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Review: PS Audio Digital Link III DAC
Digital Link III is a good option for installers entering the digital music category.
Installers looking to tap into the digital music category have a new option with the reemergence of the external digital-to-analog (DAC) converter, a popular audiophile item back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
According to Recording Industry Association of America, downloaded albums were up 33 percent in 2008.
The PS Audio Digital Link III (DLIII) is a state-of-the-art DAC that bridges traditional audio and computer-based digital audio.
The small component’s front panel includes two buttons and six LED indicators arranged in two rows of three. The button on the left is the input selector, and the button on the right provides the option of choosing the sampling rate.
The DLIII's rear panel includes:
The DLIII’s output stage features a single transistor IV converter design that eliminates circuit-induced distortion. There's also Class A-based FET gain stage and a power supply that features a large transformer coupled to lots of capacitors and diodes for low-noise power on-demand.
To say the DLIII is installer-friendly may be an understatement. I ran a pair of Transparent RCA cables from the DAC to my Bryston preamp and a USB cable from an Apple G4 laptop to the DLIII.
Then I switched the audio output on my Mac to USB, and selected the USB input and the 192-kHz up-sampling rate.
The DLIII blew me away with how natural it sounded, even with my old Mac laptop as the main source. More pleasing was that my family and friends were astounded.
Starting with some uncompressed AIFF files that included music from Lisa Loeb and some low-res AAC downloads of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Heart and Kenny Wayne Shepard, I found the DAC added spaciousness to the AIFF files without sounding over-processed.
The low-res files seemed to have more body on instruments like crash cymbals with extra punch to drums and bass lines.
The added resolution the DLIII delivered also surprised me. A good example is in the one-hit wonder “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. I love the song’s groove, Myles’ vocals and its bluesy, Strat-infused guitar licks. I was able to hear the muted eighth notes played on the acoustic guitar underneath the bass line, the drums and vocals that I never noticed in the second verse.
Since I first had the DLIII in my home, PS Audio has lowered its price (MSRP: $699) to make it much more competitive within the category.
When you consider the whole package of engineering, build quality and sound, this is a tough product to beat. Its versatility with CD/DVD players, computers and other components really bridges legacy technologies with the new world of downloads.
I would like to see it include an RS-232 port for integration into a control system and a basic IR control to allow us couch potatoes to toggle between inputs without getting up. But that’s a small price to pay for this kind of performance.
According to Recording Industry Association of America, downloaded albums were up 33 percent in 2008.
The PS Audio Digital Link III (DLIII) is a state-of-the-art DAC that bridges traditional audio and computer-based digital audio.
Features Abound on Small Component
The small component’s front panel includes two buttons and six LED indicators arranged in two rows of three. The button on the left is the input selector, and the button on the right provides the option of choosing the sampling rate.
The DLIII's rear panel includes:
- Unbalanced RCA
- Balanced XLR outputs
- Coax
- Optical
- USB
The DLIII’s output stage features a single transistor IV converter design that eliminates circuit-induced distortion. There's also Class A-based FET gain stage and a power supply that features a large transformer coupled to lots of capacitors and diodes for low-noise power on-demand.
Installer-Friendly Setup
To say the DLIII is installer-friendly may be an understatement. I ran a pair of Transparent RCA cables from the DAC to my Bryston preamp and a USB cable from an Apple G4 laptop to the DLIII.
Then I switched the audio output on my Mac to USB, and selected the USB input and the 192-kHz up-sampling rate.
Produces Natural Sound
The DLIII blew me away with how natural it sounded, even with my old Mac laptop as the main source. More pleasing was that my family and friends were astounded.
Starting with some uncompressed AIFF files that included music from Lisa Loeb and some low-res AAC downloads of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Heart and Kenny Wayne Shepard, I found the DAC added spaciousness to the AIFF files without sounding over-processed.
The low-res files seemed to have more body on instruments like crash cymbals with extra punch to drums and bass lines.
The added resolution the DLIII delivered also surprised me. A good example is in the one-hit wonder “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. I love the song’s groove, Myles’ vocals and its bluesy, Strat-infused guitar licks. I was able to hear the muted eighth notes played on the acoustic guitar underneath the bass line, the drums and vocals that I never noticed in the second verse.
DLIII is Tough to Beat
Since I first had the DLIII in my home, PS Audio has lowered its price (MSRP: $699) to make it much more competitive within the category.
When you consider the whole package of engineering, build quality and sound, this is a tough product to beat. Its versatility with CD/DVD players, computers and other components really bridges legacy technologies with the new world of downloads.
I would like to see it include an RS-232 port for integration into a control system and a basic IR control to allow us couch potatoes to toggle between inputs without getting up. But that’s a small price to pay for this kind of performance.
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About the Author
Robert Archer, Senior Editor, CE Pro
Bob is an audio enthusiast who has written about consumer electronics for various publications within Massachusetts before joining the staff of CE Pro in 2000. Bob is THX Level I certified, and he's also taken classes from the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) and Home Acoustics Alliance (HAA). In addition, he's studied guitar and music theory at Sarrin Music Studios in Wakefield, Mass.
2 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
Hi Jez, by installer friendly I meant there’s not a lot of work to connect this product to a system.
Page 1 of 1 comment pages
I’m a little confused as one of the sections is headed “Installer-Friendly Setup” but you then describe a very manual source selection and later say that serial and IR control are not offered. Given the industry’s love of hiding all components out of sight in a rack, I’m not sure how this product is ‘installer-friendly’.
I agree that DACs can make a significant audio difference and improve the experience when working with compressed source material. Maybe there should a CEPro or CEDIA-sponsored drive to educate consumers about the benefits of such products and of buying higher quality source material in the first place.