXLRbalancedinputs,
youmayuseapairofXLRaudiocablestoconnecttheSonicaDAC’sXLRBalancedAudioOutputtothe
XLRinputofyourdevice.
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TriggerInput&Output
YoucanconnecttheTriggerOutputofSonicaDACtothetriggerinputofapreamplifierorpower
amplifierusinga3.5mmmono‐to‐monomini‐jackcable.WhenSonicaDACisturnedon,theTrigger
Outputwillsupplya+12Vvoltagesignaltoautomaticallyturnontheconnectedpre‐amplifierorpower
amplifier.TheTriggerOutputcansupplyupto100mAcurrent.
TheTriggerInputofSonicaDACcanbeconnectedtothetriggeroutputofanotherdeviceandSonica
DACwillturnonandofftogetherwiththeconnecteddevice.
TheuseofTriggerInput&Outputisnotrequired.YoucanalwaysmanuallyturnonoroffSonicaDAC
usingthePowerButtononthefrontpanel.
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7
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BasicOperations
PowerON/OFF
WhenSonicaDACisinitiallyconnectedtoACpower,itremainsinstandbymodeandthePowerStatus
Indicatorwillstayred.PressthePowerButtontoturniton.ThePowerStatusIndicatorwillturnblue
andtheOPPOlogowillappearonthescreen.
OncetheSonicaDACison,pressingthePowerButtonagainwillturnitoff.SonicaDACdoesnot
respondtonetworkstreamingrequestswhenitisoff.

SourceSelection
TheactiveinputsourcecanbeselectedbyrotatingtheSourceSelector/FunctionKnob.TheFront
PanelDisplaywillshowaSourceSelectionscreenwithfourinputsources:USBDAC,OPTICAL,COAXIAL,
andAUXIN.Thecurrentlyselectedinputsourceisindicatedbyacheckmark().RotatetheSource
Selector/FunctionKnobineitherdirectiontoselectanewinputsourceandpresstheSourceSelector
/FunctionKnobtoswitchtoyourselection.

InadditiontotheaboveinputsourcesthatareselectableusingtheSourceSelectorandFrontPanel
Display,SonicaDACalsosupportsadditionalmusicsourcessuchasnetworkstreaming,Bluetooth,
AirPlay,andUSBdiskdrives.TheseadditionalsourcesareselectedthroughtheSonicaappor
automaticallybyconnectingthedevices.WhiletheSonicaDACisplayingfromanyoftheadditional
musicsources,selectinganinputsourcebyrotatingtheSourceSelector/FunctionKnobwilloverride
theexistingsource.

8
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VolumeControl
RotatingtheVolumeKnobclockwiseorcounter‐clockwisewillincreaseordecreasethevolumelevel.
Whenthevolumelevelisreducedtotheminimum,aMuteiconwillappearonthescreen.
Note:WhentheactiveinputsourceisinBypassmode,volumecontrolisdisabledandtheoutputwillbe
atthefullvolumelevel.SeeBypassModeintheSettingsandAdvancedOperationssectiononpage10
fordetailedinformation.

UsingSonicaDACasaTraditionalDAC
SonicaDACcanbeusedasastandalonehighperformanceDAC.TheUSBAudioinputsupportsPCMup
to32‐bit/768kHzanduptoDSD512.ThecoaxialandopticaldigitalaudioinputssupportPCMupto
192kHzandDSDoverPCMuptoDSD64.Inordertomaintainthehighestpossibleaudioquality,audio
fromtheUSB,coaxial,andopticalinputsisrouteddirectlyintotheES9038PROSabreDACchip.Itis
thereforenotpossibletostreamaudiofromtheseinputstootherSonicaspeakersonthenetwork.
USBAudioInput(TypeB)
YoucanconnectyourcomputerdirectlytoSonicaDACusingaUSBTypeAtoUSBTypeBcable.This
allowsyourcomputertofunctionasthedigitalplaybacksourcewithanymusiclibrarymanagement
softwareyouprefer,whileusingtheSonicaDACtoachieveoptimaldigital‐to‐analogaudioperformance.
ThedigitalsignalwillbeconvertedbytheES9038PRODACandsenttothelineleveloutputs.Theinput
sourceislabeledUSBDAContheSourceSelectionscreen.


9

Note:Dependingontheoperatingsystemandplaybacksoftwareused,driversoftwareandspecific
softwaresettingsmayberequiredinordertoenablethecomputertoplayaudiointoSonicaDAC.
PleasevisitthesupportpageonOPPODigitalwebsitefordriverdownloadandadditionalhelpguides.
OpticalDigitalAudioInput
YoucanconnectadevicewithanopticaldigitaloutputintotheOpticalDigitalAudioInputofSonica
DACusinganopticaldigital(alsoknownasaTOSLINKcable).Thedigitalsignalwillbeconvertedbythe
ES9038PRODACandsenttotheanaloglineleveloutputs.ThisinputsourceislabeledOPTICALonthe
SourceSelectionscreen.

CoaxialDigitalAudioInput
YoucanconnectadevicewithacoaxialdigitaloutputintotheCoaxialDigitalAudioInputofSonicaDAC
usingacoaxialdigital(75ohm)cable.ThedigitalsignalwillbeconvertedbytheES9038PRODACand
senttotheanaloglineleveloutputs.ThisinputsourceislabeledCOAXIALontheSourceSelection
screen.

SettingsandAdvancedOperations
SettingsandadvancedoperationsoftheSonicaDACcanbeaccessedbypressingandrotatingthe

10

SourceSelector/FunctionKnob.Thebasicoperationsare:

PresstheSourceSelector/FunctionKnobtoshowthefirstsettingsandadvancedoperations
screen.
IftheSourceSelector/FunctionKnobispressedagainimmediatelywithoutanyotheroperations
occurringonthecurrentscreen,thenextsettingsandadvancedoperationsscreenisshown.You
willneedtopresstheSourceSelector/FunctionKnobmultipletimeswithoutturningitinorderto
accessadditionalsettingsandadvancedoperationsscreens.
Onanysettingscreen,thecurrentsettingisindicatedbyacheckmark().RotatetheSource
Selector/FunctionKnobtomovetheselectioncursor.Thehighlightedselectionbecomesactiveif
youpresstheSourceSelector/FunctionKnob.SonicaDACreturnstoitsnormalstatusscreenafter
aselectionismade.
Onanyadvancedoperationsscreen,thecurrentstatusortitleisshown.RotatetheSourceSelector
/FunctionKnobtomovetheselectioncursortoanyavailableaction.Thehighlightedactionis
executedifyoupresstheSourceSelector/FunctionKnob.Dependingontheactionyouselect,you
maybepromotedforadditionaloperations.

Theavailablesettingsandadvancedoperationsscreensare:

BypassMode
BypassmodesetsSonicaDAC’soutputleveltofullanddisablesthevolumecontrol.Thisisusefulifyou
areconnectingSonicaDACtoadevicethathasitsownvolumecontrol,suchasapreamplifieroranA/V
receiver.TheavailableBypassoptionsare:
VariableVolume(default)–TheoutputlevelisvariableandcontrolledbytheVolumeKnob.
BypassAUXInput‐TheAUXAudioInputwillbeintheBypassmodewhileallothersourcesare
controlledbytheVolumeKnob.ThisoptionisusefulifthesourcethatisconnectedtotheAUX
AudioInputalreadyhasavolumecontrol.
BypassAllInputs‐AllinputsourceswillbeinBypassmode.
