[John Massaria]

TEAC UD-505
Pros: A very well executed all in one box solution, solid build and I liked the three isolating feet, excellent Preamp, a very fine head amp, a fine DAC with DSD conversion and PCM conversion, convenient TRS 6.3mm or balanced TRS very unique! I loved the balanced 4.4mm bravo on that choice, blows away Wyred4 Sound Intimo

Cons: A fine DAC- but some may like a more precise sound, not the last word on headamp transparency, slam or bass comparing it to other Amps, but for the price this thing is VERY close to state of the art

USB DAC/Headphone Amplifier $1699-$1,999.00USD Depending on where you buy it
ON LOAN FROM:
Todd F. Green President
Todd The Vinyl Junkie www.ttvjaudio.com

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hi-Res audio playback supporting DSD512 (22.6MHz) and PCM 768kHz/32-bit PCM
• Dual monaural circuit design with a high-end AKM VERITA AK4497 DAC on each channel
• 5 types of PCM digital filters and 2 types of DSD digital filters
• Up-conversion up to 24.5MHz DSD and 384kHz/32-bit PCM
• Dual on-board clocks for 44.1kHz and 48kHz frequencies, and 10MHz external clock input
• Bluetooth? receiver supporting LDAC? and Qualcomm? aptX? HD
• TEAC-HCLD output buffer circuit and TEAC-QVCS volume control for high quality sound
• 4.4mm 5-polar Pentaconn jack and dual 1/4″ TRS jacks for balanced and active-ground drives *1
• TEAC’s patent registered pin-point feet in three positions for the perfect installation *2
• “Bulk Pet” USB transfer technology, with four transfer modes to vary sound character *3
• Free TEAC HR Audio Player for DSD512 and PCM32/768 playback

TECH DETAILS:

• Hi-Res audio playback supporting DSD512 (22.6MHz) and PCM 768kHz/32-bit PCM
• Dual monaural circuit design with a high-end AKM VERITA AK4497 DAC on each left and right channel
• 5 types of PCM digital filters and 2 types of DSD digital filters
• Up-conversion up to 24.5MHz DSD and 384kHz/32-bit PCM
• Dual on-board clocks for 44.1kHz and 48kHz frequencies, and 10MHz external clock input
• Bluetooth® receiver supporting LDAC™ and Qualcomm® aptX™ HD
• TEAC-HCLD output buffer circuit and TEAC-QVCS volume control for high quality sound
• Dual toroidal-core power transformers
• Digital Isolator for separated digital and analogue sections
• 4.4mm 5-polar Pentaconn jack and dual 1/4” TRS jacks for balanced and active-ground drives*1
• TEAC’s patent-registered pin-point feet in three positions for the perfect installation*2
• Bulk Pet USB transferring technology with four transfer modes for various sound characters*3
• USB audio port for Hi-Res audio input from Windows/Mac
• Coaxial and optical digital inputs on both front and back
• Convenient analogue LINE input to use the UD-505 as a pre-amplifier
• Analogue outputs with balanced XLR and conventional unbalanced RCA outputs
• High-contrast full-graphic organic EL display with dimmer
• Full-metal body with an A4-sized footprint
• Free TEAC HR Audio Player for DSD512 and PCM32/768 playback
• Compliant with RoHS

The UD-505 is also a pre-amplifier - using an analogue processing; a wide range of analogue/digital inputs, and fixed/variable level XLR (balanced) and RCA (unbalanced) outputs. You can build a hi-fi system around the UD-505 with a stereo amplifier/pair of monaural power amplifiers and floorstanding speakers, or a simplified system based on a pair of active speakers The TEAC-QVCS (Quad Volume Control System) which is claimed to be a precise volume control design. This circuit employs four sets of variable gain-amps controlling volume for left, right, positive and negative (L+, L–, R+, R-). Each variable gain-amp is located on a simplified signal path which helps eliminate interference noise by creating a shorter signal path. In addition, the TEAC-QVCS provides precise volume control in 0.5dB steps in ‘dB’ display mode, or 100 steps in ‘step’ display mode.

The UD-505’s headphone amplifier circuit provides balanced-drive by using the TEAC-HCLD circuit, – comprised of four output transistors for each left and right channel – for headphone output. The amp uses transistors which are in parallel when a single-ended headphone is connected, the UD-505 delivers stronger driving power than most ordinary single-ended headphone amps provide. When listening to conventional headphones, it also operates in Class-A (by expanding the Class-A range of operation), despite using a Class-A/B amplifier. With challenging 600Ω high-impedance headphones the amp seemed to work very well in deed beacuse of this amp set up. Is it better sounding than my Bottlehead Crack With Speedball? Its not as musical but it certainly is faster and more precuise- meaning in many ways depending on your mood- you may want more accurate sound then it would be a clear winner for the UD505- but if you want romance in sound then using the Bottlehead is your ticket- still using the DAC in the TEAC UD-505 but bypassing the internal amp of the TEAC and RCA leads out to the Crack. Of course the 300ohm or 600ohm headphones are made for the Crack esentially and exclusively- and the Crack fails at anything under say 150ohms as an amp...Contrary - The TEAC Amp section can drive 32ohm IEMs all the way up to 600 ohm headphones- making it logical choice for both sound and convince as a one box solution.

