Audio Research DAC 8 - Reference Quality Digital Converter

Audio Research has used the tagline “There is only one reference” for years now. Such a slogan would seem pretty arrogant for most companies, but Audio Research’s track record of producing top-class kit over the past 40 years makes it much easier to swallow. The DAC 8 – the company’s sixth standalone digital-to-analogue converter – lives up to both the company’s tagline and heritage. Perhaps surprisingly, considering the company’s valve-based heritage, this is an all-solid-state unit. Some DACs from rival companies have tried to sweeten the sound of digital with hybrid designs that use valves in the output stage, but in most cases this approach fails to fully satisfy. Their sound tends to overplay warmth and smoothness, sacrificing precision and dynamic punch in the process. Accepts high-res audio Like an increasing number of DACs, this Audio Research product will accept signals up to high-resolution 24Bit/192kHz level. To do this through the unit’s USB 2.0 input, though, you’ll need t