Understated but wonderfully capable digital-to-analogue converter
TAD has evolved from its 1970s origins as a Pioneer off-shoot into a respected high-end standalone manufacturer of speakers and electronics; and the DA1000TX digital-to-analogue converter is a fine example of its wares. Like many of TAD’s designs, it is an understated product, built and engineered with obsessive care.
When we say understated, that doesn’t apply to its size. It is easily bigger than many premium power amplifiers and weighs in at a hefty 16.5kg. Make sure your hi-fi rack is strong enough to support it.
The front panel is pleasingly uncluttered, and this focused simplicity-first approach extends to the way the unit operates. While most DAC rivals offer a multitude of filter settings and other adjustments to allow users to tweak performance, TAD offers nothing in the way of fine-tuning. You hear what the engineers consider best – something that speaks to the company’s conviction in its approach to sound quality.
There are USB (type B), coaxial (x2) and optical digital inputs, alongside the less common AES/EBU. There is also a pair of digital outputs for those who want the option of doing extra processing. On the analogue side, there are balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs, and on the front panel is a 6.3mm headphone socket.
This is an immaculately constructed product with dual-differential DAC ICs per channel alongside independent power supplies for the analogue and digital sections of the circuitry to minimise unwanted interaction. Great care is taken with the master clock signal to minimise jitter, and the general circuit design to reduce noise levels. TAD has developed its own asynchronous USB engine, where most rivals buy third-party off-the-shelf modules. This DAC can handle pretty much any audio file type you like from 32-bit/384kHz PCM to DSD256.
We would describe the TAD’s sound as clean, precise and cultured. It has a sophisticated presentation that digs up plenty of detail and organises it into a musically coherent performance. Play a demanding recording such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and the DAC responds with a wide-open soundstage populated with crisply drawn instruments. There is a good sense of depth, and stereo imaging stays stable even when the piece becomes demanding. The sense of scale is pleasing and extends our system’s sounds well beyond the outside edges of the ATC SCM50 speakers we test it with.
GRACEFUL COMPOSURE
This is not a particularly characterful sound – and that’s a compliment. The DA1000TX
