French company Totaldac has announced flagship ‘sublime’ versions of its high quality Amp-1 solid state power amplifier and preamp-with-a-buffer ‘d1-driver’ component.
Totaldac started off as a pure digital specialist, providing highly-tuned R2R resistor ladder digital-to-analogue converters which received wide acclaim among audiophiles looking for niche products. The company has since expanded its product portfolio to include amplification, loudspeakers and more.
The new Amp-1-sublime power amplifier is Totaldac’s best effort at amplification. The solid state design’s gain stage uses discrete minimalist componentry in a “no global feedback” topology. The regulator is also discrete and Totaldac states that the amplifier uses a very high 240VDC voltage design said to provide excellent dynamic expression. The voltage gain stage also uses Vishay 0.01% VAR Bulk Metal Foil resistors, components which Totaldac has wide experience within its converter circuitry products.
Totaldac claims the Amp-1-sublime’s circuit is low-noise, yet high gain at 33dB. The bandwidth extends to 400 kHz (0.06 Hz at -3dB) and the large 2.5 KVA ‘live power’ transformer (weighs in at 26kg) is designed to provide high-current delivery to difficult-to-drive loudspeakers (rated to 1 ohm). The Amp-1-sublime can be configured as a stereo power amplifier via its RCA inputs or as a monoblock with the balanced XLR input. The amplifier is rated at 150 watts, 300 watts and 500 watts at 8 ohms, 4 ohms and 2 ohms respectively while said to be “stable” with a 1 ohm impedance.
The new d1-driver-sublime is termed by Totaldac as “an analogue driver” with a signal path placing it between DAC and power amplification. It is said to improve dynamics, midrange presence, low-frequency control, better soundstaging and more. The unit has no volume control and is meant to be the conduit from your DAC and its own volume control architecture. While having 0dB gain, a gain switch on the rear panel provides 15.5dB of attenuation using 12 Vishay VAR Bulk Metal Foil 0.01% resistors. Conversely, in low gain setups, all Totaldac DACs offer a switchable 12dB of gain increase. Input impedance is quoted as 12 kohms while a “natural low output impedance plus added 33ohm pure resistor” is said to provide “perfect interconnect impedance matching”.
The d1-driver-sublime features an RCA input and unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR outputs. The d1-driver-sublime features “Very high bias current class A design for a natural low output impedance and low distortion”. There are zero capacitors in the signal path while all components are said to be high-grade.
Totaldac products are available direct from the company via the website.
Totaldac Reveals new Amp-1-sublime and d1-driver-sublime
Price: EU24,500 ex VAT and EU6600 ex VAT
Totaldac Direct for Australia
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www.totaldac.com