Group test: Audio DACs

Overview Price: £207 More info: Moodlab Coaxial inputs: 1 Optical inputs: 1 Analogue outputs: 1 USB input Moodlab Dice Mood-Lab is based in Hong Kong and sells direct from its website or via eBay, the Dice DAC is the more expensive of two models in its range and differentiates itself externally with an attractive combination of aluminium case and acrylic front panel. The latter shows a blue light for on and a white light when a signal is locked on. It has three inputs which you select with a single switch mounted on the rear of its compact case. Mood-Lab is open about its Philips TDA 1543 DAC chip and informs us that the power supply has a shunt regulator and that the incoming signal is re-clocked to minimise jitter. It's also worth noting that this is a non oversampling DAC. The Moodlab put in a performance commensurate with its price, with impressive timing and dynamics that came close to those available from the Russ Andrews. It outperformed the less expensive alternatives pretty much every time with a gripping, high resolution result that made listening a joy. It concedes the finest details to the RA but delivers plenty of character from instruments and voices alike, pulling out the depth in recordings with ease. This combined with selection of inputs and attractive build make the Dice DAC superb value.

Verdict Plus points Great three dimensional sound with excellent timing, a lot of sound and good input selection for the money Minus points Hard to criticise this one, front panel input switching might be nice but it's not a big box, otherwise I'm stumped

Overview Price: £599 More info: Russ Andrews Coaxial inputs: 1 Optical inputs: 2 Analogue outputs: 1 USB input, RA Powermax mains cable, switchable upsampling, USB cable Russ Andrews DAC-1 Russ Andrews is well known in the UK for being a king among tweakers and offering a range of accessories with which the enthusiast can have hours of fun. This DAC is part of a range of electronics made by April Music in Korea, and it looks exactly like that company's Stello 100 range but features a Russ Andrew's power supply design. All of which makes it a highly professional piece of kit by any standard, with high quality casework, decent switching and the option to switch between non and 192kHz upsampling via a bypass switch. Unlike the other three its supply is therefore onboard rather than in a wall-wart mains plug. This may be by far the most expensive converter on test but it is also by far the best built and clearly the best sounding, it transforms the sound of older CD players with a fast and resolute sound that requires a very classy player to beat. Adding it to an aged TEAC CD-R machine brought the sound bang up to date, enlivening it and adding tonal colour and shine like you wouldn't believe. It even improved a Rotel RCD-07 in terms of image focus and bass solidity. In this group the Dice DAC nipped at its heels but couldn't match the combination of openness and tonal depth it delivers.

Verdict Plus points Superb build is matched by lively, open and superbly timed sound Minus points The price is quite high and if you don't need the build quality the sonic competition is very close

Overview Price: £109 More info: Sigtone Coaxial inputs: 1 Optical inputs: 0 Analogue outputs: 1 Sigtone Black Box The Sigtone is made by Derek Shek in Hong Kong and like the Mood-Lab is easy to find on eBay, the price quoted is his current buy-it-now figure. While it is the most simply equipped of the converters on test with only coaxial input and one set of outputs (albeit on very high quality sockets) it has the features that most hi-fi users need. It's called Black Box which is an apt description of this acrylic container, there isn't even an on light, but Derek is very forthcoming about the technology inside. This includes a TDA1543 DAC and non oversampling operation a la Mood-Lab, it also has re-clocking of the input. A Mood-Lab at half the price perhaps? The Sigtone proved to be surprisingly similar to the Beresford, with a rhythmically strong sound that improved the definition and dynamics of our old TEAC player. It has a slight emphasis on the bass which is nice with some material but sounds like mild coloration by comparison, this is less obvious without comparison however. Imaging is good side to side but can't match the Dice for depth. It nonetheless produces a coherent and convincing sound with a decent recording and managed to calm the sound of an older Sony player quite nicely. With only the one input this is a fit and forget option that will help the sound of most older digital sources, it may not look very flashy but component quality is high.

Verdict Plus points Tight, precise sound and high quality componentry make this a great buy at the price Minus points With just the one coax input it doesn't have the breadth of appeal on offer elsewhere

Final verdict This group of converters proves that you can get a decent upgrade for the price of an iPod and be able to listen to significantly better sound quality at that. Given the basic nature of many of the wall-wart power supplies it would also be easy to upgrade all but the Russ Andrews with a better quality DC feed. In terms of ranking the Beresford and Sigtone delivered such a similar sound that it was impossible to split them, in the end the extra inputs offered by the bigger unit put it ahead but I do like the honesty of the Black Box. The Moodlab offers the most bang for your buck with a nimble and three dimensional sound that really draws you in. Finally the Russ Andrews is a more professional device all round with a quality of sound to match, even up to date digital sources will have difficulty beating it.

AVR Glossary