Streamers — T+A SD 3100 HV

The SD 3100 HV is a streaming DAC from the HV series of T+A, the high-voltage top line of the Herford company, announced on 3 November 2019 alongside the SDV 3100 HV and the PDT 3100 HV disc transport. Its launch price was EUR 23,400, and it is identical to the SDV 3100 HV apart from the volume module and analogue input that the SDV adds. T+A's current HV page lists the SDX 3100 HV in this role.

Key specs that matter

Conversion uses the same Quadruple PCM converter at 32 bit and 768 kHz and the True 1-Bit DSD converter up to DSD1024 as T+A's other current DACs, with a new UAC3 USB receiver. Streaming covers Tidal, Qobuz and Deezer, internet radio, FM, FM-HD in the US and DAB+, plus Bluetooth with aptX, and UPnP playback of MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WAV, AIFF and ALAC. Inputs include AES/EBU, coaxial, BNC and optical, USB DAC and USB host, two HDMI inputs and one output with ARC, IPA Link, Ethernet and Wi-Fi. The RCA output delivers 2.5 V at 20 ohms and the XLR output 5.0 V at 40 ohms, and headphones connect to a 6.3 mm socket at 20 ohms or a 4.4 mm Pentaconn socket at 8 ohms. THD is below 0.001%, signal to noise ratio above 117 dB, channel separation above 110 dB and slew rate 60 V/µs. The case is 17 cm high, 46 cm wide and 46 cm deep and weighs 26 kg.

Engineering and use context

HV stands for T+A's high-voltage circuit technology, which runs the analogue stages at higher supply voltages, and the headphone amplifier uses it in pure Class A. The output stage is double mono with a 120 kHz cut-off, and a Bessel filter can be set to 60 or 120 kHz. IPA Link is a proprietary data bus that connects the SD 3100 HV to the PDT 3100 HV transport, and NAA support lets it work as a network audio adapter. The solid aluminium case is divided into five internal compartments and uses no ferromagnetic materials. Control is through the F 3100 remote or the MusicNavigator app. Power consumption is given as two times 40 W. Without a built-in volume control, the SD 3100 HV works as a source component rather than a preamplifier. Finishes are silver or titanium.

Pairing

Its fixed-level XLR and RCA outputs go to a preamplifier or integrated amplifier, such as T+A's HV series preamplifier and power amplifiers. HDMI inputs take a TV or disc player.

Alternatives

The T+A SDX 3100 HV is the current HV streaming pre-DAC, using the ASA G3 streaming platform with Spotify and Amazon Music HD and an optional phono module.