SOULNOTE S-3 Reference SACD Player

SOULNOTE S-3 Reference SACD Player

The ultimate digital playback system with clock synchronization.
Extremely powerful Super Audio CD player that reproduces delicate natural sounds and liveliness.

The analog circuits adopt the newly developed Type-R non-NFB circuits. These are balanced voltage amplifier circuits constructed using only 4 high-frequency bipolar junction transistors and 8 resistors. The first stage uses differential amplification without any gain. Gain is only generated in the second stage, which is a grounded single-end amp. And by changing the output stage bias from a LED solution to a transistor thermal coupling, the conventional emitter resistance of 22ohm has been successfully reduced to a mere 1ohm. This incredibly simple construction effectively eliminates power source noise to allow overwhelming drive power and enable the sound to truly shine with fresh and vivid expressiveness.

Each channel in the DAC chip uses two ES9038PRO chips, for a total of four in the player. Each channel’s incomparably powerful 120 mA current output is an essential element of the discrete non-NFB DAC. One current voltage conversion resistor converts this current output into a voltage directly before the first stage of the Type-R Circuit.

The master clock output from the DDS LMX2594 boasts an extremely low jitter of 45 femtoseconds to create a non-PLL sync from the DAC to the SACD mechanism. Without any transmission to the USB or LAN, the dynamic and transparent SACD playback with the DAC-driven I2S non-PLL sync (ES9038PRO’s 128fs mode) completely overturns any conventional impressions of SACD. The S-3 Reference features built-in ultra-low jitter crystals and can link with the ultra-high frequency external clock generator (10MHz) to further improve accuracy of the time axis. It uses a high-frequency relay for switching the standard clock to eliminate any chance of additional jitter.

Manufacturer’s website SOULNOTE