Cary Xciter DAC

Description

Fantastic-sounding, versatile DAC. Original owner, with original box and manual. Outstanding performance.
Only gave it an "8" because I've actually used it (albeit lightly) for over a year. But it's really a 9.

Details via Music Direct: The new Cary Audio Design Xciter DAC is more than simply a new product from Cary. It is the convergence of technologies young and old. The sonic signature of this DAC is pure Cary: that famous natural musicality is all there. But in designing a product of this level of sophistication took a very laborious parts selection process and even some custom-made parts designed to Cary’s specifications. Now music lovers all over the world will have access to the newest technology in the digital world, combined with an analog output stage that has all the realism, detail retrieval and warmth that made Cary famous. This Reference-Level DAC is a killer and can handle any digital or computer applications. The Xciter DAC contains cutting edge offerings from AKM Digital Devices along with new analog output devices from National Semiconductor. The National Semiconductor metal-can output devices were custom engineered specifically for Cary Audio Design. The heart of the Xciter D/A is the AKM model AK4399 32-Bit chip running at a 192kHz sampling rate. The soul of the Xciter D/A are the National Semi metal-case TO-99 current feedback model LME4970NA direct coupled to the model LME49713 TO-99 final output devices. Over one year in development, the Xciter DAC offers a new level of digital audio performance in a sleek, compact package. For the computer audio enthusiast there is nothing like driving the Cary Xciter DAC from the USB output of your desktop, laptop or media server. There are four selectable digital inputs on the rear panel consisting of a coaxial RCA, coaxial BNC, Toslink and a digital USB computer input. All four of these inputs are front panel selectable with corresponding blue LED’s indicating the selected source. The basic signal path of both the coaxial and Toslink inputs are software controlled and drive the AKM model AK4115 digital receiver device. The digital receiver in turn is direct coupled to the AKM model AK4399. These digital signals are then re-clocked within the Xciter DAC, sent to the National Semiconductor metal-can TO-99 current feedback output devices then out to the rear panel, single-ended RCA analog output jacks. The USB 2.0 input receives a 24-48 kHz data stream which bypasses the receiver chip and is sent directly to the CM-108 device. This stream is then stripped as the bus separates the clock and data signals, resulting in a connection with an extremely low noise floor where jitter is almost nonexistent. This re-clocked stream is directed by the on-board software of the Xciter DAC to the main AK4399 32bit/192kHz processor chip, then out to the rear panel, single-ended RCA analog output jacks.