In my latest evaluation, I’m taking a closer look at the recently introduced TotalDac live-clocking option for their series of DACs. This option presents a potent improvement in various aspects of performance.
Live-clocking
The live-upgrade consists of making the rising edges of the R2R ladder latches sharper, so more precise. The main clock is also made more independent of the FPGA-based FIFO to reject even more jitter from the input.
The audio clock distribution rising edges in the USB input circuit are also made sharper to reject even more jitter from the USB source. So when the DAC is used from its AES-EBU input, the jitter is further rejected for two different reasons, and when it is used from its USB input, the jitter is further rejected for three different reasons.
Sum-up
The biggest and most obvious difference with the Totaldac live-clocking option is the significant improvement in rendering the music, especially in the timing and phase domain. Timing and phase are closely related to the way we perceive music, and this has always been one of Totaldac’s standout virtues from the start. However, with the live-clocking option, these strengths are taken even further.
Expertly mixed and recorded, Tina Turner’s Foreign Affair provides an excellent foundation to assess the connection between vocals and instruments, as well as their vividness. With the live-clocking option, Turner’s vocals gain more presence, a more Technicolor-like treble quality, a better three-dimensional scope, and a step closer to a purer, more interactive connection with the music.
There are always many challenges for any digital-to-analog converter. Still, something as simple as vocals or the sheer complexity of the kaleidoscopic nature of experimental music—like the fifteenth studio album by the Japanese band Boris—represents a significant challenge. The album’s hard-driven sonic realm, engrossed in lush distortion, reverb, and delay, inherently challenges the DAC to avoid sounding too dense, brittle, and harsh.
Timing is crucial not only for live acoustic music, where the Totaldac live-clocking allows a more natural flow of orchestral momentum but also for electronic music, which represents a highly potent ground to explore the sonic possibilities of any DAC.
There are two sides to the positive progression of the live-clocking. On the one hand, there is a highly noticeable increase in detail and spatial cues. On the other, there is enhanced harmonic density that intimately addresses the very essence of the music, making the reproduction more palpable.
This directly translates to a more believable music experience and, perhaps more importantly, resolves in a greater “being-there” factor—a sense of being part of the music’s narrative, rather than merely an observer. That alone earns the Totaldac live-clocking the 2024 Highly Recommended Product Award badge.
Audiophiles and music lovers are always searching for ways to advance their existing systems, experimenting with all sorts of tweaks, accessories, and upgrades, either via hardware or, in recent years, through software.
What Totaldac introduces with the live-clocking option is a viable enhancement to an already great product. Not only does it improve the quality and value, but it also pushes the existing DAC into the future with a new architecture while creating added value for the existing product.
In the digital domain, everything is evolving rapidly, so it’s always great to see manufacturers offering grades that are not priced beyond the reach of most consumers.
Vincent Brient never rests on his laurels; he’s always thinking about how to push his beloved products to the next level. The Totaldac live upgrade allows the DAC to abstract itself from the process even more. It doesn’t change the perspective of music reproduction, nor does it artificially zoom out the details.
As the name implies, the live-option delivers a more lively essence of the music by removing a few layers of what it could be called a subtle blur, undoubtedly related to more precise timing.
The D1-Triunity DAC was already a powerful standalone unit, on par with some more highly-priced DACs. The live-clocking optional upgrade delivers an even more refined balancing act with an instantly notable step forward in sound realism.
The Totaldac live-clocking option keeps intact the D1-Triunity DAC’s singular ability to create a meaningful emotional connection but also elevates everything to a higher level without warping the liveliness of the music or altering the splendid micro and macro dynamics that Totaldac DACs are so well known for. ❖
Price
- 800 EUR with VAT
Contact
Totaldac
Rennes and Mont-Saint-Michel
web: www.totaldac.com
e-mail: totaldac@totaldac.com
mobile phone: +33 6 18 03 14 08