DSD files and mobile DSD recorders recent gain in popularity among audiophiles, who are now able to rip their own LPs to 5.6448MHz DSD or even make 1:1 copies of SACD collections, has spurred innovative efforts on the manufacturers side this year. Playback Designs, dCS and Mytek added DSD support to their USB DACs, while FOSTEX enabled DSD files playback from high-capacity flash memory cards (SDHC) in their headphone amp/DAC. A come back of a DSD amplifier, tweaked for 2012, could shake things up even more in the upcoming year.
Although the concept of 1-bit DSD amplifier may seem completely new, a bulk of time-consuming and costly R&D work was already done by SHARP company, almost a decade ago. The engineering concept of a DSD amplifier was successfully implemented in an actual commercial product. Introduced in the early 2000s, the world's first 2.8MHz DSD amplifier SM-SX100 ($16000) amazed with its sound quality and stellar tonal neutrality.
„A number of people listened to this amplifier, including myself, my wife, Jason Serinus, and some professional speaker manufacturers. The opinion was universal. The SX100 is an awesome-sounding product. It does not have a "solid-state" sound or a "tube" sound. It is the most neutral sound I have yet heard from an audio product.”
Following the well-received SM-SX100 SHARP released two more models in the line, SM-SX200 and SM-SX300 (pictured below), working at 5.6MHz and 11.2MHz respectively .
The three SHARP units had only one problem (aside from the very steep 'high-end' price tag), they were ahead of their times. The lack of an open standard at that time for sending DSD over digital interfaces forced SHARP engineers to create their own interface, shutting the doors to wider popularization of those amplifiers (they could only be connected to one SACD player model from SHARP). Today, with the advent of DSD over USB streaming and computer apps (like Pure Music) allowing for streaming DSD from a computer to external devices the problem is no more.
DSD DAC/Power Amplifier with asynchronous USB interface provides numerous advantages such as:
- highest resolution audio files playback support, DSD amplifier can handle DSD files up to 6.1MHz DSD (~140 times the sampling speed of CD).
- unparalleled temporal resolution and quick impulse response, due to extremely high sampling speed utilized by the amplifier (latest machines are able to work at 24.5MHz /512fs).
- elimination of lossy conversions between PCM and delta sigma present in traditional computer audio setups (either PCM-only USB DACs connected to digital amplifiers or PCM DAC/Integrated Amplifiers such as Bel Canto C5i, or ORB Jade Quartet).
- no need for purchasing separate USB DACs, USB/SPDIF converters, clocks, docking stations usually cramming up the space in computer audio setups.
- backward compatibility; as all of today's delta sigma amplifiers, a DSD amplifier also accepts PCM data on its digital inputs.
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WHY HAS SHARP CEISED PRODUCTION? WHY NOT SELL THIS REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN TO OTHER AUDIOBRANDS? I HAVE HAD THE SM-SX100: THRILLING. SO THE SM-SX 300 MUST!!! BE INCREDIBLE EVEN TO 2021 STANDARDS!!! WHAT A WAIST. THE SUCCESSORS OF THE SM-SX100 WERE NEVER LAUNCHED OUTSIDE JAPAN. WHY? I THINK SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY WANT TO KEEP THESE SUPERAMPLIFIERS COPLETELY FOR THEMSELVES. ENVY TO THE WORLD (BECAUSE THEY LOST THE SECOND WORLD WAR?? I DO NOT KNOW.). I DO KNOW THAT JAPAN HAS STELLAR AUDIO EQUIPMENT ONLY!!!! FOR THE DOMESTIC MARKET. WHY?????? TOO BAD.
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