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Pacific Valve Fathom NOS DAC
Product Details
Pacific Valve has been the leader in offering a variety of DACs to the market. Recently, we had the
opportunity to design our own NOS DAC. The process was extensive and involved several hours of
listening tests. The problem that we had was that most NOS DACs were bright in the upper midrange
and lacking in detail. We did not feel that we could bring a DAC to market until we addressed some of
these issues. For USB, the design must have an I2S conversion because we did not like the sound of
the latest conversion DACs.
Enter the Pacific Valve Fathom. The Fathom addresses these issues with an I2S USB interface, an
advanced circuit topology and improved power supply regulation. The digital conversion process starts
with a DIR 9001 receiver that is re-clocked by a 1PPM 12 MHz TCXO ( this is the same clock that is used
in our legendary Vanguard transport) . The rest of the circuit uses top of the line Rubycon caps and high
voltage low tolerance resistors. The power supply uses a 10W sealed transformer for low vibration, a
high grade IEC plug, and a high end voltage regulator.
The sound of the Pacific Valve Fathom exceed our expectations on USB and S/PDIF connections. The
music flows like a vinyl with a tube rectified preamp. There is a sense of realism the midrange, yet the
Fathom has the dynamic range that NOS DAC freaks are so fond of. Dollar for dollar, the Pacific Valve
Fathom is destined to become a classic.
opportunity to design our own NOS DAC. The process was extensive and involved several hours of
listening tests. The problem that we had was that most NOS DACs were bright in the upper midrange
and lacking in detail. We did not feel that we could bring a DAC to market until we addressed some of
these issues. For USB, the design must have an I2S conversion because we did not like the sound of
the latest conversion DACs.
Enter the Pacific Valve Fathom. The Fathom addresses these issues with an I2S USB interface, an
advanced circuit topology and improved power supply regulation. The digital conversion process starts
with a DIR 9001 receiver that is re-clocked by a 1PPM 12 MHz TCXO ( this is the same clock that is used
in our legendary Vanguard transport) . The rest of the circuit uses top of the line Rubycon caps and high
voltage low tolerance resistors. The power supply uses a 10W sealed transformer for low vibration, a
high grade IEC plug, and a high end voltage regulator.
The sound of the Pacific Valve Fathom exceed our expectations on USB and S/PDIF connections. The
music flows like a vinyl with a tube rectified preamp. There is a sense of realism the midrange, yet the
Fathom has the dynamic range that NOS DAC freaks are so fond of. Dollar for dollar, the Pacific Valve
Fathom is destined to become a classic.
| Features |
Specifications
DAC chips: 8 Philips TDA-1543,
Digital input 1 coaxial, 1 optical,1 USB
Analog output 2.1V
Digital input 1 coaxial, 1 optical,1 USB
Analog output 2.1V
Details
Gallery
Click on the image to enlarge
| Sales & Customer Service 1 - 888 - 329 -1337 |
Pacific Valve
Bringing Value to the Audiophile Since 2003
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To find out more about the NOS
process, follow this link. More>>
process, follow this link. More>>
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