Digital Processor Reviews

Manufacturer's Comment

Editor: Great writing by Herb Reichert: His left brain/right brain/heart trilemma is fascinating stuff.

Herb's review is the sixth very complimentary review of the BorderPatrol DAC, and all the reviewers have emphasized its relaxed, natural quality. Four reviewers, including Stereophile's and C-NET's Steve Guttenberg, have purchased the DAC.

Despite inferior measurements, there is a good argument to be made that R-2R NOS DACs are more accurate than delta-sigma DACs, which use upsampling and massive error correction to achieve good measured performance. D-S DACs are high-speed educated guessers, with no direct relationship between input and output, whereas a NOS DAC directly converts digits into current, with no guessing and no upsampling. Maybe that explains why NOS DACs are usually referred to as direct, natural, and organic. They simply sound more real.

I am reminded of a quote by Daniel R. von Recklinghausen, Chief Engineer, H.H. Scott: "If it measures good and sounds bad—it's bad. If it measures bad and sounds good, you've measured the wrong thing."

John Atkinson mentioned the price of the Philips TDA-1543 chip. Implying that the price of the chip should determine the price of the product is very simplistic and fails to take into account the cost of the other parts. How many price-comparable DACs use a linear, twin-transformer, choke input-filter power supply, tube rectification, film and foil coupling capacitors, and copper casework? He is also unable to name an alternative chip that offers the same operational advantages as the TDA-1543. I use what sounds good and is readily available.

If you are searching for a DAC that sounds refreshingly natural and organic and you trust your ears over measurements, then you should try the BorderPatrol DAC. All BorderPatrol DACs are sold with a 14-day, no-quibble return promise. Very few have been returned.—Gary Dews, BorderPatrol

To address Gary's point, I was not suggesting that the price of the BorderPatrol DAC was related to the price of the TDA-1543 DAC chip. Instead, I was making the point that resistor-ladder DAC chips that offer better measured performance than the TDA-1543 are too expensive for use in a DAC at the BorderPatrol's price.— John Atkinson