Comparing the UD-505 as one box solution - it is a better sounding DAC and amp both judged seperately- when comparing it to the $1499 Wyre4Sound Intimo or the YULONG DA-ART Aquila II. YULONG DA-ART Aquila II is a fine cheaper solution to the one box delema and even managed to beat the Wyred4Sound Intimo... but fell short in performance when comparing the YULONG to the TEAC. The overall performance of the UD-505 puts it near state of the art honestly. They really did do an excellent job over at TEAC- again being a one box solution - this punches way above most one box systems and rivals some of the best separates out there for performance and sound. It's operation flawless, whisper silent, volume as smooth as silk- a joy to use and listen to and operate.

BUT...

Comparing the amp section of the UD-505 to my PASS WHAMMY the winner goes to the PASS WHAMMY by far. The dynamics and stage using the dual OPA627 on browndogs along with the excellent engineering of the WHAMMY put this amp ahead. Kit price for WHAMMY is $200 plus the box and plus assembly, plus OPA627 on browndogs make this a $700 offering from engineer builders like the Amp Builder on etsy- if this WHAMMY design were more commercial like the TEAC with all their fancy laser etching, box construction, marketing and shipping costs the Whammy would be triple that price coming in somewhere around $1500- $1999. But kits already assembled can be bought for $800 or there abouts on ebay without hyped up boxes or silk screening.

Moving on- I wanted to isolate the UD505 as a DAC alone- Typically I use the Topping D90 which is brutal in it's ability to transfer the zero's and ones into beautiful precise music and hides nothing- I use all copper wire including the power cords from Signals Magic Power Power Cord which makes the DAC honest yet warmer than say silver or typical double or quad braided PC wire. Some may poo poo at the idea of cables. I did a long review on cables here on head-fi (https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/capistranocables-xlr-cables.24634/) where I basically determine pure copper 6n or 7n works best for me and my gear. With that being said I used the refference wire by GRIMM called SQM XLRs for the UD505 by passing the UD505 amp - therefore using it solely as a DAC. I also used the GRIMM TPR XLR wire which is slightly more warm and fun. Hooking both the Topping D90 and the UD-505 to my Ray Samuels Apache - I was able to switch on the fly. The DAC on the UD-505 utilizes the VERITA AK4497 D/A while the Topping D90 uses the 'higher' AKM chip AK4499EQ- the most expensive AKM to date. Bottom line they are close- but the D90 edges ahead in detail, bass slam and stage- but by a small margin.

The Apache is in another league when comparing head-amps to the UD-505. Everything is more transparent, 3-d and holographic when music is mastered in that way. Vocals and things like cymbals and string instruments are all great with the UD-505- but switching to the Apache- you realize why it costs $3000. Is it a fair comparison? yes. The UD-505 holds it's own and it is close. The Apache is two box system (fully balanced preamp/amp which is connected by an umbilical cord to the regulated balanced separate power supply) and adding a DAC makes it a three box system. More desk space and more money- is the pay off worth it- yes for me my combo ssystem seperates have not been beat. But the TEAC UD-505 does deliver for less ruppies (cashola AKA bread) and very close to the performance of the three box setup.

More details: Loved the dual function Pentaconn, a totally new single-plug connector for balanced headphone drive
In addition to the dual conventional 1/4” TRS jacks for balanced connection, the UD-505 employs a newly designed single headphone jack for balanced drive. The Pentaconn jack is a new 4.4mm 5-pole jack that has been developed by NIPPON DICS Co., Ltd, and complies the RC-8141C JEITA Standard, providing a single-jack solution for balanced headphones (Which I used with my IEMs and my favorite headphone of all time... the Kennerton GH50 JM Editions; with great results I might add). More Pentaconn jack-equipped headphones and cables are expected in the near future. Along with the Pentaconn jack, two 1/4” TRS jacks provide three driving modes: balanced, active-ground, and parallel drive (for two pairs of single-ended headphones).

More features:

“Bulk Pet” USB transfer technology for enhanced audio quality. When transferring large volumes of digital data for Hi-Res audio sources through USB cables using conventional isochronous transfer mode, large variations can occur in the processing loads of the sending computer and the receiving USB DAC. This can cause sound to drop out and other problems to occur. However, with our new USB transmission technology – dubbed “Bulk Pet” – a fixed amount of data is transmitted constantly, levelling out the processing burden on both devices and contributing to stable data transmission. Changing the processing burden on the computer directly affects audio quality so users can select the setting they prefer (from four transmission modes).

