I’d love to hear some opinions about the “sound” of he Strata internal DAC. I only have a Topping DS50 to compare with and I would say the Strata DAC, to the extent I can tell, since it is integrated, has a softer sound, less bright and analytical, but not really missing detail. Just a tad bit muted. On balance the Topping is somewhat more appealing to my ear but the Strata is still very listenable. I wonder how this compares with other PSAudio DACs?
BB
I cannot comment on other DACs but I can on Strata. This is one of the better DACs we have yet made in a product. Strata is based on an exceptional sounding platform augmented by some pretty slick engineering that we call the Digital Lens. This buffer/low jitter oscillator technology really cleans up the digital inputs and, to my ears, helps with sound quality. I’d say that the DAC in Strata comes close to that of the DS Jr. - it is really excellent.
Thanks for your response Paul.
Could you elaborate on the Digital Lens? I have been gaining a rudimentary understanding of DAC designs, ie. chip based, R to R, and FPGA. Is the Digital Lens more like one of these than the others or something completely different? Technology aside what is the “voicing” you strive for? Perhaps this could also be described as the design philosophy and how is that embodied in the psAudio family of DACs. What would one expect to hear as they moved up the PSAudio DAC ladder, so to speak.
BB