SPL - Sound Performance Lab Diamond - DAC with Voltair Technologie

SPL - Diamond

The premium DAC with VOLTAiR technology.

Diamond is the ideal DAC and preamplifier for anyone who exclusively plays music from digital sources. Diamond offers connectivity for six digital sources and an external word clock. The superior VOLTAiR technology, combined with the premium DAC including the DLP120, allows digital sources to perform in new sonic dimensions. The analog volume control ensures high-resolution dynamics even at low volumes.

Source of joy

Up to 6 (!) digital stereo sources can be connected to the Diamond.

Diamond offers one stereo USB and one stereo AES input, as well as two optical and two coaxial stereo inputs. Both PCM and DSD audio can be converted via USB. PCM audio is received in S/PDIF format via coaxial (RCA), optical (Toslink F06), and balanced (AES/EBU) connections.

Source selection is made via the selector switch on the front panel. The selected input is also displayed on the dot-matrix LED display: USB, COA1, COA2, OPT1, OPT2, or AES. After approximately two seconds, the selected clock source and the detected sampling rate are shown on the display.

Always in time

Diamond can not only rely on the digitally played
Synchronize source signal with integrated clock.
As a specialist for digital playback devices, Diamond offers a word clock input.
The source of the clock signal can be selected via the CLOCK switch.

Source = Diamond synchronizes to the digital clock in the source signal.
Word = Diamond synchronizes to the digital clock signal applied to WORD IN.

Well informed

The DAC automatically adopts the sampling rate and resolution of the digital playback source, regardless of whether a streamer, computer, CD player, or external word clock is connected. The detected sampling rate and the selected clock source are displayed on the dot-matrix LED display. For example, U768 is an acronym for a clock signal in the USB stream with a sampling rate of 768 kHz.

Everything sorted – or would you prefer Slave Thru?

The Diamond amplifier features two stereo output pairs for connecting power amplifiers or active speakers. One pair uses XLR connectors, the other RCA connectors. Both outputs carry the same signal, the level of which is controlled by the volume knob on the front panel. A DIP switch on the rear panel allows the volume control for each output to be bypassed independently. This allows, for example, a headphone amplifier with its own volume control to be connected to one of the outputs.

The DAC768

The highly acclaimed AKM AK4490 Velvet Sound ™ premium DAC chip is used as the converter chip in the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and its architecture allows it to reproduce the finest sonic details. It converts PCM audio with a resolution of 32 bits and a sampling rate of up to 768 kHz, which is 16 times the resolution of a CD. Direct Stream Digital is also supported up to a resolution of DSD4 or DSD256. Unlike the DAC768xs, the DAC768 offers not only an AES/EBU digital input but also the SPL DLP120 with VOLTAiR technology.

The DLP120 (Dual Low-Pass)

Every signal that is routed from a DAC chip to the analog domain must be filtered through a low-pass filter. The DLP120 incorporates two of these: one for PCM and one for DSD audio signals, as different roll-off frequencies are required.

Unlike any other DAC in the world, our analog low-pass filters utilize SPL VOLTAiR technology, resulting in improved dynamics, headroom, and sound.

Technical data

Entrances and exits

• Digital inputs
• 6 digital stereo inputs
• AES/EBU (XLR), symmetrical
• 2 x Coaxial SPDIF (RCA)
• 2 x Optical TOSLINK (F06)
• USB (B)
• 0 dBfs = 15 dBu
• AK4490 converter chip - Velvet Sound

32-bit sampling rate

• Encoded PCM (kHz): 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384, 705.6, 768
• DSD: DSD1 (DSD64), DSD2 (DSD128), DSD4 (DSD256) 17 Technical Data

Exits

• 2 analog stereo outputs
• Neutrik XLR, balanced, Pin 2 = (+)
• RCA, unbalanced
• Impedance: 75 ohms
• Maximum output level 32.5 dBu (measurements)
• Frequency response: 4 Hz – 300 kHz (-3 dB)
• Crosstalk at 1 kHz: -108 dB
• THD: 0.001001% (0 dBu, 1 kHz)
• Noise (A-weighted): -102.3 dB
• Dynamic range: 135 dB

Internal operating voltage

• Audio: +/- 60 V

power supply

• Mains voltage: 230 V AC, 50 Hz / 115 V AC, 60 Hz
• Power consumption: max. 40 VA
• Fuse: 230 V = T 500 mA, 115 V = T 1 A
• Standby power consumption: < 0.3 W