PCM digital filters :

• Sharp Roll Off: FIR filter with a steep roll-off that sharply cuts signals outside the audio band
• Slow Roll Off: FIR filter with a slow roll-off that gently cuts signals outside the audio band
• Short Delay – Sharp: Short delay filter with a steep roll-off that sharply cuts signals outside the audio band
• Short Delay – Slow: Short delay filter with a slow roll-off that gently cuts signals outside the audio band
• Low Dispersion: Short delay filter with low dispersion that cuts signals outside the audio band.
• Off

The USB software loaded without me having to install drivers- a huge plus and all functions worked flawlessly without issue. The preamp is whisper quiet and extremely intuitive to use. The remote is a nice touch, it is solid and controls just about everything one could want- more company's should be so thoughtful in providing this much control remotely. I tried the different filters and settled on the slow short delay for me as sounding best. Sometimes I preferred no filer so I left it off and then realized - off was maybe a tad bit more revealing but still not as musical. It depended on the tracks I used honestly.

Summery: A great buy at the price, the UD-505 is and has many features and performance few can match. I know the TEAC blew away the $1499 Wyred4Sound Intimo DAC/HEADAMP I reviewed months ago which is a very similar price to the UD-505. The TEAC amp and DAC are far superior than the Wyred4Sound for sure. And you get a remote and preamp function with the TEAC. The DAC the sound is balanced, smooth and extremely detailed. If you want a very solidly built tank like desktop headphone amp, DAC and Preamp; the UD505 is a logical solid choice. It's near state of the art without having to fork over double or triple the price for just a slight sound improvement. Highly recommended as a one stop box solution that should serve owners well into the future.

REVIEW here- https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/te...one-amplifier.24892/reviews#item-review-25104

 

[John Massaria]

 

[geoffalter11]

Forthcoming. In a nutshell, perfect implementation of dual '97 DAC, great menu system, deep, rich, sophisticated sound. Couldn't get bluetooth to work, absolute joy to listen to.

I don't recall seeing your review. Inquiring minds...

 

[Loftprojection]

Bravo John, very nice review. Really like the comparo you made to individual components versus one box stop as well as honesty describing the aspects where the Teac did not perform as well, but factoring in the price, very interesting.

Would you mind sharing one more opinion? I’d like to know if you have heard or own any kind of R-2R Dac or tube headamp? If you, how would you compare the musicality of the Teac to those?

Thanks again for this great review.

 

[John Massaria]

Bravo John, very nice review. Really like the comparo you made to individual components versus one box stop as well as honesty describing the aspects where the Teac did not perform as well, but factoring in the price, very interesting.

Would you mind sharing one more opinion? I’d like to know if you have heard or own any kind of R-2R Dac or tube headamp? If you, how would you compare the musicality of the Teac to those?

Thanks again for this great review.

The lower priced Aries 2 R2R is not as detailed as the ToppingD90. The D90 some find too detailed but not me.Some say the stage on the D90 is not as wide- NOT True at all- it must be their amp I would say. I also say the DAC should let nothing hide- so cabling for me made huge difference in getting the the right dialed in perfection with the D90 where I felt it sounded best. I use Kimber USB b wire, all copper XLR or RCA 6n or 7n wire for XLRs. For my headphone cables, it differs dependent on headphone. I can like silver or copper. My favorite for listening is reviewed here by me Capistano. Yes it makes a huge difference when you are dealing with one of the best performing DACs on the planet. I don't want my DACs to hide details or add warmth - I want the recordings to come through with shear honesty. The TEAC DAC is excellent- its detailed and warm which is great for everyday use- but for me- and all the reviews I do and mastering of music and videos- I rely on my D90 and it's brutal honesty. One day if lotto ever favors me I may try the Holo Audio May DAC or Mojo Audio Mystique EVO Basic 21upgraded when I get some mega extra loot- but for now I may play around with other DACs like the Doge DAC 7 which uses tubes (but I know I wont like it for mastering or mixing or reviewing so whats the point- but I am curious) and the amazing Okto Research DAC8 Stereo but that is very similar to my D90 maybe even better since it measures better and some say it does sound better than D90. Look we live in awesome times- there is no junk out there really and we are all splinting hairs. My first question to you is - do you have room for three or two boxes or just one? Do you have an end game amp? Do you want brutal honesty or everyday enjoyment no matter the music. If not sure to any othese questions- then the TEAC will get you close to near state of the art meeting most ticks on a checkbox.

