NuForce DAC-80, Digital to Analog Converter with One USB and Three S/PDIF Inputs - Black

I bought the DAC-80 to replace a DAC of 1990s vintage fed from CD players via TOSLink and Coax. The DAC-80 is at least the equal of my Adcom GDA-700 when it comes to performance with CDs. There are a total of four digital inputs including (2) Coax (RCA connectors), (1) TOSLink optical, (1) USB. The power supply is self-contained and a heavy-duty line cord (with ferrite choke) is included. The unit includes a 32 bit digital volume control which operates very smoothly to control the output signal level. While Nuforce recommends you not feed the output directly to your amplifier, an email to their tech support revealed that the only reason for that is that the output is 4V max instead of the normal 2V max line level.The package includes a very small remote control whose buttons include input port selection, mute, volume up and down, power on and power off. The DAC itself is also quite small, about 1/4 the size of the Adcom GDA-700. I'm told that the DAC-80 is the old DAC-100 without the headphone amplifier and with a lower price. Apparently NuForce just used the old DAC-100 User's Guide for the DAC-80, but they missed a couple of necessary changes:1. On the DAC-100, pushing the volume knob in apparently turned the DAC on or off. On the DAC-80, pushing the knob switches among the 4 input ports.2. Contrary to the manual, the DAC-80 has no other "input buttons" as the manual states. To switch inputs, you either use the volume control push or the remote control.It's a bit of a mystery to me why NuForce used such tiny LEDs for the sample rate and input indicators. In a lighted room, they're barely visible from 8 feet away and you really have to be close (and without any backlighting from a window) to read the input selected LEDs.At this price point, the DAC-80 is one of the few that includes a volume control and a remote control. But, if you have any analog sources (tuner or ?), you're still going to need a preamp as there are no analog inputs here. If you have an older system like mine where the preamp didn't have a remote volume control, that feature on the DAC-80 will come in handy. The volume control steps are very small and you can easily set the level to exactly where you want it.The DAC-80 appears to be an excellent choice at this price point based on the features and reputation of the DAC-100 predecessor.

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La valutazione è ponderata al prezzo di acquisto di 391 euro.Avevo avuto un ampli in classe D economico che non mi piaceva. Tranne per il controllo incredibile delle membrane dei woofer.Visto un finale nuforce usato, che poi era quello con cui era proposto a suo tempo il dac-80, l'ho preso e l'ho collegato alla sezione pre del mio Arcam.Avendo visto una unità di questo DAC dotato di volume venduto da Amazon non ho esitato a completare l'impiantino.È un oggetto molto lineare nella risposta in frequenza e non dà nessuna connotazione particolare al suono. Calore piuttosto che precisione o altre parole che spesso servono solo a descrivere una predominanza di una gamma di frequenze.Questo fa quello che dovrebbe fare un oggetto l'hi-fi. Niente.Niente di più di quello che deve fare.

Après avoir écouté 3 ou 4 convertisseurs, j'ai choisi celui-ci. Je lui trouve beaucoup de qualités. Il est très "droit", fidèle, transparent, et il apporte une touche de vivacité qui est très plaisante comparativement à d'autres convertisseurs. Il fait ressortir beaucoup de détails sans côté chirurgical ni agressivité. Le son semble parfaitement naturel, limpide, avec des graves bien présents et parfaitement maitrisés. Le design enfin est réussi, la sobriété même.