The new DAC is Arcam's first standalone DAC since the famously acclaimed Black Box series of DAC released back in 1989. The rDAC has a 24-Bit 192khz Wolfson DAC and has multiple inputs including coaxial and optical! If you require the ability to stream from your pc / mac or iDevice then Arcam also offer your the ability to do this by purchasing the wireless version of their DAC the rDACkw available here.

Arcam produced the world’s first Digital to Analogue Converter 21 years ago and has enjoyed a
world wide reputation for excellence in digital audio ever since.
The rDAC is the latest in a long line of products that have enabled music lovers to increase the
levels of performance from a variety of digital audio sources.
The rDAC is extremely versatile and will get the best out of sources like DVD, Blu-ray and CD
players, which don’t have an internal DAC of the reference quality provided by Wolfson
Microelectronics world class 8741. The rDAC can also transform the sound quality of sources like
set top boxes, delivering high quality radio station streams as well as popular streaming products
like Logitech and Sonos.
The most important development around the rDAC concerns its use with computer audio USB
outputs. Most USB DACs suffer from a high level of noise and jitter due to the computer being
responsible for the timing in the playback. The rDAC eliminates this problem as Arcam have
licensed specially developed Asynchronous USB Technology from one of the world’s leading highend
audio companies, Data Conversion Systems Ltd (dCS). dCS has had a long and fruitful
relationship with Arcam that goes back to the highly innovative Alpha 9 version of dCS’s Ring DAC
and are also based near Cambridge, UK.
The dCS technology allows a precision clock to drastically reduce the level of jitter from USB music
sources and deliver a massive improvement in sound quality over the standard USB ‘adaptive’
system that is commonly used. The design of precision clock circuits and general digital and
analogue audio engineering are Arcam’s key strengths and the results from the very affordable
rDAC are stunning with a wide range of digital audio sources.
The rDAC is housed in a compact, cast aluminum case with an external 6V power supply. It has
three inputs, optical, SPDIF and USB. Arcam will introduce a wireless version of the rDAC that will
work with a wireless USB dongle in the summer of 2010 so you can send your music wirelessly to
your audio system from your laptop. This wireless transmitter also features dCS technology and
will offer those music lovers who have large music collections on a PC or a Mac a level of
performance that was until now only available from expensive audiophile systems.

• Audiophile grade Digital to Analogue Converter
• Optical, Coaxial and USB inputs
• Reference quality Wolfson 8741 chipset
• dCS Asynchronous USB Technology
• Sonic upgrade for a multitude of sources
• High-end audio circuitry and components
• Stylish Aluminum casework


rDAC Technical Specifications
Inputs
• 1x Optical SPDIF (Toslink socket)
• 1x Coaxial SPDIF (Gold plated socket)
• 1x USB
• 1x Wireless (optional, requires dongle)
Outputs
• 2x RCA / Phono sockets (Gold plated)
Output Level
• 2.1VRMS ( at 0dBFS)
Audio Performance
• THD+N: 0.003% - (0dBFS, 1kHz, 22Hz to 22kHz, unweighted)
• Noise: -104dB - (relative to full scale, 22Hz to 22kHz, unweighted)
Dimensions
• Width: 160mm (6.3”)
• Depth: 111mm (4.4”)
• Height: 40mm (1.6”)