 

[geoffalter11]

The lower priced Aries 2 R2R is not as detailed as the ToppingD90. The D90 some find too detailed but not me.Some say the stage on the D90 is not as wide- NOT True at all- it must be their amp I would say. I also say the DAC should let nothing hide- so cabling for me made huge difference in getting the the right dialed in perfection with the D90 where I felt it sounded best. I use Kimber USB b wire, all copper XLR or RCA 6n or 7n wire for XLRs. For my headphone cables, it differs dependent on headphone. I can like silver or copper. My favorite for listening is reviewed here by me Capistano. Yes it makes a huge difference when you are dealing with one of the best performing DACs on the planet. I don't want my DACs to hide details or add warmth - I want the recordings to come through with shear honesty. The TEAC DAC is excellent- its detailed and warm which is great for everyday use- but for me- and all the reviews I do and mastering of music and videos- I rely on my D90 and it's brutal honesty. One day if lotto ever favors me I may try the Holo Audio May DAC or Mojo Audio Mystique EVO Basic 21upgraded when I get some mega extra loot- but for now I may play around with other DACs like the Doge DAC 7 which uses tubes (but I know I wont like it for mastering or mixing or reviewing so whats the point- but I am curious) and the amazing Okto Research DAC8 Stereo but that is very similar to my D90 maybe even better since it measures better and some say it does sound better than D90. Look we live in awesome times- there is no junk out there really and we are all splinting hairs. My first question to you is - do you have room for three or two boxes or just one? Do you have an end game amp? Do you want brutal honesty or everyday enjoyment no matter the music. If not sure to any othese questions- then the TEAC will get you close to near state of the art meeting most ticks on a checkbox.

I agree with this. So much depends on synergy between DAC and Amp. The best R2R DACs are as good as it gets. The Mojo Audio stuff is insanely good and insanely expensive.

 

[John Massaria]

Next up

 

[StivVid]

Next up

Thanks, John. I'll keep an eye out for it! Nice review too!

 

[StivVid]

Got it! Looking forward to hearing it sing.

 

[StivVid]

Ok... Looks like the UD-505 is heading to Tennessee next. I tried my best to get it shipped today, but the day got away from me. Sorry for the delay! Should be on its way tomorrow. Really enjoyed my time with it. I've shot some video and taken some pictures and will have my review posted shortly. Thanks again, Todd!

 

[geoffalter11]

Ok... Looks like the UD-505 is heading to Tennessee next. I tried my best to get it shipped today, but the day got away from me. Sorry for the delay! Should be on its way tomorrow. Really enjoyed my time with it. I've shot some video and taken some pictures and will have my review posted shortly. Thanks again, Todd!

Looking forward to your impressions and video.

 

[Todd]

Hi All,

I hope you are enjoying your time with the UD-505. To those who have done their reviews, I say thank you. Please make sure you keep your end of the bargain and post your review here. I look forward to reading them all and appreciate the insights you all share.

Todd

 

[StivVid]

Hi All,

I hope you are enjoying your time with the UD-505. To those who have done their reviews, I say thank you. Please make sure you keep your end of the bargain and post your review here. I look forward to reading them all and appreciate the insights you all share.

Todd

I haven't forgotten, Todd! Just got stupid crazy with work over the last week or so. Hope to have my review up by the end of the week. (Hope I'm not the only one that's falling behind!)

 

[StivVid]

Ok... I may edit it further, but here's my review of the TEAC UD-505. Video will be posted on my YouTube channel in the coming days. I'll post a link when it's ready.

TEAC have been around since the 1950’s when they were known for producing their excellent reel to reel tape decks. Ever since then, they’ve offered a wide range of well-made products in terms of both build and performance.

If you grew up in the 80’s and had even a passing interest in audio and hi-fi gear, you probably came across products from TEAC. I remember there were walkman-style cassette players and later portable CD players that carried the TEAC badge. There were full sized hi-fi separates and even boomboxes from TEAC, too.

What I remember them most for was the Reference series compact hi-fi gear they made in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. These were mini components designed to fit on a bookshelf in an office or small apartment—like a shelf system you might find from Sony or Panasonic, but designed as separates instead of a single stack made to look like separate components.

They were handsome, well made, full featured units and sported a brushed metal champagne colored finish which set them apart from the better known brands.

Enter the company’s current Reference series and specifically the UD-505 which TEAC describes as, “a flagship dual monaural USB DAC with an integrated fully-balanced headphone amplifier, that fuses high-end audio design concepts and TEAC’s decades of audio design experience, in an A4-sized footprint.” It lists for $1999.99 but can currently be had from ttvjaudio.com for $1699.99. This particular unit is on loan from Todd The Vinyl Junkie of ttvjaudio.com as part of a review tour. $2,000 is a significant chunk of change in my book, so does the UD-505 offer value for money at that price?

Let’s talk about build quality first. The first thing you’ll notice when taking the UD-505 out of the box is that it’s sturdy! Its chunky chassis and casing would suggest that it’s heavy, and it is. The unit I reviewed was finished in black, but a brushed silver version is available too. I like the modern and sleek black look, but if your gear has a retro vibe you might like the silver finish more. Both are very attractive.

