Arcam rDACKW wireless DAC

Soon after the birth of the CD player Arcam was the first company to add outboard digital to analogue (DAC) conversion as a sonic upgrade. The result was a dramatic increase in sound quality and its’ “Black Box” DAC went on to define a whole new product category.

In recent years computer and streaming audio has added to the popularity of the outboard DAC. In response Arcam have underlined their position at the forefront of this technology with the new rDAC.

Simple to look at, the rDAC’s sleek cast aluminum casework hides the very latest digital conversion using, at its core, the outstanding 8741 IC from Wolfson Microelectronics. Offering coaxial, optical or USB digital inputs the rDAC renders music with stunning accuracy and delivers a performance of thrilling musicality.

Uses for the rDAC are almost endless. Internet radio, set-top boxes and game stations can be connected via coaxial or optical leads to receive a dramatic increase in sound quality. PCs and Mac computers running music programs such as iTunes® or Windows Media Player can feed the rDAC via its USB input where special re-clocking circuitry has been deployed almost eliminating the jitter (timing inaccuracies) and noise usually associated with music in the computer environment.

To achieve this Arcam have teamed up with dCS (Data Conversion Systems), licensing their Asynchronous USB Technology*. This unique system is usually reserved for ultra high-end HiFi and professional audio applications. Arcam and dCS have had a long and fruitful relationship that goes back to the highly innovative Alpha 9 & CD23 versions of dCS’s Ring DAC

The dCS technology allows a precision clock to drastically reduce the level of jitter from USB music sources and delivers a massive improvement in sound quality over the standard USB ‘adaptive’ system. The design of precision clock circuits and general digital and analogue audio engineering are some of Arcam’s key strengths. The results from the highly affordable rDac are stunning regardless of the digital audio source.

The wireless version of the rDAC, the rDAC-kw comes ready to be connected to the rWave wireless USB dongle or rWand iPad/iPod dongle. These helpful accessories enable music to be sent wirelessly to your audio system from a laptop or mobile music device via the rDAC. The internal wireless receiver also features dCS technology and offers music lovers with large stored collections a level of performance that was previously only available from expensive audiophile systems.

rWave or rWand dongle $50 with purchase of unit, normally $100.

* dCS Asynchronous USB technology used under license. Patents pending GB0817141.5 and US 12/63804.