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Review: California Audio Labs Alpha DA converter

Category: Digital

Classical, Jazz, Rock, R&B, some rap and hip hop if it has a good groove. I love acoustic music though and I like to hear people that can really play and/or sing.

The most important aspects of sound are sound staging and imaging, clarity and detail, warmth and weight. I like to be able to close my eyes and visualize the musicians on the stage doing their thing. I don't think the job of hifi gear is to make everything sound like a live recording (I have been to too many live concerts that sounded bad for that.) I think the job of equipment is to give you a you are there rush, convey what the musicians are trying to communicate to you and Capture what the producers, mastering folks etc were trying to convey with the end product. In shour to hear what they intended you to hear.

The worst things a system could do would be to sound hard and etched thin and weightless.

I;ve had this piece 2 years. It was one of the last units they produced and sold.

It replaced the DA converted inside the CALAudio Icon.

Primarily it added warmth to the sound. The ICON sounds great by itself though but I like combining tube pieces with solic state gear to achieve warmth with detail and weight.

Stregths include very good detail, added tube warmth and bloom, More of a you are there presence.

I really can't think of any weaknesses. Perhaps the fact that it doesn't up sample. But everything I have put up against it either sounds worse or no better.

The only other piece I considered against it that I really liked was the Audio Research CD 2 and if money were no object I might have chosen that piece instead but to be honest I thought the Icon Alpha combo was better built and sounded as good so I stuck with it. I have heard the Wadia stuff and I have seen all of the raving about it but I didn't care for the sound. It sounded too digital to me.

Associated gear
Krell KAV 300 Integrated; Musical Fidelty CR A3 Preamp; PS Audio Classic 250 amp; Tara Labs Decade digital interconnect; Cal Audio Icon Transport; PSB stratus Golds speakers

Similar products
Rega Jupiter and Planet; Wadia 850; Krell KAV series cd players; Audio Research CD2;
ejcj
sufentanil's avatar
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sufentanil
782 posts
 
I also have the Delta/Alpha combination and it's one part of my system that I'm not looking to replace anytime soon. The units sound very good for the price on the used market. I recently wrote a discussion of the Delta/Alpha put head-to-head against the Music Hall CD25. To me, the CAL equipment won the contest. (See the thread entitled "CAL Delta/Alpha vs Music Hall CD25: A comparison".)

It's good to hear other people who are thrilled with their CAL gear!

Michael
zar
185 posts
 
i have owned the Alph-Delta combo for quite sometime now. I have recently upgraded the tubes to Mullards and have replaced the power cords and interconnect (balanced) with Signal cable. I have always been happy with these but have never really known there capability until amp and pre have been improved. Has anyone ever heard of venting the Delta? Cutting holes in it so tube warmth can escape?
zinfan2
154 posts
 
Zar asks: >>Has anyone ever heard of venting the Delta? Cutting holes in it so tube warmth can escape?<<

You mean venting the Alpha? I use mine with the top off for the purpose of venting (and to facilate tube rolling). I suppose if you have a drill with the right bit, you could poke a few holes, but I don't have one. I love the Alpha DAC. Used to run a CAL Sigma II DAC off an Icon II, then moved to a Delta/Alpha combo when the Icon started skipping intolerably. This past month, I began using a Rega Apollo as the transport for the Alpha and am happier than ever. The detail increased, but the warmth and musicality continue.
cornchips
21 posts
 
I've had my Alpha for about 6mo and my Delta transport for about 3 days. Much improvement for so little $$.

Google around on the Alpha...I swear I ran across a site that listed and reviewed almost every possible tube upgrade (NOS U.S., NOS Russia -- at least 12 different tubes).

I also distinctly remember the site advising owners to let the DAC go topless.

It's out there somewhere on the web....I swear.

And here's a little CAL Audio trivia from the previous owner of my Delta transport.

"...However, the designer of the unit, Dan Donnelly, is President of Adcom now. He might have some suggestions if you send him an email (ddonnelly@adcom.com).

Cheers,
--ksr
mre2007
90 posts
 
I use a Cal Delta transport into my Musetex DAC and can attest to the transport being very nice (in response to John above). I have also heard a Theta Pearl transport and would say that this would be a small step-up from the Cal Delta, although I perfer the form, fit and finish of the Cal Delta, as it sits quite nicely beside my DAC and headphone amp on a single component shelf.

-Marc
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