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AVA Omega III TOPP-DACThe $ensible Sound Manufacturer: Audio by Van
Alstine, 2665 Brittany Lane, Woodbury,
MN 55125; 651/330-9871 http://www.avahifi.com/
info@avahifi.com In Issue 59, I presented a "sneak preview" of the AVA Omega III TOPP-DAC ("Technically Optimized Parallel-Processing Digital-to-Analog Converter") in which I reported that despite my avowedly skeptical attitude toward outboard DACs, I had found the TOPP-DAC to make a subtle but nonetheless welcome change in the sound of my system when I inserted it between the Marantz CD-63 and AVA Transcendence Series Two preamplifier in my reference system. For the record, the rest of the system consisted of an AVA Omega III 440hc power amp and Legacy Focus loudspeakers. That has been the system for most of the listening I have done to the system since, with the occasional substitution of the Biro L/1 speakers. As I mentioned in my sneak preview, AVA does not make claims for this unit based on any trick circuits or proprietary software. Unlike the Pacific Microsonics "HDCD" circuitry, for example, which relies on signal manipulation to produce an output that is not necessarily a faithful replication of the input, or other schemes that often produce a measurable and audible rolloff of the highest frequencies, the AVA circuitry is claimed only to be a conceptually straightforward but carefully optimized application of the textbook approach to D/A conversion: That is, a 16-bit, 4X oversampling circuit optimized for precise performance and mated to analog audio output circuitry of sufficient quality to maintain the integrity of the audio signal. This straightforward approach to D/A conversion is reflected in the solid, no-nonsense appearance and the solid, no-nonsense construction quality of the TOPP-DAC. The heavy-duty black chassis in which the circuitry is housed is the same chassis that is used for some of the AVA preamplifiers; however, because the faceplate of the TOPP-DAC is adorned only by a power switch, the unit most closely resembles a miniature AVA power amplifier. The uncluttered rear panel contains three sturdy gold-plated RCA jacks, one for digital input and a pair for analog output. To hold costs down, AVA did not incorporate optical input; instead, the customer who needs one can purchase from AVA the slick little t2c Toslink/coaxial converter manufactured by Biro. I doubt that many people will really want to hook this unit up from an optical output, but at least the option is available for those with special needs. In light of Frank Van Alstine's well documented disdain for esoteric cables, I was neither surprised — nor disappointed — to find that an inexpensive Radio Shack coaxial interconnect cable had been packaged with the TOPP-DAC for use in connecting the unit to the digital source. Audiophools may blanch, but everything sounded just fine, and the Radio Shack cable passed the first and most fundamental test of an audio cable — it presented neither a short nor an open circuit, and was of sufficient length to get the signal from component A (in this case, the Marantz CD-63) to component B (the AVA Transcendence Series Two preamplifier). Once you've accomplished that, everything else is gravy... Ever the skeptic, I did not actually have much enthusiasm for plugging the TOPP-DAC into my system. Ever the good soldier, I did so anyway. My skepticism was due in large part to my previous experience with highly hyped and priced digital gear. For example, I had found that the Marantz CD-63 sounded nearly indistinguishable from the much more expensive EAD CD-1000 and Quad 67 CD players, The EAD may have been ever so slightly softer on the top end, but it was hardly a difference that would make me think that it would be worth shelling out an extra $1,600 to buy the EAD over the Marantz. Yes, the CD-1000 did have the highly touted Pacific Microsonics HDCD circuitry, but quite frankly, I have never been very impressed with HDCD — hardware or software — so that would not be much of a factor in any buying decision. But if spending $1,600 extra for a super-duper CD player would not result in any real improvement in the sound of my system, why would I suppose that spending a mere $599 for a DAC and hooking it up to my system with a giveaway Radio Shack cable would produce any kind of noticeable improvement? This was the question that intensified my skepticism as I hooked the Omega III TOPP-DAC (by the way, for those who simply must have tubes, there is also a Fet Valve TOPP-DAC with hybrid MOSFET/tube circuitry in the analog output stage for $949) into my system and sat down to do some serious listening. They say you'll never forget your first time...the first time I