ЦАПы — Concert Fidelity DAC-040Mk2 NOS

The DAC-040Mk2 NOS is the most stripped-back form of the DAC-040Mk2 converter from Concert Fidelity, the Japanese company Masataka Tsuda started in 1987 and still runs as designer, builder and president from a workshop in Nagano prefecture. Where the other versions offer two digital inputs or a 32-bit chip, the NOS unit is ordered with a single input and a 16-bit non-oversampling converter, and the maker publishes no list price, only a request to ask for a quote.

Key specs that matter

Conversion is done by a Philips 16-bit DAC working without oversampling. The buyer chooses one input when ordering - either a USB 2.0 Type B socket or an RCA coaxial S/PDIF jack. On the USB path, a D/D module turns PCM at 16 bits and 32, 44.1 or 48 kHz into I2S and passes it through a digital isolator before the chip. The analogue stage feeds one pair of single-ended RCA outputs. A pair of 12AU7/ECC82 double triodes provides the gain, and a 6V4/EZ80 or 6CA4/EZ81 handles rectification. Gain can be set to 6 dB or 12 dB as standard, while an optional build gives 0 dB or 6 dB. Its case is 450 mm wide, 100 mm high and 310 mm deep, and it tips the scale at 12 kg net.

Engineering and use context

Concert Fidelity describes the D/D and D/A sections as a fully custom, modular system, which is why input type and chip are picked per order rather than fixed in a catalogue. Limiting the NOS version to one source and a CD-rate ceiling follows the brand's stated practice of removing every part it can do without. The valves sit behind the rear panel where the owner can reach them and swap brands of 12AU7 without opening the case, though the factory ships the converter without any tubes fitted, so the buyer sources them separately. Power transformers are wound for a specific country - 100 V, 110 to 120 V, 220 to 230 V or 240 V - and the warranty does not cover faults that occur when the unit is used outside the destination market.

Pairing

As the output is RCA only, the downstream line stage or integrated amplifier needs a single-ended input. The brand's own CF-080LSX4 line stage has a 100 kohm input impedance and is built in a case of identical size, so the two stack neatly. The lower-gain option suits an amplifier that already has plenty of gain. With a USB-only build, any computer or streamer that sends 16-bit PCM can act as the transport, while the coaxial build suits a CD player.

Alternatives

The Concert Fidelity DAC-040Mk2 ULT1 keeps the Philips 16-bit chip but adds a second digital input, giving both USB and a coaxial socket on one chassis.