CAD - 1543 MKIII DAC - Digital-to-Analogue Converter

Some DACs chase every format and every feature. The CAD (Computer Audio Design) 1543 MKIII DAC does one thing: it turns a computer or music server into the most natural, relaxed and musical source it can be.

Designed by Scott Berry and hand-built in the UK, it's the third generation of the DAC that started Computer Audio Design in 2011.

At its heart are 20 vintage Philips TDA1543 resistor-ladder chips in a filterless, non-oversampling (NOS) design. The aim is the time-domain accuracy and "analogue" ease you hear from a good turntable or reel-to-reel. The MKIII adds completely redesigned power supplies, with five independent transformers feeding five fully discrete linear regulators, plus improved mains conditioning. The case is laser-cut 10mm acrylic, chosen for its acoustic and electrical properties.

If you stream from a server such as DELA, Innuos, Aurender, Antipodes, XACT, Fidata or Roon, the MKIII is built to get the best from that USB connection.

"An uncannily relaxed yet highly revealing sound, the like of which is rarely heard from digital audio."Jason Kennedy, The Ear

Key Features

•       20 Philips TDA1543/N2 resistor-ladder chips (up from sixteen in earlier models)

•       Filterless NOS design

•       Five independent EI transformers feeding five fully discrete linear regulators

•       Custom choke in DC rectification and 110,000uF of Japanese reservoir capacitors

•       Passive output stage with Duelund Coherent Audio capacitors and selected US-made resistors

•       Internal signal wiring in custom UP-OCC copper

•       Improved I2S isolation circuitry and internal EMI/RFI materials to lower the interference noise floor

•       Redesigned mains power conditioning to reduce mains-borne noise in and out of the unit

•       Modular construction for future upgrades

•       Custom colours and finishes available on request

Technical Specifications

•       DAC chips: 20 x Philips TDA1543/N2

•       Architecture: NOS resistor ladder, no filtering

•       Input: single asynchronous USB with galvanic isolation

•       USB interface: CPLD-based, with low phase-noise oscillators (-100dBc/Hz @ 10Hz minimum)

•       USB interface power: three independent EI transformers and three fully discrete power supplies

•       USB +5V power: not used by the DAC

•       Isolation: proprietary galvanic isolation between the server and the twenty DAC chips

•       Inputs: single USB; Signal Ground terminal on rear panel

•       Outputs: one pair of single-ended RCA (left and right)

•       Mains: captive mains lead

•       Power supplies: 5 independent transformers and 5 discrete linear regulators

•       Output stage: passive, with Duelund Coherent Audio capacitors

•       Case: 10mm laser-cut acrylic, hand-built in the UK

•       Compatibility: almost all Linux-based audio servers; Windows servers (e.g. WADAX, Taiko Audio) need the CAD USB driver