The UD-505 is sandwiched between two substantial slabs of what seems to be solid aluminum. Two slotted “ears” protrude from these sides which might help keep the power switch on the left and the volume knob on the right from being bumped accidentally.It’s worth noting, though, that both these controls have really nice weight to them and confidence-inspiring tactile operation. They’d take a significant bump to accidentally adjust them.

The power switch reminds me of the toggle switches on my Dad’s old 70’s era Pioneer receiver—that’s a good thing. There’s a satisfying thunk when the switch is flipped up or down.

The volume knob is nice and big with grippy ribbed sides and buttery smooth resistance when turning. Nice.

Getting back to those “ears” on the sides of the chassis for a minute—it appears that the casing for the Reference series has been borrowed from products in TEAC’s pro audio division TASCAM. I found at least one portable mixer/recorder that has the same case with the same ears, presumably for a strap. That makes sense for a portable battery-powered piece of audio/video production equipment to be used to capture recordings on location, but less so for a DAC/headphone amp designed to sit on a desk or a shelf at home.

TEAC’s choice to use this case for their Reference line might make cost-saving sense in terms of being able to repurpose a case they already use for their pro division, but I find it an odd choice here. While those ears may stop accidental bumps of the controls at the left and right of the UD-505’s face, in practice they often make it awkward to reach the power switch or the volume knob from any angle but straight-on. If you have your headphone amp on a night stand by the bed, for example—which I always do—then these ears make if very hard to reach the volume knob from bed without having to sit up. A minor quibble, you may say, but I think it’s an unnecessary feature that the UD-505 would be better off without.

There’s one last thing I’d like to comment on in terms of build quality. Well… three things, actually. I’m talking about the feet. I really like the clever design of them. They’re self leveling, vibration damping and there’s only three of them instead of four. Why three? Think of a three legged stool compared to a four legged chair. The stool will never rock even if the surface it’s sitting on is a little uneven. The chair, however, may often sit with one leg lifted just off the ground so that it wobbles a bit. Three legs means the UD-505 will stay put even if the surface is a little uneven. Top that off with a vibration isolating conical foot/inverse conical base design and you have a winning combo. I’ve never seen feet like this on another audio component, but they all should have them.

I could really dig into the tech in the UD-505 here, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that TEAC have packed a load of smart engineering and thoughtful features in this unit. The most important thing to understand about the UD-505 is that it’s essentially two monaural balanced audio circuits operating in tandem in the same chassis. In balanced mode, the left and right channels are kept separate from input all the way through to output. This topology creates superior channel separation, low crosstalk, better signal to noise performance and extended dynamic range.

There are two AK4497 DACs—one for each channel. This DAC is part of AK’s VERITA line and is described as having Velvet Sound. That seems right to me because the sound of the UD-505 is velvety and smooth. The AK4497 is a premium DAC that can handle just about any digital format you can throw at it. I listened to a variety of music formats from LDAC Bluetooth, to FLAC to DSD64. The UD-505 never broke a sweat and it’s capable of decoding higher resolution formats, too. It doesn’t do MQA, but that’s ok with me. I don’t have any in my collection and don’t subscribe to Tidal or any other streaming service that supports MQA right now. If MQA is a must have for you, then the UD-505 falls short there.

I listened on a variety of single-ended headphones—both low impedance and high—and one pair of IEMs. All sounded excellent with an improved sense of space between instruments, a noticeably wider soundstage and a natural and smooth presentation. I have two main criticisms of the UD-505 in single-ended mode. The first is that when using lower impedance higher sensitivity headphones like the AKG K371 or Etymotic’s ER3XR, there’s an audible hum. It’s barely there, but it’s there. I never heard it with my Sennheiser HD600’s at 300 Ohms or my Beyerdynamic DT250 250 Ohm headphones. Those higher impedance headphones were dead silent during quiet passages or between tracks.

My second bone to pick is that to my ears, the UD-505 seems to round off and smooth over the edges in the upper midrange and treble just a tad. It’s presentation is smoother and more relaxed than I’m used to hearing from my every-day DAC/headphone amp, the Topping DX3 Pro. In comparison, the Topping sounds a little more lively and energetic, albeit with a narrower soundstage and a reduced sense of layering and space. Initially I thought that the TEAC didn’t resolve quite as much texture and detail as the smaller and much less expensive Topping, but I’m not so sure. It may be that the TEAC is much less grainy sounding than the Topping and I’m hearing that grain as exaggerated detail in the DX3 Pro. More listening is required to come to a conclusion here, but there’s no doubt that the UD-505 would pair well with headphones that are a bit aggressive in the treble region. Its smooth and grainless character would help tame a harsh pair of cans.

