A Musical Attraction to All - The Audio Alchemy DDP-1 decoding preamplifier + PS-5 external power supply unit


 

Date: 2015-12-19

 

Audiophiles are well aware that Peter Madnick is the soul behind Audio Alchemy, which was founded in the late 1980's. The DDP-1 is the first product since its rebirth in 2013 and is designed with prior concentration on superior sound performances. Housed in a smaller  than standardized chassis, it is manufactured in the States and is reasonably priced. The DDP-1 boasts ample connectivity. Digital inputs like RCA and BNC coaxial, Toslink optical, AES/EBU, USB asynchronous and I²S. Single-ended and balanced analogue inputs and outputs are included. Division of the preamplifier and DAC sections is clearly seen on the back panel. The latter uses a AKM DAC chip per channel, which supports 32 bit/384kHz PCM and DSD64 decoding. This is not the only means of achieving good sound. Equally important are the DSP, jitter control and circuit layout. The DDP-1 employs an ALPS potentiometer for playback level adjustment to avoid the inherent weaknesses of digital volume controls. The evaluation was performed using speakers like PMC twenty.22, Elac Air-X 403 and (self-powered) Adam "Artist 3". I was somewhat surprised at its capability to sound detailed, smooth, musical and revealing in comparison to its more expensive counterparts. How the DDP-1 could stand the stringent test of these three unforgiving speakers was just amazing. Taking every factor into consideration, I can conclude that the the DDP-1 finds its most ideal partner in PMC's Twenty.22 ...

 

PDF A Musical Attraction to All - The Audio Alchemy DDP-1 decoding preamplifier + PS-5 external power supply unit

 

Product Audio Alchemy