dcs

Paganini Upsampler

Our design philosophy behind the Paganini range was to build a system as close as possible in performance to Scarlatti, but more accessible. The same high engineering standards and electronics are common throughout the dCS product ranges.

The Paganini range has a similar feature set to Scarlatti with the main differences being in the chassis, transport mechanism and the remote handset. These differences mean little is lost in the resulting musical performance and we think Paganini has a very special kind of magic.

The patent pending (GB0817141.5) Paganini Upsampler or digital-to-digital converter (DDC) converts digital audio data at one sample rate to a higher sample rate, providing listeners with higher levels of performance from any industry standard digital source, including PC/Mac and Media Servers.

Upsampling to progressively higher sample rates makes progressive improvements to fine detail, sound stage depth and image separation. This means the sound quality increases as you upsample CD data first to 24/88.2, then to 24/176.4, then to DSD.

Using Paganini Upsampler to present data with a higher information capacity to the dCS Ring DACTM results in extraordinary performance as our patented dCS Ring DACTM, which is a discrete balanced design, does not use any off-the-shelf DAC chips commonly found in other manufacturers' product.

All of the Paganini products benefit from our ‘soft' approach to programmable logic, which allows new software to be loaded from a dCS update disc to add new features or adapt to changes in digital formats.

The Paganini Upsampler's USB interface operates in "asynchronous" mode (NOT to be confused with asynchronous rate conversion), where the Upsampler synchronises the audio by providing a feedback pipe to the PC/Mac. The computer then is effectively locked to the Upsampler, which can have a much more accurate clock and much lower jitter.

Paganini Upsampler: Front View
  • type
  • Digital-to-Digital Converter
  • finish options
  • Silver or Black
  • dimensions
  • (W) 460mm x (D) 400mm x (H) 110mm
    (W) 18.1" x (D) 15.8" x (H) 4.4"
  • weight
  • 10.6 kg/ 23.3lbs.
  • CD mechanism
  • N/A
  • converter type
  • N/A
  • analogue outputs
  • N/A
  • digital I/O

  • Inputs

    * USB2.0 interface on a B-type connector. Operates in asynchronous mode.
    * AES3 on a 3-pin female XLR connector.
    * 2x SPDIF on 2x RCA Phono connectors.
    * All digital inputs will accept PCM data at up to 24 bit PCM at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kS/s.

    Outputs

    * IEEE 1394 interface on 2x 6-way connectors. In DSD mode, the interface outputs dCS-encrypted DSD (1 bit data at 2.822MS/s).
    * 2x AES3 on 3-pin female XLR connectors. Each outputs 24 bit PCM at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kS/s, OR as a Dual AES pair at 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192kS/s.
    * 2x SPDIF on RCA Phono connectors. Each outputs 24 bit PCM at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96kS/s.
  • word clock I/O
  • Word Clock Input on 1x BNC connector. Accepts standard word clock at 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2 & 96kHz.
    Sensitive to TTL levels.

    Word Clock Output on 1x BNC connector. Outputs standard word clock at a frequency equal to the (single wire) output data rate, or 44.1kHz when set to output DSD.

  • clock frequencies
  • N/A
  • residual noise
  • N/A
  • spurious responses
  • Better than -100dB0 @ 20Hz - 20kHz for Fs> 32kS/s, 20Hz - 14kHz for 32kS/s.
  • filters
  • PCM mode - 4 filters give different trade-offs between the Nyquist image rejection and the phase response when converting 44.1 > 88.2, 44.1 > 176.4, 44.1 > DSD, 48 > 96, 48 > 192 or 88.2 to DSD.
  • software updates
  • Loaded from CD-R.
  • software version
  • 1.10
  • local control
  • An optional metal cased IR remote is available, or RS232.
  • power supply
  • Factory set for 100, 115, 220 or 230 V AC, 49 - 62Hz
  • power consumption
  • 12.7 Watts typical/ 15 Watts maximum.
"They are unquestionably the works of some of the smartest and most innovative thinkers in in digital technology"
 
Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound
""Listening to the dCS Paganini stack is a truly awesome musical experience."

Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio Magazine

Key Features

  • USB input forms a gateway to a dCS Ring DACTM, allowing listeners to obtain true high end sound from their computer based music.
  • USB is isochronous. This means that the host (Computer) and client (Paganini Upsampler) both know how much bandwidth is available at the outset, so the host can guarantee that bandwidth will be available all the time.
  • All major dCS products use a sophisticated multi-mode phase locked loop (PLL), which significantly reduces clock jitter.
  • Faster, 100% accurate DSPs (within the bounds of their resolution) give improved filters revealing yet more fine detail.
  • Higher capacity FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) give more logic capacity and increase the scope for additional features.
  • Improved power supplies give lower running temperature and increased tolerance to AC supply variations.
  • Our ‘soft' approach to programmable logic allows dCS products to adapt to changes in digital formats and add new features by loading new software from a CD.
  • High grade aluminium chassis and laminated acoustic damping panels, reduce magnetic effects and vibration.
  • The Paganini range features a low-power LCD display that makes the user interface easier to read, keeps the power requirements down and minimises electrical noise.