I believe the smooth character can be attributed to the choice of DAC for the UD-505. To test this theory, I bypassed the amp section by putting the unit in preamp mode and sent the output of its unbalanced RCA jacks to my Topping L30 headphone amp. That same smooth rounded-off character came through. The opposite was evident when listening to an analog source connected to the UD-505’s line inputs. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to my vinyl collection through headphones—something I haven’t been able to do with my current setup because the DX3 Pro doesn’t have an analog line in.

Records sounded great through the UD-505’s headphone amp but didn’t seem to have the same velvety character that digital sources had. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is a matter of personal preference. I enjoyed the extra bite that vinyl playback had compared to FLAC or DSD or LDAC, but I can imagine times when a more forgiving presentation would work too. Of course, much of that depends on your choice of turntable and phono preamp and a million other variables as well.

Alas, the only headphone I have right now with a balanced connection is the Massdrop X Meze 99 Noir. I have Meze’s 2.5mm balanced cable for the 99 Classics for portable use and bought a Pentaconn adapter from ddHifi in order to listen to the UD-505’s balanced output. To be honest, I’m not sure if this adapter is actually doing what it says it does. I think I heard a slight tightening of bass and a more controlled low-end presentation. This helped to clean up the Meze’s wooly and bloated bass and decrease the sense of congestion and mud in the lower midrange. There are DAC/amps that pair well with the 99 Noirs but for me, the Meze’s weren’t a great match for the UD-505 in either single-ended or balanced configuration. I would have liked to have had more choices of headphones for balanced connection, but I don’t.

Speaking of balanced connections… In addition to the 4.4mm Pentaconn headphone out, the UD-505 has not one but two standard 6.3mm headphone jacks. In single-ended mode you can choose to use either of the 6.3mm jacks for a single pair of headphones—plug into the left jack or the right, your choice—or use both jacks to run two pairs of headphones simultaneously. In balanced mode though, things get interesting. Essentially these outputs become balanced monaural left and right outputs for a balanced headphone cable with two 6.3mm connectors.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a headphone cable like that and I’m not sure where one would purchase such a cable. I looked, but didn’t find one on the internet. I have, however, seen cables terminated in dual xlr connectors which could be adapted to 6.3mm, but that's not the most elegant solution. I suppose the alternative would have been to make the UD-505 a balanced only headphone amp by replacing the 6.3mm jacks with xlr. It's nice to be able to run both balanced and single-ended headphones on this amp, though. Maybe the implementation of dual 6.3mm jacks was the only way to make that happen. Anyway, I was unable to test the balanced connection from the dual 6.3mm jacks.

There are many more features and functions of the UD-505 that I haven’t covered here like the ability to use it as a preamp to an external amp or powered speakers, it’s balanced xlr preamp outputs, full complement of digital inputs on the back of the unit plus a 3.5mm coax/optical combo jack on the front, well thought-out and easy to navigate menus, and an excellent and highly legible display. Oh! And I almost forgot that it comes with a very nice remote control from which you can control all of its features. Information on all of this and more can be found on TEAC’s highly informative website pages for the UD-505.

So the bottom line is, does the UD-505 represent good value for it’s asking price? The answer is a resounding yes. TEAC has made a machine with exemplary build quality, an impressively comprehensive list of features and functionality, smooth and spacious sound, and enough power and finesse to complement a wide variety of headphones—both balanced and single-ended. If I were to change anything, I'd give it a little more bite in the top end and remove the ears from the sides of the chassis. That's it. Given everything else that TEAC got right, these seem like very minor complaints. In my opinion, it looks, feels and sounds every bit of its $2000 asking price, and at its sale price of $1700 it’s an even better value. If you have the budget and space for the TEAC UD-505, it comes highly recommended.

 

[geoffalter11]

Ok... I may edit it further, but here's my review of the TEAC UD-505. Video will be posted on my YouTube channel in the coming days. I'll post a link when it's ready.


TEAC have been around since the 1950’s when they were known for producing their excellent reel to reel tape decks. Ever since then, they’ve offered a wide range of well-made products in terms of both build and performance.

If you grew up in the 80’s and had even a passing interest in audio and hi-fi gear, you probably came across products from TEAC. I remember there were walkman-style cassette players and later portable CD players that carried the TEAC badge. There were full sized hi-fi separates and even boomboxes from TEAC, too.

What I remember them most for was the Reference series compact hi-fi gear they made in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. These were mini components designed to fit on a bookshelf in an office or small apartment—like a shelf system you might find from Sony or Panasonic, but designed as separates instead of a single stack made to look like separate components.

They were handsome, well made, full featured units and sported a brushed metal champagne colored finish which set them apart from the better known brands.

