ЦАПы — Unitra DSH-805

The DSH-805 is a DAC from the Polish manufacturer Unitra and completes its 800 series. Unitra lists it at EUR 2,399 including VAT in black or silver. During development it was tested together with the Takt vinyl pressing plant for use in mastering work.

Key specs that matter

Unitra specifies the ES9039MSPRO from the ESS SABRE family, built on Hyperstream IV architecture and running four DAC channels per audio channel. Six digital inputs are provided - two USB, two coaxial, one optical and one AES/EBU. USB accepts PCM up to 32-bit/768 kHz, native DSD up to DSD512 and DoP up to DSD256, while coaxial, optical and AES/EBU accept PCM up to 24-bit/192 kHz and DSD64 as DoP. A full MQA decoder and renderer is built in. Outputs are gold-plated RCA and balanced XLR at 2.3 V RMS. Frequency response is 1 Hz to 20 kHz within 0.1 dB and extends to 65 kHz within 1 dB. THD+N is 0.001% from the XLR output and 0.00015% from the RCA output, signal-to-noise ratio exceeds 125 dB at 1 kHz and 0 dBFS, and channel separation is listed as more than 126 dB. The chassis measures 440 x 369 x 65 mm and weighs 5.81 kg.

Engineering and use context

Seven PCM digital filters are selectable. Both USB inputs are galvanically isolated, and every input is reclocked to an internal master clock with dynamic frequency selection. The analogue output stage uses 18 OPA161x operational amplifiers, chosen for low noise and wide dynamic range. The linear power supply is built on a transformer designed and wound in Poland for this unit, with EMI filtering and five independently regulated secondary voltages that separate the digital and analogue sections to lower crosstalk, plus a dedicated reference voltage regulator for the conversion stage. The metal chassis has a brushed aluminium front panel, and an LED matrix display shows the active input, the chosen filter and signal data.

Pairing

The natural partner is the WSH-805 integrated amplifier from the same series, which has no digital section of its own and shares the look of the front panel. Together they form a complete pair, where a computer feeds USB and a streamer or CD transport on the coaxial, optical or AES/EBU inputs. Because the balanced and single-ended outputs deliver the same level, the DSH-805 can feed either kind of line input on other amplifiers or preamplifiers without a change in gain.

Alternatives

Unitra makes no other standalone DAC, and the DSH-805 is the single converter of this type the brand sells.