USB-to-S/PDIF Convertors - Audiophilleo 1

Audiophilleo 1 £825

USP: Asynchronous 24/192 converter with its own DSP code that makes Windows drivers unnecessary.

The Audiophilleo is quite a radical design, based on a DSP with an audio framework code. The Audiophilleo1 is a deep religion convertor that, interestingly, is so complex it is easy to use. Running software that utilises standard Windows and Mac USB drivers it does not need to have a Windows driver loaded, which avoids a lot of hassle. It processes up to 24/192 resolution, working asynchronously. The tiny aluminium case houses not just a DSP but also a full colour OLED display screen, all powered from the USB line. A digital volume control is provided to adjust channel balance by up to 10dB and, for religious education, a jitter generator is fitted so you can learn to identify Satan.

As if this wasn’t enough you can also adjust signal rise time, slow for poor cables up to fast (7nS) for so called direct connection, which means almost no cable. There are many ways to perform supplication to the digital god, because there are numerous menus and adjustments in this very unusual convertor.

Output is via a 75 Ohm BNC socket only, internally run through an isolating transformer. Adaptors are provided, although it is best to avoid such things at this level and use a quality BNC-to-phono cable to connect to a digital DAC input. There is no optical output. A 12V trigger power supply is provided if the triggering output to control amplifiers is used, and there is a remote control option. A Wireworld USB cable is provided too.

SOUND QUALITY

Another convertor with a wall wart power supply! This one has an LED display with a volume control. My general impression in the Mozart Prague Symphony recording was that it was finding the elegance in the recording that left most of the others standing. It was the most believable of the convertors that I heard, with the possible exception of the Halide  Bridge, which shared some of its characteristics. The sound of the strings was large, solid and timbrally refined. When I listened to the 'Dance of the Tumblers' on the Weiss DAC202’s FireWire output against it, the Audiophilleo managed to separate the texture of the cellos and basses better, where FireWire merged the two sections to a greater extent. The soundstage of the Audiophilleo was a few yards (metres!) deeper.

The Audiophilleo was a tiny box with tiny sockets on it, for power, trigger and headphone. It has only USB in and BNC socketed S/PDIF out, for which convertors are provided.

MEASURED PERFORMANCE

The Audiophilleo 1 delivered the best set of figures in the group, just ahead of the Halide Bridge in signal related jitter from our 48k sample rate test signal, returning just 18pS. However, its clock drift was a trifle higher at 35pS, against 30pS for the Halide Bridge. With the less taxing un-resampled CD test signal, clock drift fell to 20pS and signal related jitter to 12pS, incredibly low figures. With the external power supply, signal related jitter sunk to 15pS. Increasing virtual cable from 0 increased signal related jitter slightly, to 35pS max. Switching on jitter produced 4nS of low rate clock drift (non deterministic jitter, not signal related) below 200Hz.

Recording sample rate 44.1/Output sample rate 48k

clock drift 35pS

signal related 18pS

random 5pS

Audiophilleo 1 £825

Audiophilleo

www.audiophilleo.com