Rowland Aeris DAC

[wizard]

Inside part 2

 

[wizard]

Inside part 3

Close - starting to the right of the circuit board

Power from PSU comes here

Fairchild MOSFET's

Linear Technology Regulators

An old USB receiver from TI - TAS1020B

From TI "This product is not recommended for new designs"
Why not use 24/192 Cypress USB receiver instead of the old TAS1020B?

Xilinx Spartan FPGA/DSP, Two gold crystal clocks over the Spartan.

Under Spartan there are three chips.

Left - AD1895: 192 kHZ Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter
Middle - Xilinx Flash for the Spartan FPGA chip
Right - AKM 4113 24/192 S/PDIF receiver

Going to the left of the circuit board

At the top - more old technology.

One AD1853 delta sigma 24/192 dac chip.

Under the dac chip there are two Lundahl LL1588 transformers

http://www.lundahl.se/pdfs/datash/1588.pdf

 

[flez007]

Looks awesome!

 

[MarinJim]

"From TI "This product is not recommended for new designs" ?
Why not use 24/192 Cypress USB receiver instead of the old TAS1020B?"

I thought the same thing. I thought the new "in" thing is higher sampling rates, and usb is the newest flavor of the month with 24/192. ?

Simply stunning to look at.

 

[musicargyle]

Rowland Aeris vs the new Berkeley audio Alpha 2 Reference DAC? Well this would be an interesting comparison for the devoted JRDG Aeris types who seem to really enjoy the JRDG DAC.
All things being equal in a system w/ JRDG amps, preamps and the like is it likely the Alpha 2 ref. Dac might be a tad more resolving, airy, spatial and detailed?
The power supply that comes w/ the Rowland is going to be hard to exceed in a single chassis unit like the Alpha 2 Ref. There are few JRDG dealers who also handle Berkeley Audio.

 

[ricjor1]

I went from an M1 to the Jeff Rowland Aeris DAC. This is what I hear in my system: The Aeris provides more detail, without brightness. In comparison the Bricasti is on the slightly dark side of neutral...consequently cymbals in particular have less detail on the Bricasti, but alive and real with the Aeris. Solo instruments emerge from a darker background, soundstage is wider and definitely more space between instruments. I do have a Jeff Rowland Continuum S2; therefore the results maybe because of the synergy between the Rowland components. Both are great DACS!

 

[Mrdean]

I am hoping to have the opportunity to hear the Aeris/PSU to the Berkeley Reference DAC 2. I think that, with the PSU, this might be a very interesting comparison.

Rowland Aeris vs the new Berkeley audio Alpha 2 Reference DAC? Well this would be an interesting comparison for the devoted JRDG Aeris types who seem to really enjoy the JRDG DAC.
All things being equal in a system w/ JRDG amps, preamps and the like is it likely the Alpha 2 ref. Dac might be a tad more resolving, airy, spatial and detailed?
The power supply that comes w/ the Rowland is going to be hard to exceed in a single chassis unit like the Alpha 2 Ref. There are few JRDG dealers who also handle Berkeley Audio.

 

[GuidoCorona]

Hi Mrdean, I am very much looking forward to your comparative impression of Aeris augmented by the new Rowland Power Storage Unit (PSU) versus the Berkeley DAC!

Guido

 

[Birdwatcher]

Hi,
Any further experiences and comparisons with actual DACs, maybe in combination with the PSU?
Please report!

 

[GuidoCorona]

Hi Birdwatcher, I have been using PSU with Rowland Aeris.... The result is exceptional.... It is a quantum leap in dimensionality of the stage and images to start with... But also of transparency of the sound and enhancement of harmonic richness across the spectrum, from the deep bass to the high treble, without any increase in intermodulative artifacts... The application of PSU to Aeris makes my system profoundly more immersive and involving than before. PSU would be a very difficult component for me to give up.


PSU can feed three line-level devices simultaneously.... Aeris, Rowland Corus, and one upcoming Rowland device.
PSU is a dedicated external power supply which feeds pure DC continuously from a single bank of ultracapacitors, using a 40% discharge/recharge duty cycle. The ombelicals connecting PSU to compatible devices fit into dedicated sockets in the target device, not into standard IEC connectors.

