DAC 1

About the DAC 1

The Bel Canto Design DAC 1 is a digital-to-analog converter introduced in 1999, designed to deliver high-quality audio conversion with advanced technology. It measures a compact 3.6"H x 3.6"W x 9"L and weighs only about 3 to 4 pounds, making it petite but packed with premium components such as Caddock and Roederstein resistors and Wima capacitors. The DAC 1 features a unique sampling-rate converter (SRC) that adds 8 bits of dither to incoming 16-bit digital signals, effectively increasing the data depth to 24 bits. It processes signals at 96kHz and then applies a slow roll-off filter at 48kHz to eliminate time smear common in standard brick wall filters. The design also addresses jitter by using a novel digital-to-analog circuit architecture and minimizes internal EMI through short clock and data line lengths and isolated ground planes. It supports input sample rates from 32 to 96kHz and bit depths from 16 to 24 bits, with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 112 dB and dynamic range of 112 dB. The DAC 1 outputs 2 Vrms with 50 ohms output impedance and includes one Toslink optical and one SPDIF coaxial RCA input. It does not support HDCD decoding but can handle 24/96 signals from music DVDs. The sound character is described as smooth, musical, and analog-like, avoiding harshness or clinical digital sound. It was The DAC 1 is no longer in production but remains a benchmark for upsampling DACs of its era.