John Darko
TEAC has announced the UD-507: a two-thirds-width box that serves as a digital/analogue pre-amplifier, a D/A converter and a headphone amplifier. Up to 1.2 Watts (into 100 Ohms) of headphone drive can be had from the front panel’s three headphone sockets – single-ended quarter inch, 4.4mm balanced, XLR balanced – whose output can be adjusted via three gain settings: Low, Mid and High.
The circuit is dual-mono and balanced from input to output. It’s why we find analogue outputs and inputs on the back panel, each in balanced XLR and single-ended RCA variants. Hard-wired digital inputs number four: asynchronous Bulk-PET USB-B for PCs and Macs, coaxial, TOSLINK and front-panel USB-C for direct playback from USB storage devices. The BNC input optionally hooks in TEAC’s CG-10M outboard clock.
So far, so comprehensive.
The twist comes in the form of the UD-507’s DAC circuit which isn’t built around an off-the-shelf chip from the likes of ESS Labs, Wolfson, Cirrus Logic, Burr-Brown or AKM. It’s an in-house all-discrete design that TEAC calls “TRDD5”. That’s short for “TEAC Reference Discrete DAC”. Say hello to support for MQA, 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD512. The DAC can also be accessed over-the-air via the unit’s LDAC- and aptX HD-loaded Bluetooth input.
However, instead of going deeper on the technologies used within the “TRDD5” DAC, the press release hints that the circuit was trickled down from its 700 Series products before claiming it delivers “a more immersive musical experience for all listeners”.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “musical” is to hi-fi componentry what “drinkable” is to coffee. Musicality? Drinkability.
Returning to the UD-507’s press release, we see that TEAC has form in the abbreviations department. It refers to the headphone output stage and pre-amplifier buffer as “HCLD2” (which is short for “High Current Line Driver”), the high-precision volume control as “QVCS” (or “Quad Volume Control System”) and the digital upsampling engine as โRDOT-NEOโ (or “Refined Digital Output Technology NEO”).
Any review of this DAC / headphone amplifier / pre-amplifier will have to dig deeper into what TRDD5, HCLD2, QVCS and RDOT-NEO mean for the technologies deployed by TEAC under the hood.
The UD-507 will sell for US$2099 when it begins shipping in June. Your choice of silver or black.
Further information: TEAC
