Sugden DAP 800

Sugden DAP 800 Digital Analog Pre-Amplifier

Sugden Audio is pleased to introduce the new Sapphire DAP-800 High End Digital Pre-Amplifier & DAC, which will further strengthen the company’s position and reputation among demanding music enthusiasts.

Sugden’s main goal in developing the DAP-800 is musical performance combined with a practical user interface, pride of ownership, and product durability.

Market trends for new and fashionable technologies have not been overlooked, and the DAP-800 has been developed to provide the user with the best possible euphonic experience.

Like all Sugden products, they are designed and manufactured by Sugden in their facility in West Yorkshire, England. The use of through-hole components instead of surface mount components, where possible, enhances the product’s lifespan, performance, and reliability.

The DAP-800 is an analog preamplifier with a built-in DAC.

Analog inputs:

One pair of balanced inputs.

Four pairs of Phono/RCA inputs.

One pair of By-Pass Phono/RCA inputs.

Digital inputs:

One x USB type B.

Two x Toslink optical S/PDIF.

Three x Coaxial S/PDIF.

Analog outputs:

One pair of XLR balanced outputs.

One pair of Phono/RCA tape outputs.

Two pairs of Phono/RCA outputs.

The separate sections of the preamplifier, namely analog and digital, are independent stages with their own power supply regulation and circuit boards. The analog section has a 50 watt toroidal transformer and the digital section has a 15 watt E-core transformer. The power supplies for the digital components are completely isolated from the analog section.

The analog section of the preamplifier includes a Sugden VCV circuit in its most developed form. This circuit features a high impedance input section, a current amplification stage (without damping problems) driving a folded cascode stage in a Class A output stage. The folded cascode circuit provides wide bandwidth with maximum dynamics and low capacitive connectivity.

The tone balance is independent of the output level, and the level of headroom, imaging, and soundstage is incredible.

DAC function

The DAC function for interfacing with digital products includes inputs for USB, optical, and coaxial S/PDIF signals. The actual DAC is a non-oversampling, digital filterless DAC with the digital interface transceiver being a Wolfson Micro electronics device.

The DAC also includes post-conversion filtering in the analog output section. The received USB signal is converted through a circuit using a Texas Instruments Universal IC, with its SPDIF output signal re-clocked and de-jittered by the Wolfson interface transceiver.

This DAC configuration was adopted by Sugden for digital processing after many, many hours of actual listening to a wide range of DSPs. The auditory perception/musical performance in terms of dynamic balance, tone balance, vocal quality, and emotion is much more satisfying and preferred by Sugden.

• Features:

Analog inputs – Four line inputs, one balanced input & bypass.

Digital inputs – Three S/PDIF coaxial, two S/PDIF optical & one USB type B. Word length up to 24bit 96k.

Outputs – Two line outputs, one balanced output & tape output.

Volume control – Motorized remote control (analog) RC5 compatible.

Power switching – Separate for analog and digital circuits.

Technical specifications:

Input sensitivity – 120mV for 1 Volt output.

Maximum output – 9 Volts.

Frequency response – 0dB 15Hz – 98kHz. 3dB 8Hz – 125kHz.

Signal-to-noise ratio – >85dB.

Distortion – <0.05% @ 1kHz, 1 Volt output.

Net weight – 10 kg.

Dimensions – 120 x 430 x 340 mm (hwd).

Available in Titan/Graph/Stealth.

*Contact us for current stock and/or delivery information.