The last decade has brought an enormous tension with product output across all price ranges of high-end digital audio. The driving demand for more affordable DACs certainly opens the door to more high-quality audio reproduction for many more people.
Consequently, higher demand leads to larger quantities, which not only drives prices down. This dynamic allows for the introduction of products and technologies that simply were not possible at these prices a few years ago. And more importantly. It creates a bridge that invites many more people into our beloved industry.
On top of that, as you can read in the review, Musician Audio Pegasus R2R DAC is also much more enticing than its size and price might suggest.
HIGHLIGHTS
Musician Audio Pegasus R2R DAC features a proprietary, true balanced 24BIT R2R and 6 BIT DSD (32 steps FIR filter) architecture.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Low Noise Power supply
- FIFO buffer
- Digital Signal Processing via FPGA
- DSD1024, PCM1536 support via USB and I2S input (audio source must be compatible with native interface)
- Proprietary USB Audio Solution via STM32F446 Advanced AMR Based MCU
- Licensed Thesycon USB driver for Windows platform
- Driverless on Mac & Linux
DSD
- DSD64 DoP on all inputs
- DSD1024 on USB and I2S input
PCM
- 24bits / 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192KHz on all inputs
- 1536kHz on USB and I2S input
SAMPLING MODE
- Non-Oversampling NOS
- Oversampling OS
OPERATIONAL
Musician Audio The official recommendation for the break-in period of PEGASUS DACs is one week. And indeed, after more than 300 hours of 24/7 operation, the sound has stabilized and everything was evenly focused and balanced.
Operating Pegausu DAC is simple and straightforward. Everything is laid out cleary and the DAC is easy to use.
The front panel is occupied by the main switch in the middle, the input selector button on the left and the right button next to the main knob is NOS switch.
On the rear are two analog RCA and XLR outputs and a variety of digital inputs including coaxial (DSD1024 via SPDIF), optical, USB, AES /EBU and I2S via HDMI LVDS.
1. Input Button 2. Power Button 3. NOS Button 4. Right RCA Output S. Right XLR Output 6. Left XLR Output 7. Left RCA Output 8. I2S Input 9. Coaxial Input 10. Optical Input 11. AES Input 12. USB Input 13. AC Input
Since there is no industry standard for I2S connections, it is better to check IIS interface compatibility with Musician Audio before purchasing Pegasus DAC based on this premise alone. Pegasus DAC is designed to be compatible with most devices if you use a standard HDMI cable, but still it's better to inqurie about the compatibilty.
If the audio system allows it, the manufacturer recommends using the XLR outputs. As a true, fully balanced DAC, the XLR outputs from PEGASUS are sonically superior.
Connecting both RCA and XLR outputs at the same time is not recommended, as this will degrade the sound since the outputs are shared. Even if one of the two connected devices is switched off, the output signal will continue to be transmitted.
THE MUSIC
CONCLUSION
A lot has happened in digital audio. Most importantly, there is a greater and far more affordable way to get into higher quality audio at a much lower price. PEGASUS DAC exemplifies that you can not judge a book by its cover alone by dismantling comfortable preconceptions about price vs performance.
Considering that our ears are among the most sensitive of senses, even the tiniest attributes can affect our listening encounter.
Many particular qualities are fundamental to our perception of particular music, but there is no doubt about the importance of timing and how our mechanics react and decipher precision. The recent studies show, that the better the timing (and phasing), the more strongly is induced the emotional and physical reaction to the music.
Musician Audio Pegasus DAC pushed further than expected through the music, setting up a rather impressive aural presentation that is undoubtedly directly related to the time domain.
The time-accurate quality of the Pegasus DAC allows for the creation of a properly developed sphere of sound, and Pegasus allows for the formation of precise three-dimensional positioning as well as deeply etched depth layering that extends the sound well beyond the speakers.
The Pegasus DAC always relied on the fundamentaries when playing familiar different genres of music, which shows how thoughtful the team at Musician Audio was in designing the Pegasus.
Even on tidal wave tasks, the Pegasus DAC was consonant with the music, showing that it can be a part of a much mightier high-end audio system for which it was intended.
Pegasus DAC can handle the complexity of music with unsuspected ease and has an efficacious enough core that is a crucible for ignition of our ability to enjoy the music. This singular trait may long be perceived as an incredibly simple task, but not every DAC, no matter how expensive, can be a true emissary of music without this singular feature.
Musician Audio Pegasus DAC innards feature a rewarding musical preservance ability. In several respects, the Pegasus has brought much more potpourri than it should have at this price.
Both PCM and the DSD parts showed their strengths. With a great recorded and unmanipulated DSD file, the Pegasus DAC lets the music decode with the familiar analog quality that is rare but can still set apart a great DSD recording from PCM.
Musician Audio Pegasus DAC does not incessantly search for the trigger of enjoyment, but acts in a very practical way, delivering the music with a clear and understandable message, allowing the emotional connection with the listener to build up. No, this is by no means a mandatory characteristic.
Musician Audio Pegasus DAC is a savvy, balanced analog-to-digital converter that is evidently not the result of rushed ideas and fast execution. Pegasus DAC comes with a large enough portion of indescribable sensation that should satisfy more demanding listeners on the budget.
At this price, you can not expect the Swiss watch quality of the cabinet, but it has a touch of elegance and a qualitative anodizing finish that fit well in a high-end audio rack or on any shelf.
Musician Audio's original idea and design goal were to deliver audio as a complete whole that is true to what was recorded. I can attest that the Pegasus DAC is not only sonically correct but also greatly animates the reproduced music. It exudes a much-needed charm that is mandatory for being described as a genuine emotional machine.
For those who are flirting with the R2R DAC with the potent PCM and DSD parts that can deliver more than the usual music performance, but do not want to break the bank, Musician Audio Pegasus DAC is certainly one of the more interesting options to consider.
For what it represents, function, feature, quality and musically, I am happy to grant Musician Audio Pegasus DAC 2021 Mono and Stereo Best Buy Award.
Matej Isak
PRICE
- $1,099.99
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Frequency Response: 10Hz~60KHz
- Resistance accuracy: 0.005%
- THD+N: 0.002%
- S/N Ratio: 123dB(A-weighted)
- Dynamic Range: >120dB
- AC Power Requirement: 110-240VAC, 50/60Hz (Worldwide Voltage)
- Power Consumption: ≤20W
- Dimension: 280 x 250x 50 mm
- Package Dim: 375 x 330 x 115 mm
- Package Content: DAC only. No power cord & remote control.
- Weight:3.9 Kg
- Color: Silver / Black
Digital Input
- Coaxial*1 via RCA
- Optical *1
- USB*1
- AES/EBU x 1
- I2S via HDMI LVDS *1
DSD
- DSD64-DoP On All Input
- DSD1024 On USB & I2S Input
PCM
- 24bits / 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192KHz On All Input
- 1536kHz On USB & I2S Input
