Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Pure Piper A-1 DAC review

Introduction

Being an audio reviewer brings a great deal of information my way from companies and from other members of the audio community. A constant flow of information on what’s new, what is hot and what is not. From time to time we hear of devices that are considered promising by other audio nuts. As the hobby of audio is more of a passion to many of us, we have to check out these devices to see or rather hear what all the fanfare is about.

The PurePiper A-1 DAC is one such device that has been the topic of discussion around many of the audio circles recently. The PurePiper A-1 is said to offer excellent sound quality in comparison to the budget minded price of the device. Who is PurePiper you are probably wondering?

The PurePiper Audio Company has been around since May of 2008 and has been building a very loyal following with their audio products which include external DAC’s, speaker systems, audio amplifiers, cables and misc audio items.

Today in the Guru3D Audio Lab we have a brand new PurePiper A1 Digital to Analog converter for our testing regimen, so let’s see what all the talk on the street is about shall we?

Packaging

Pure Piper A-1 DAC Review

The packaging of the DAC A-1 is very simplistic, offering only what is needed. Details are offered in different languages targeting both the North American and Asian marketplaces. The A-1 DAC is covered in plastic and is sandwiched between two pieces of thick Styrofoam to ensure the DAC reaches the end user in pristine condition.

Pure Piper A-1 DAC Review

The Bundle

The bundle for this unit is very sparse; indeed you get the A-1 DAC and nothing else. A power cord is not included although they are standard power cords used everywhere. It would seem you are paying for the components in the DAC, very limited packaging and nothing else.

A Closer Look - Front

Pure Piper A-1 DAC Review

Our review unit is the second variation of the external casing and older A-1’s have a different look to them. This DAC is extremely clean looking with slick lines and smooth paint and detailing. The front offers a simple LED power indicator, in the middle of the PurePiper logo to show when the unit has been powered using the simple power switch on the right hand side.

Rear I/O

Pure Piper A-1 DAC Review

The rear I/O section of this DAC is simplicity itself offering only necessities. From left to right we have, Coaxial S/Pdif digital input, Optical S/Pdif digital input, S/Pdif selector switch (Optical/Coaxial), line level Right & Left signal outputs and power input

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