TAG MCLAREN AUDIO DAC20 User manual

source
button power
button
status
indicators
mute
button
input
button
power
LED
coaxial
optical mute
input 2
lock
1
32kHz
3
44kHz 48kHz
aes
demp
source aes
231
left
right
serial
number
®is a registered trademark of Pacific Microsonics Inc.
220-240V
~50-60Hz
Fuse: T1A L250V
made in United Kingdom
OUTPUT
2
1
XLR INPUT
aes/ebu 110 ohm bal
eiaj
OPTICAL INPUT
231
spdif 75 ohm
COAXIAL INPUT
spdif 75 ohm
COAXIAL
OUTPUT
fuse
carrier optical input
sockets coaxial input
sockets
analog output
sockets AES/EBU input
socket
digital output
socket
ac supply
socket
DAC 1234567
contents
02 welcome
08 key features
10 getting started
12 input types
14 selecting an input
15 muting
16 HDCD®decoding
17 sampling frequency
18 jitter reduction
19 de-emphasis
20 outputs
21 running in and warming up
22 care and maintenance
24 technical data
28 international standards
Specification shown may vary for different countries
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03
Now,this blend of talent and
expertise has been combined
with the award-winning
experience ofAudiolab to create
a company with a technical
advantage and access to
resources second-to-none in the
high end audio industry -
TAG McLarenAudio.
TAG McLarenAudio has been created with
one aim in mind:to produce the best high-
fidelity audio and audio-visual systems
available.Now the first fruits of that
alliance are ready – a unique new range of
audio products.
Throughout the F3 Series development
process,quality,performance and
reliability have been paramount,resulting
in unparalleled performance, operational
excellence and sheer listening pleasure.
celebrating a TAG McLaren victory
All TAG companies perpetually strive
for,and achieve,excellence and high-
performance in every area of their
business.
These qualities are demonstrated in the
fastidious standards that makeTAG Heuer
watches some of the world’s most
admired;in the teamwork that makesTAG
McLaren’s motor racing team one of the
most successful in Formula One;and in the
advanced electronics technology that
makesTAG Electronic Systems the first
choice for many Formula One constructors
and high-performance car makers.
Derek Scotland (on the left) – Technical Director
Peter Stevens – Chief Industrial Designer
Dr. Zucker – Chief Executive
welcome to a new partnership
..in hi-performance, hi-fidelity
GRA00046.1-[CA]DAC20 13/03/01 10:05 Page 3

We are convinced it will give you many hours o
listening pleasure.
Digital methods of recording music have many advantages,
such as very low noise, high dynamic range and fast
searching but, until now, you may have been disappointed
by the sound quality when you play digital recordings.
AtTAG McLarenAudio,we understand exactly what needs
to be done to get the best sound from a digital recording.
accurate reproduction
Digital recording is quite insensitive to
data losses,such as a scratch on a disc or
a drop out on a tape.However,rebuilding
the recorded music exactly, even from a
perfect digital recording,is a complex task
which is often not appreciated and has only
recently been fully understood.
very high resolution
The digital signal represents the original
music as rapidly changing groups of bits
(i.e.the‘zeros’and‘ones’ understood by
computers). More bits in each group allow
a more accurate representation of the
music information during its processing.
The DAC20 uses 24 bits (eight bits more
than a CD’s original recording),which
results in higher signal resolution and
more precise sound details.
welcome welcome
0504
Thank you for purchasing theTAG McLarenAudio digital to analogue converter DAC20.
digital iltering
By its nature, digital data generates
unwanted,high-frequency noise when it is
converted back to the analogue domain
(which is what our ears can hear). Even
though the noise frequency is way above the
threshold of human hearing,it has unpleasant
effects on the sound due to what audio
engineers call‘intermodulation’.To remove
this noise,the DAC20 uses a digital filter
which is made more effective by
oversampling and noise shaping the data.
This technique reduces the high frequency
noise by using an 8 times digital
oversampling filter.The data from the filter is
further oversampled, using noise shaping, to
produce a 192 times single bit data stream
for conversion back to analogue.
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automatic detection o sampling
requency and pre-emphasis
The DAC20 automatically detects the
sampling frequency of the incoming
digital data stream and switches its internal
circuits to match. If the original recording
was made with pre-emphasis,the DAC20
will automatically switch on de-emphasis
to take advantage of it.
high-quality analogue output
With all our effort on the digital side
(and we have only listed a few topics here),
we have not forgotten the analogue music
reproduction,which is as important as the
recovery of the music from the digital
domain.The analogue circuit in the DAC20
is a‘no-compromise’ design using high-
quality,high-stability components to send a
smooth,clean signal to your amplifier for
excellent sound quality.The analogue
output terminals are duplicated for your
convenience.
The DAC20 combines digital precision
with analogue purity.
stable internal clock
The timing of the data is as important as
the data itself.Timing inaccuracy, known
as‘jitter’,is responsible for a wide range
of subtle distortions. In the DAC20,jitter
is reduced to an absolute technical
minimum by a very stable electronic clock
which is synchronised to the incoming
digital data stream to provide accurate
timing.The retimed output is sent to a
digital 75 Ωcoaxial SPDIF output for
digital recording purposes, as well as to
the analogue section of the converter.
HDCD®decoding
HDCD®(High Definition Compatible
Digital) is a proprietary technique
developed by Pacific Microsonics Incor-
porated.Using HDCD®, the recording
engineer can record the music at a higher
resolution and quality than on a standard
CD.A digital to analogue converter with an
HDCD®facility,such as the DAC20,
is necessary to make use of this higher
resolution.The DAC20 recognises
recordings made with HDCD®encoding and
applies the appropriate decoding to make
use of the improved music information.
multiple input ormats
The DAC20 accepts digital data in three
different formats: SPDIF 75 Ωcoaxial
using both phono and BNC connectors;
optical EIAJ usingTOSLINK™connectors
and,for optimum noise rejection,
AES/EBU 110 Ω,balanced,transformer-
coupled using XLR connectors.Input can
be selected from one of the three optical
inputs,one of the three coaxial inputs or
from theAES/EBU input.
06
welcome
07
welcome
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HDCD®compatible with automatic switching
24 bit data processing
Single bit digital to analogue converter with 20 bit resolution and
192 times oversampling
Ultra linear, low-noise, low-distortion single-bit conversion
‘Straight Line Technology’ links the digital to analogue
converter to the audio output
Very low noise master clock synchronises with the digital data
input to minimise jitter
Automatic sampling frequency selection
Automatic de-emphasis
Microprocessor control
Automatic and manual muting
Immunity to electromagnetic interference enhanced by double
layer, epoxy glass printed circuit board technology
Linear phase output filters with high-quality, high-stability active
and passive components
Three coaxial SPDIF inputs with phono and BNC sockets
AES/EBU balanced input with XLR socket
Three optical EIAJ inputs
Two low-impedance analogue stereo outputs to allow long
cable runs
Coaxial SPDIF digital output with precisely retimed signal for
high-quality digital recording
Sorbothane®sonic isolation feet, specially designed
by TAG McLaren Audio(1)
08 09
key eatures key eatures
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1. For the very best performance we recommend that our units are placed on
individual shelves and are not stacked one on top of another
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