switched from the CD-63 by itself to the CD-63/TOPP-DAC in tandem trying as hard as I could to keep the levels the same, but of course not to rigorous, scientifically defensible tolerances — I guess I am going to have to break down one of these days and purchase one of Dave Donelson's nifty ABX boxes!), the first recording I used was Rusted Root's frenetic When I Woke CD. Those familiar with this recording know that it features a panoply of percussion, layered vocal lines, and plenty of sonic sock throughout the full frequency spectrum. Imagine my surprise when I switched back and forth several times, as carefully as possible, and as skeptically as possible (as an aside: The word "skeptical" does not mean the same as the word "cynical" — a skeptic is not a cynic, but is rather a person who looks really hard and carefully at the available evidence before being willing to change his or beliefs), but always noticing that the TOPP-DAC brought about a subtle but noticeable sonic improvement for which I had been totally unprepared. Please note carefully that I describe the sonic improvement as "subtle but noticeable." The key word here is "subtle." I am not babbling on about the TOPP-DAC "blowing the Marantz away" nor using other such audiophile-approved phrases full of effervescently bubbling hot air. To make such assertions would be fatuous hyperbole, and the last thing the field of audio journalism needs right now is yet another instance of hyperbolic hyperventilation. Still, I did say the sonic improvement was "noticeable." As I listened to the same cuts through the Marantz alone and then through the Marantz/AVA combination, I noticed that the top end and very upper midrange through the latter was slightly smoother, slightly cleaner, slightly more focused, and subtly more revealing of fine detail. To offer further perspective on the improvement wrought by inserting the TOPP-DAC into the system, I would point out that the improvements noted above were confined to the higher frequencies. I heard no difference whatsoever in the midrange and bass regions. That is not to denigrate the performance of the TOPP-DAC; in fact, it is a compliment, because the bass and midrange performance of the CD-63 and TOPP-DAC are excellent. Once I decided that the TOPP-DAC really did bring about a subtle improvement in the sound of my system, I was of course loathe to disconnect it, so I left it in place for many weeks of enjoyable listening. Then came the real acid test: I took it back out of the system. I say that this is the real acid test because I have often found that although sometimes I am convinced that one component sounds better than another component when I first do a comparison, taking the allegedly better component back out of the system often does not produce any sense of letdown, thus causing me to question whether the improvement I thought I had heard was more a matter of wishful thinking than of superior design. But when I unhooked the TOPP-DAC and went back to the CD-63, a subtle but noticeable grunginess seemed to be added to the sound. Things did not sound quite so nice. To zero in on this, I ran several comparisons using the title cut from John Hiatt's Stolen Moments CD. In so doing, by the way, I was right in line with Bill Heck's advice about the importance of sometimes using less-than-sterling recordings to evaluate equipment, although I did knowingly set out to emulate WCH — it was just a cut I felt like listening to, and figured that it would work as well as anything to reveal what I was trying to reveal. In any event, the built-in Bitstream DAC in the Marantz seemed to add a slight glaze to the sound, making Hiatt's voice as well as the sound of the cymbals a bit harder sounding. In the final analysis, I find that although I could certainly live quite happily without the TOPP-DAC in my system, I would prefer to have it in there. The combination of the Marantz CD-63 ($399) and the AVA Omega III TOPP-DAC sounds better than any CD player I have yet auditioned, and at a total cost that is hardly cheap but is certainly reasonable. I hope to keep the TOPP-DAC for a while and use it as a benchmark unit, and I certainly recommend it to those readers who have a decent-sounding CD player that they think could sound a little better. The AVA Omega III could well bring that welcome improvement about. - KWN Excerpted with permission from Issue #60, Sept./Oct. 1996, of The $ensible Sound. Subscriptions to The $ensible Sound are available for $29 per year (6 issues) by check to 403 Darwin Drive, Snyder, NY 14226 or through Visa/MC by phone (800-695-8439). You may also purchase a set of all available back issues (currently 50+ issues) for $89.00, shipping included.
Products: Omega III TOPP-DAC |
