ЦАПы — Luxman DA-07X

The DA-07X is a standalone USB D/A converter from Luxman of Japan, derived from the D-07X SACD/CD player. The company took the digital circuitry of that player, removed the disc mechanism and reworked connectivity and features so that the unit can take the digital output of network transports, computers, smartphones and similar devices. The US list price is USD 8,995.

Key specs that matter

Two ROHM BD34301EKV chips from the MUS-IC series do the conversion. Over USB the DA-07X accepts PCM from 44.1 kHz to 768 kHz at 16, 24 or 32 bits and native DSD from 2.8 MHz to 22.5 MHz, while the coaxial, optical and AES/EBU inputs handle PCM from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz at up to 24 bits. Digital connections are a USB port, two coaxial inputs, two optical inputs, and an XLR socket for AES/EBU. Analogue outputs are provided on RCA and XLR, both at 2.4 V for PCM and 2.3 V for DSD, with output impedance of 300 ohm unbalanced and 600 ohm balanced. Frequency response is 5 Hz to 20 kHz within +0 and -0.4 dB and extends to 47 kHz at the -3 dB point. Luxman quotes 0.001% total harmonic distortion on either output, and signal-to-noise reaches 124 dB with IHF-A weighting. Power draw is 21 W, the case measures 440 x 92 x 402 mm and it weighs 12.8 kg.

Engineering and use context

The two converter chips run in dual mono, so the left and right channels are physically and electrically separated, which the maker says improves crosstalk and channel balance. Timing comes from two ultra-low phase noise clock modules chosen to keep jitter and noise close to the oscillation frequency to a minimum. USB data is received asynchronously through a dedicated DSP, while a built-in DAIR clock handles S/PDIF signals. MQA is fully decoded on all inputs. There are two digital filter modes for PCM and two analogue filter modes for DSD, plus a bypass setting. Three separate OI core transformers feed individual blocks, each with its own regulation and dedicated filter capacitors. The bottom of the chassis is built from two steel plates of 2 mm and 1.6 mm, the feet are cast iron with a density gradient, and a high-definition OLED display has four dimmer stages. For computer playback Luxman supplies its own Audio Player software for Windows and Mac with four Bulk Pet transfer modes.

Pairing

The line-level output suits the line inputs of an integrated amplifier or a preamplifier such as a Luxman control amplifier, and the XLR sockets allow a balanced run to amplifiers with balanced inputs. Any streamer or network transport whose digital output is coaxial, optical or AES/EBU can be connected straight to it.

Alternatives

The Luxman DA-250 is a smaller USB D/A converter in the range, with USB support up to 192 kHz and 32 bits for PCM and 5.64 MHz for DSD.