Enter the company’s current Reference series and specifically the UD-505 which TEAC describes as, “a flagship dual monaural USB DAC with an integrated fully-balanced headphone amplifier, that fuses high-end audio design concepts and TEAC’s decades of audio design experience, in an A4-sized footprint.” It lists for $1999.99 but can currently be had from ttvjaudio.com for $1699.99. This particular unit is on loan from Todd The Vinyl Junkie of ttvjaudio.com as part of a review tour. $2,000 is a significant chunk of change in my book, so does the UD-505 offer value for money at that price?

Let’s talk about build quality first. The first thing you’ll notice when taking the UD-505 out of the box is that it’s sturdy! Its chunky chassis and casing would suggest that it’s heavy, and it is. The unit I reviewed was finished in black, but a brushed silver version is available too. I like the modern and sleek black look, but if your gear has a retro vibe you might like the silver finish more. Both are very attractive.

The UD-505 is sandwiched between two substantial slabs of what seems to be solid aluminum. Two slotted “ears” protrude from these sides which might help keep the power switch on the left and the volume knob on the right from being bumped accidentally.It’s worth noting, though, that both these controls have really nice weight to them and confidence-inspiring tactile operation. They’d take a significant bump to accidentally adjust them.

The power switch reminds me of the toggle switches on my Dad’s old 70’s era Pioneer receiver—that’s a good thing. There’s a satisfying thunk when the switch is flipped up or down.

The volume knob is nice and big with grippy ribbed sides and buttery smooth resistance when turning. Nice.

Getting back to those “ears” on the sides of the chassis for a minute—it appears that the casing for the Reference series has been borrowed from products in TEAC’s pro audio division TASCAM. I found at least one portable mixer/recorder that has the same case with the same ears, presumably for a strap. That makes sense for a portable battery-powered piece of audio/video production equipment to be used to capture recordings on location, but less so for a DAC/headphone amp designed to sit on a desk or a shelf at home.

TEAC’s choice to use this case for their Reference line might make cost-saving sense in terms of being able to repurpose a case they already use for their pro division, but I find it an odd choice here. While those ears may stop accidental bumps of the controls at the left and right of the UD-505’s face, in practice they often make it awkward to reach the power switch or the volume knob from any angle but straight-on. If you have your headphone amp on a night stand by the bed, for example—which I always do—then these ears make if very hard to reach the volume knob from bed without having to sit up. A minor quibble, you may say, but I think it’s an unnecessary feature that the UD-505 would be better off without.

There’s one last thing I’d like to comment on in terms of build quality. Well… three things, actually. I’m talking about the feet. I really like the clever design of them. They’re self leveling, vibration damping and there’s only three of them instead of four. Why three? Think of a three legged stool compared to a four legged chair. The stool will never rock even if the surface it’s sitting on is a little uneven. The chair, however, may often sit with one leg lifted just off the ground so that it wobbles a bit. Three legs means the UD-505 will stay put even if the surface is a little uneven. Top that off with a vibration isolating conical foot/inverse conical base design and you have a winning combo. I’ve never seen feet like this on another audio component, but they all should have them.

I could really dig into the tech in the UD-505 here, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that TEAC have packed a load of smart engineering and thoughtful features in this unit. The most important thing to understand about the UD-505 is that it’s essentially two monaural balanced audio circuits operating in tandem in the same chassis. In balanced mode, the left and right channels are kept separate from input all the way through to output. This topology creates superior channel separation, low crosstalk, better signal to noise performance and extended dynamic range.

There are two AK4497 DACs—one for each channel. This DAC is part of AK’s VERITA line and is described as having Velvet Sound. That seems right to me because the sound of the UD-505 is velvety and smooth. The AK4497 is a premium DAC that can handle just about any digital format you can throw at it. I listened to a variety of music formats from LDAC Bluetooth, to FLAC to DSD64. The UD-505 never broke a sweat and it’s capable of decoding higher resolution formats, too. It doesn’t do MQA, but that’s ok with me. I don’t have any in my collection and don’t subscribe to Tidal or any other streaming service that supports MQA right now. If MQA is a must have for you, then the UD-505 falls short there.

I listened on a variety of single-ended headphones—both low impedance and high—and one pair of IEMs. All sounded excellent with an improved sense of space between instruments, a noticeably wider soundstage and a natural and smooth presentation. I have two main criticisms of the UD-505 in single-ended mode. The first is that when using lower impedance higher sensitivity headphones like the AKG K371 or Etymotic’s ER3XR, there’s an audible hum. It’s barely there, but it’s there. I never heard it with my Sennheiser HD600’s at 300 Ohms or my Beyerdynamic DT250 250 Ohm headphones. Those higher impedance headphones were dead silent during quiet passages or between tracks.

