PRAYER TO CONCRETE
Actually, the Sonica DAC had already been announced before the release of the universal readers with whom it clearly shared the development.
It embraces the constructive philosophy as you can easily see inside the frame where the section dedicated to the path of the audio signal is in practice the replica of that of the two channels seen in the UDP-205.
Everything revolves around the Sabre 9038Pro chip that Oppo promptly started to implement after the presentation by ESS Technology last year. This is the evolution of the aforementioned ES9018S, an 8-channel DAC configurable in parallel four at a time to obtain the stereo mode.
Going to analyze the catalog of the various producers of integrated circuits it seems that the category of D / A converters has reached a sort of limit of the technical performances.
This despite the new Saber release is credited with slightly better signal-to-noise and dynamic range values than the already remarkable values obtained from the predecessor.
Among the interesting features of the ES9038Pro obviously maintains the volume adjustment with operations that occur in a numerical environment, using 32-bit words, which makes the attenuation of the signal close to the ideal one.
The final result both instrumental and sound is however discriminated from the output stage.
On the Sonica DAC a reliable circuit architecture has been taken up, already seen also in the past realizations of the OPPO house.
Low-noise operational uses specific to audio applications such as Texas Instruments LM4562 and OPA1632.
Compared to what we have seen on the UDP-205s, we notice a perforated metal cover that shields the entire area of the circuit where the DAC is located and the analogue audio signal is managed.
For the rest, the food appears cured and substantial, we appreciate the presence of a toroidal transformer, the separation of paths and the ELNA Audio Grade capacitors from 6800 uF / 38V.
The frame is made of a folded metal cradle on which plastic side panels are inserted, the front panel and an upper coupling cover, made of a solid aluminum profile.
There is not the sometimes tiresome splendor of some Hi-End products, there is great concreteness and the appearance is still a little more luxurious than the already appreciable one of the multi-player brothers thanks to the polished and brushed finish of all the visible surfaces. The dimensions are compact with the width that reaches half the rack and a height that stops at just eight centimeters, including feet.
On the front panel an OLED display is an element of distinction with respect to the rest of the current OPPO production.
Two knobs of different diameters are placed on the right and on the left, allowing volume adjustment and selection of the inputs, while a convenient USB A socket has been provided for the use of external memories.