PSU is not compatible with arbitrary DACs or preamplifiers... Do not try... Any "successful" attempt to feed PSU into non compatible components will result in.... Sparks, a delicate scent of charred electronics, and.... Some really expensive and pretty boat anchors *Grins!*

Regards, Guido

 

[Birdwatcher]

Thanks Guido!
Could an upcoming unit be a new phono stage??? Any plans??
In that case my beloved Cadence/Coherence combo could get a successor...

 

[GuidoCorona]

Hello Birdwatcher, indeed a new Rowland phono stage is in final development. I will post details to WhatsBest as soon as the product is released.

Regards, Guido

 

[DClark]

It should be noted that Guido no longer writes for Positive Feedback (PFO) and so his byline needs to be corrected to reflect that - "PFO reviewer". Along with that we dropped the "O" from "PFO" a long time ago... simpler, just PF. Thanks!
Dave Clark
Editor, Positive Feedback
www.positive-feedback.com

 

[GuidoCorona]

Woops... You are correct Dan, I did not realize that my profile is woefully obsolete. Even my equipment list is incorrect. I just managed to remove references to PFO from most places of my profile, but I do not seem to be able to edit the signature line with the JAWS screen reader. I'll need assistance from the WBF editor... There may be an accessibility problem on a profile control. I'll contact the editor tomorrow morning.

Regards, G.

 

[DClark]

Woops... You are correct Dan, I did not realize that my profile is woefully obsolete. Even my equipment list is incorrect. I just managed to remove references to PFO from most places of my profile, but I do not seem to be able to edit the signature line with the JAWS screen reader. I'll need assistance from the WBF editor... There may be an accessibility problem on a profile control. I'll contact the editor tomorrow morning.

Regards, G.

It is Dave and not Dan... and thanks!

 

[hongkongfoufou]

I went from an M1 to the Jeff Rowland Aeris DAC. This is what I hear in my system: The Aeris provides more detail, without brightness. In comparison the Bricasti is on the slightly dark side of neutral...consequently cymbals in particular have less detail on the Bricasti, but alive and real with the Aeris. Solo instruments emerge from a darker background, soundstage is wider and definitely more space between instruments. I do have a Jeff Rowland Continuum S2; therefore the results maybe because of the synergy between the Rowland components. Both are great DACS!

Hello Ricjor1, I have seen you have changed your AERIS by a Chord DAVE. is it really better ? Thanks.

 

[ricjor1]

Hello Ricjor1, I have seen you have changed your AERIS by a Chord DAVE. is it really better ? Thanks.

I don't like saying a component is "better", but I'll say I prefer the Dave in my system. I would be lying if I said, why I prefer the Dave, because it's been too long. I can only say, that I compared the two in my system and preferred the Dave.

In my opinion preferring one component over another boils down to system synergy and/or end-user preferences. I recently compared the Mola Mola Tambaqui and DCS Rossini APEX DACs to the Dave. In my system, with the exception of bass the Dave and Tambaqui sound very similar. In my system the Dave produces more textured bass. The Rossini does everything better than any DAC that I've had in my system, but it's too bright in my system.

 

[ricjor1]

I no longer get excited by what others say about how a particular component or cable sounds. It doesn't matter if the comments are good or bad, you must try to evaluate things in your own system.

 

[hongkongfoufou]

I don't like saying a component is "better", but I'll say I prefer the Dave in my system. I would be lying if I said, why I prefer the Dave, because it's been too long. I can only say, that I compared the two in my system and preferred the Dave.

In my opinion preferring one component over another boils down to system synergy and/or end-user preferences. I recently compared the Mola Mola Tambaqui and DCS Rossini APEX DACs to the Dave. In my system, with the exception of bass the Dave and Tambaqui sound very similar. In my system the Dave produces more textured bass. The Rossini does everything better than any DAC that I've had in my system, but it's too bright in my system.

Thank you.
I have near the same setup like you : Jeff Rowland Model 625 and Corus. I am interesting by the Aeris just because it is nice to have the same brand in the system. I have listened Chord Dave with a headphone and it is a wonderful DAC. I can't compare it with my Mark Levinson N360S...

 

[Rocoa]

Hello
I'm using the Corus and Aeris with PSU.
Sound quality increases significantly with the PSU.
BR