DAC using tubes in conjunction with a neural network in the digital stage

invalid

Space tech labs has a dac using tubes for upsampling, not just in the output stage. It has a neural network and tubes to do the upsampling. He claims it eliminates over 1000 transistors to give it an analog sound. Has anyone here know of any other dac that uses this technology?

invalid

I would post a link to the site, but I don't know how to do it on this forum.

BlueFox

invalid wrote: »

Space tech labs has a dac using tubes for upsampling, not just in the output stage. It has a neural network and tubes to do the upsampling. He claims it eliminates over 1000 transistors to give it an analog sound. Has anyone here know of any other dac that uses this technology?

Tubes eliminate “over 1000 transistors”? LOL. I don’t think so.

invalid

Space tech labs feedback page on audio canuck has a lot of positive comments about his face bettering a lot off other high end dacs.

invalid

Spell check put face instead of dac.

mhardy6647

invalid wrote: »

I would post a link to the site, but I don't know how to do it on this forum.

BlueFox wrote: »

invalid wrote: »

Space tech labs has a dac using tubes for upsampling, not just in the output stage. It has a neural network and tubes to do the upsampling. He claims it eliminates over 1000 transistors to give it an analog sound. Has anyone here know of any other dac that uses this technology?

Tubes eliminate “over 1000 transistors”? LOL. I don’t think so.

Indeed. One triode tube, like one transistor, can be one logic element.
A typical modern large-scale integrated circuit contains millions or more transistors. A quad core i5 or i7 CPU contains about 2 billion transistors. Admittedly, a DAC chip probably contains less, but still a whole bunch to do its job.

Read about the Vacuum Tube Supercomputer here
http://www.ominous-valve.com/vtsc.html

invalid wrote: »

I would post a link to the site, but I don't know how to do it on this forum.

umm... cut and paste.
http://www.space-tech-lab.com/DA_Converters_USB-DACs/DAC.php

invalid

You seem very knowledgeable about digital, thanks for the info and posting the link I failed to post.

mhardy6647

So, I don't see any claims about what the tubes (except the rectifier) in the DAC are doing... what am I missing here?

OleBoot

mhardy6647 wrote: »

So, I don't see any claims about what the tubes (except the rectifier) in the DAC are doing... what am I missing here?

I too looked at the site and I he refers to a tube output stage and a tube buffer in the descriptions of the different dacs, BUT here's the big one for the most expensive DAC:

With our powerful 8x TUBE up-sampling processing unit (much better than solid-state or FPGA up-sampling circuit, which can eliminate at least 1000 transistors, sound quality even better than most of vinyl analog playback ) in this DAC, regular CD quality 44.1Khz input can automatically up-sample to 352.8Khz, if use higher resolution files such as 96Khz or 192Khz, they will up-sample to 768Khz or 1,536Khz resolution. The process is carry by an array of tubes, which perform real-time update for every single sampling delay, a recursive infinite taps butterfly summing unit (originally used in neural networks, functionally equivalent to but with even better sonic performance than use million taps FPGA up-sampling filter processing) will adds up each mulitipliers result and feed to the next coefficient for next sample processing.

DSD64 input will be 8x up-sampled to DSD512, and DSD128, DSD256, DSD512 input will up-sample to DSD1024 quality.

Combined with our special designed 16 triode tube section, easily convert the digital sound into analoge alike high-end vinyl MC cartridge playback quality, but with even better micro and macro dynamics with super low noise floor

https://www.space-tech-lab.com/DA_Converters_USB-DACs/DA-DSD1024-X8 TUBE.php

Have'nt looked at many DACS that use tubes, but never heard of such a thing.


As for a neural network, it plays chess, does the NYT crossword and sings Daisy, Daisy.

mhardy6647

Well done @OleBoot !
I will admit, I didn't look at the most expensive one. Silly me!

[Deleted User]

The Schumann Resonator is certainly an interesting device.

invalid

The most expensive one is actually over 20,000, it's a 3 chassis dac

invalid

I can't find any negative user reviews of space tech labs dacs. only positive user reviews of which there are quite a few for a small company.

invalid

It was a pleasure working with Albert on my system. I never cease to be impressed everytime I listen to this DAC. The imaging is pin point accurate and it projects a massive massive sound stage in both depth and width. The sound is extremely holographic to the point of sounding 3D for a lack of a better word. This DAC is also highly resolving; separation between instruments and micro details are rendered effortlessly.

Attack and decay, especially for orchestral pieces and acoustic vocals are stunningly beautiful. This along with other numerous attributes, make this the most musical DAC I've ever listened to.

I've auditioned numerous DACs that sound analytical to DACs that sound musical. In my experience, many DACS do one of these things well but it's rare for a DAC to be great at both. This DAC handily bests all Delta Sigma and R2R Dacs I've listened to in the 10k-20k cad range. I've heard one DAC that may be comparable and that's the flagship tube DAC from Lampizator. However, that DAC is more than 3x the price of this DAC.





Someone posted a review of this dac, I thought I would post it here.