[jcoops16]

I see that Arcam are releasing a new standalone DAC this summer for £299, no name or specs just yet just a photo of a prototype and it has USB, optical and coaxial digital connections.

I can see more and more established HiFi brands moving into this market as digital music held on pc grows and grows

Arcam develops sub-£300 DAC

 

[obrienk]

nice. but i want a black one

 

[MayorSimpleton]

Looking forward to the specs.

Pluck

 

[.Sup]

Thanks for the info, hopefully I won't have to buy PSU for it cos the supplied ones are usually crap. Hopefully there's a good internal supply.

Obrienk here you go: http://www.hi-fi-insight.com/arcam-black-box-dac.html

 

[Currawong]

That looks quite interesting. I wonder what the specs will be.

 

[Headphony]

Looks interesting. To quote the article:
"Dawson says Arcam has spent a lot of time and effort improving the performance of the USB connection."
Just speculating, but that seems to imply at least 24/96 support and maybe even asynch.

 

[Spareribs]

would like to hear it someday

 

[Uri Cohen]

OOOO, this could be one of the DACs that I might buy in the Summer. I know one thing, my local Arcam dealer will give me a big discount on it if I buy one. We'll see.

 

[Uri Cohen]

I send an email to Arcam a while back and they finally email me back:

Quote:

Thank you for your interest in the Arcam DAC. You are right, John Dawson was alluding to how the DAC uses the asynchronous transfer mode for USB audio. This allows USB audio to be clocked using the audiophile quality clock of the DAC rather than relying on the PC, providing far superior performance. It also allows for 24 bit 96kHz operation over USB, a feature lacking from most other USB DACs.

I didn't ask for the specs, but at least this might be a good sign.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperDuel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I send an email to Arcam a while back and they finally email me back: Thank you for your interest in the Arcam DAC. You are right, John Dawson was alluding to how the DAC uses the asynchronous transfer mode for USB audio. This allows USB audio to be clocked using the audiophile quality clock of the DAC rather than relying on the PC, providing far superior performance. It also allows for 24 bit 96kHz operation over USB, a feature lacking from most other USB DACs. I didn't ask for the specs, but at least this might be a good sign.

That is interesting and a hopeful sign of a quality product at a sensible price. I hope it stays that compact size, plain and simple.

 

[Cankin]

Does anyone know the release day?

I may get either this or new Emotiva Dac depending on specs

 

[Headphony]

^Ooh, bingo! This really could be a killer value for money DAC.

 

[Asr]

There's a little bit of new info on this DAC in the June 2010 issue of Stereophile. Looks like it's officially called the rDAC and it's said that the async transfer protocol "in some ways resembles that used so successfully in Ayre Acoustics' QB-9". The DAC chip is the WM8741 and price will be $500.
 
Given Arcam's reputation I wouldn't be surprised if this DAC turns out to be a solid performer for the price.

 

[Fidelity Castro]

It would be interesting to know if they licensed the asynchronous protocol from gordon rankin and wavelenght ( wich is what ayre did ) or if they have developed a m2tech similar solution by themself. Supposed to be a big seller it could be possible that Arcam brings this wavelenght technology into the sub 1000$ market. That would be really stunning and possibly all the other manufacturers like cambridge etc.would jump on that path too.
 
I´ll definitively wait until this piece is reviewed until i buy a new DAC. Could be a giant killer.

 

[Uri Cohen]

Well I guess wrong, I thought the price will be $600.  Let me see if my local Arcam dealer will be buying a demo unit soon.