My second bone to pick is that to my ears, the UD-505 seems to round off and smooth over the edges in the upper midrange and treble just a tad. It’s presentation is smoother and more relaxed than I’m used to hearing from my every-day DAC/headphone amp, the Topping DX3 Pro. In comparison, the Topping sounds a little more lively and energetic, albeit with a narrower soundstage and a reduced sense of layering and space. Initially I thought that the TEAC didn’t resolve quite as much texture and detail as the smaller and much less expensive Topping, but I’m not so sure. It may be that the TEAC is much less grainy sounding than the Topping and I’m hearing that grain as exaggerated detail in the DX3 Pro. More listening is required to come to a conclusion here, but there’s no doubt that the UD-505 would pair well with headphones that are a bit aggressive in the treble region. Its smooth and grainless character would help tame a harsh pair of cans.

I believe the smooth character can be attributed to the choice of DAC for the UD-505. To test this theory, I bypassed the amp section by putting the unit in preamp mode and sent the output of its unbalanced RCA jacks to my Topping L30 headphone amp. That same smooth rounded-off character came through. The opposite was evident when listening to an analog source connected to the UD-505’s line inputs. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to my vinyl collection through headphones—something I haven’t been able to do with my current setup because the DX3 Pro doesn’t have an analog line in.

Records sounded great through the UD-505’s headphone amp but didn’t seem to have the same velvety character that digital sources had. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is a matter of personal preference. I enjoyed the extra bite that vinyl playback had compared to FLAC or DSD or LDAC, but I can imagine times when a more forgiving presentation would work too. Of course, much of that depends on your choice of turntable and phono preamp and a million other variables as well.

Alas, the only headphone I have right now with a balanced connection is the Massdrop X Meze 99 Noir. I have Meze’s 2.5mm balanced cable for the 99 Classics for portable use and bought a Pentaconn adapter from ddHifi in order to listen to the UD-505’s balanced output. To be honest, I’m not sure if this adapter is actually doing what it says it does. I think I heard a slight tightening of bass and a more controlled low-end presentation. This helped to clean up the Meze’s wooly and bloated bass and decrease the sense of congestion and mud in the lower midrange. There are DAC/amps that pair well with the 99 Noirs but for me, the Meze’s weren’t a great match for the UD-505 in either single-ended or balanced configuration. I would have liked to have had more choices of headphones for balanced connection, but I don’t.

Speaking of balanced connections… In addition to the 4.4mm Pentaconn headphone out, the UD-505 has not one but two standard 6.3mm headphone jacks. In single-ended mode you can choose to use either of the 6.3mm jacks for a single pair of headphones—plug into the left jack or the right, your choice—or use both jacks to run two pairs of headphones simultaneously. In balanced mode though, things get interesting. Essentially these outputs become balanced monaural left and right outputs for a balanced headphone cable with two 6.3mm connectors.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a headphone cable like that and I’m not sure where one would purchase such a cable. I looked, but didn’t find one on the internet. I have, however, seen cables terminated in dual xlr connectors which could be adapted to 6.3mm, but that's not the most elegant solution. I suppose the alternative would have been to make the UD-505 a balanced only headphone amp by replacing the 6.3mm jacks with xlr. It's nice to be able to run both balanced and single-ended headphones on this amp, though. Maybe the implementation of dual 6.3mm jacks was the only way to make that happen. Anyway, I was unable to test the balanced connection from the dual 6.3mm jacks.

There are many more features and functions of the UD-505 that I haven’t covered here like the ability to use it as a preamp to an external amp or powered speakers, it’s balanced xlr preamp outputs, full complement of digital inputs on the back of the unit plus a 3.5mm coax/optical combo jack on the front, well thought-out and easy to navigate menus, and an excellent and highly legible display. Oh! And I almost forgot that it comes with a very nice remote control from which you can control all of its features. Information on all of this and more can be found on TEAC’s highly informative website pages for the UD-505.

So the bottom line is, does the UD-505 represent good value for it’s asking price? The answer is a resounding yes. TEAC has made a machine with exemplary build quality, an impressively comprehensive list of features and functionality, smooth and spacious sound, and enough power and finesse to complement a wide variety of headphones—both balanced and single-ended. If I were to change anything, I'd give it a little more bite in the top end and remove the ears from the sides of the chassis. That's it. Given everything else that TEAC got right, these seem like very minor complaints. In my opinion, it looks, feels and sounds every bit of its $2000 asking price, and at its sale price of $1700 it’s an even better value. If you have the budget and space for the TEAC UD-505, it comes highly recommended.

Thanks for the great review. At first I had the same impression as you that the treble was a bit smoothed over, until I realized that all the information was there, and then some. It wasn't rolled off at all, just smooth and gentle like a warm summer breeze. The clocks employed at both 44.1k and 48.1k are keeping everything in time. This is what I felt made this such a wonderful DAC. All the information is there, it is just extremely organized. Their implementation of the AKM chipset is as good as I have heard. I want to hear it with the master clock. I wonder if the addition of the master clock will further enhance this DACs best attributes. Timing and musicality. Loved your review! Thank you for adding your impressions...