Hegel Announces D50 DAC – First Look

All Image Credit: Hegel

Hegel has unveiled its latest reference DAC, the D50. Unlike many modern DAC’s, the D50 is just a DAC, with no integrated streaming, preamplification or network capabilities. Hegel has taken a minimalist approach with the D50, focusing solely on just a high performance digital-to-analog conversion process. Available in a black finish only.

This latest design uses a dedicated DAC chip that is located on a separate board away from the main circuitry. According to Hegel they have refined circuit layout and implementation in order to optimize the DAC’s performance, and with the DAC located on its own board, and using short and direct signal paths, noise and interference has been reduced. The D50 also employs multiple clocking systems in order to reduce jitter and timing errors.

Powering the electronics are two analog power supplies that use low-noise toroidal transformers that are housed in steel shields, one dedicated to digital processing and standby power, while the other powers the analog and other sensitive digital circuitry. Additional noise filtering is applied to the incoming AC mains supply.

Analog output connectivity is supported on both XLR and RCA connectors that use a fixed line-level, with a wide range of input digital connectivity including; USB, optical, coaxial RCA, coaxial BNC, and AES/EBU that can be autodetected causing the D50 to turn on automatically. The AES/EBU input features a unique RS422 receiver balanced using a transformer, allowing it to handle both weak and strong signals flawlessly, free of jitter and time delays. I2S SPDIF data is unpacked using a custom-designed card, then re-clocks it using three dedicated master clocks; one for SPDIF, and two for 48K and 44.1K sample rates. All ensuring accurate digital-to-analogue conversion and minimizing any timing errors.

The DAC supports various formats, including PCM up to 32-bit/384KHz, DSD256 (DoP), and MQA decoding. Optical inputs cap out at 24-bit/96KHz, while the AES/EBU and coaxial inputs support up to 24-bit/192KHz and DSD64 (DoP).

• Digital inputs:
  • 1 x AES/EBU S/PDIF, 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x,
  • 1 x Coaxial (BNC) S/PDIF, 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x,
  • 1 x Coaxial (RCA) S/PDIF, 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), MQA 8x,
  • 2 x Optical S/PDIF, 24/96, MQA 8x,
  • 1 x USB 32/384, DSD256 (DoP), MQA 8x
• Line level outputs:
  • 1 x Unbalanced fixed (RCA), 2.5 V
  • 1 x Balanced fixed (XLR), 2.5 V
• Analog bandwidth: > 0 Hz – 100 kHz
• Signal-to-noise ratio: > 100 dB
• Noise floor: Typically -150 dB
• Distortion: < 0.0002 %
• Power use in standby: < 0.5 W
• Power use when on: < 20 W
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 17 x 12 x 3.9″, 43 x 30.5 x 9.9 cm
• Weight: 14.55 lbs, 6.6Kg

MSRP:

1. US: $4,900.00
2. UK: £4,250.00
3. EU: €4,895.00

Fr more information visit the Hegel web site.

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