Black Lion Audio White Sparrow DAC Review

[P_M]

Black Lion Audio White Sparrow DAC Measurements
I started my testing with S/PDIF connection:

View attachment 205764

Very surprised to see such a jungle of spikes around our main tone which likely indicates jitter. There is also power supply noise which may be the source of said jitter (or some of it). I should note that on power up, one channel had much more distortion which pulled SINAD down to 90 dB but it climbed up after 1 minute of warm up.

@amirm
why do you think its power supply "noise" ? I don't see any fundamental 60hz (or 120,180hz) spikes ?
That looks like jitter. Is the jitter frequency close to 60hz ? If so it could be emi induced jitter from the transformer or nearby ac lines. or maybe just physical vibration of the crystal from the transformer if too close or not isolated properly. Can you open it up and show us the insides ?

 

[pseudoid]

I appreciated the built-in AC power supply.

Thank you for the thorough review.
I seems you do prefer built-in AC/DC power supplies but they keep date-raping the results.
May I ask why?
More of these power-line issues I read; more attractive outboard LPSs become.

It looks like it's a half-rack design, why it has ears is beyond me.

Local feedback?

 

[NDRQ]

After seen the price and the pic of a boutiqe stuff, i had the hunch that this will be another garbage.

I guess expensive boutique stuff only made for making money, so it is natural that it doesnt perfrom well.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Isn't the Burl stuff deliberately designed to not be entirely transparent? I know their A/D is all transformer coupled so you can drive it hard for some character.


It looks like it's a half-rack design, why it has ears is beyond me.

It is having a transformer in the DAC too I believe. Yet, I'd like to see how such a thing measured. And it is highly regarded by many pros precisely for its colorations.

 

[Doodski]

2 Gs? And it looks like its from the 90's? Damn. Weak.

The face plate on this thing looks archaic. The font is something out of Battle Star Galacitica or Buck Rogers.

 

[amirm]

It looks like this was discontinued almost a decade ago and was in production for a few years by then. Saying it "costs" $1999 is misleading

Well, I found it for sale here: https://www.proaudiosolutions.com/Black-Lion-Audio-White-Sparrow-DAC-p/white-sparrow-dac.htm

And that is where I got the price as well. It might be wrong but that is where I got my info.

 

[Aperiodic]

So-so performance at best (especially for the price point), fugly cosmetics, not even USB input. Not even remotely competitive with my $109 SMSL DAC at amost 5 cents on the dollar.... Next!

 

[amirm]

@amirm
why do you think its power supply "noise" ? I don't see any fundamental 60hz (or 120,180hz) spikes ?
That looks like jitter.

120 Hz component is there in the FFT:

As are multiples of it (next one is 240 Hz). Jitter is most commonly internally generated and hence my comment.

 

[amirm]

I added this note to the review: EDIT: while there is one seller for this product, it appears to be a very old model that is discontinued.

 

[GWolfman]

Brand and product name clash: well, is it black or white?

 

[sarumbear]

I found an internal picture of the unit on the Internet. It doesn't look like DIY to me.

 

[Loathecliff]

Cranesong Solaris

I thought the name was a leg pull Blumlein. A search showed my ignorance:-

Review | Crane Song Solaris & Forssell MDAC-2a

There’s a chasm in the audio market. On one side stand pro users. On the other stand audiophiles. Some companies straddle this line. But even then it’s common for such companies to clearly demarcate their equipment as “professional” or “hi-fi.” Some types of equipment are more likely to see produ...

audiophilestyle.com

"The Crane Song emphasizes the individual wires of the upright piano that anchors the song"

 

[dasdoing]

love the design (minus the big logo)

I still have this, and for me it is the sexiest piece I ever had:

still works btw, while the "more professional" TC-Electronics interface I got afterwards has a lot of problems

 

[KSTR]

120 Hz component is there in the FFT:

As are multiples of it (next one is 240 Hz). Jitter is most commonly internally generated and hence my comment.

Sorry but no, most definitely NOT (mains related) power supply noise, the spikes are not at multiples of 60/120Hz:

 

[Jim777]

Designs aesthetics-wise, looks like the perfect DAC for guys who wear their broken eyeglasses with white masking tape on the nosebridge holding them together.

And $1999.

That’s all the spectacle they can afford after buying this DAC

 

[P_M]

I found an internal picture of the unit on the Internet. It doesn't look like DIY to me.
View attachment 205988

so no shielding or even barrier between the power supply section and rest of the dac.
can't tell where the master clock/crystal is but I sure hope its somewhere further away from the ps area and raised from the chassis using isolators.

 

[Chrispy]

While aesthetics generally don't mean much, this unit has little going on in that area. Why would a "pro" use this unit particularly (other than the fixed high voltage output)? Can't see it for the general consumer use.

 

[Ein]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Black Lion Audio White Sparrow DAC. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $1,999.

2K USD for this? WTF and WGO and WTHIWWY here! No. For that $$$ this DIY package with poor hp amp and only ok DAC is pointless.

 

[Grooved]

2K USD for this? WTF and WGO and WTHIWWY here! No. For that $$$ this DIY package with poor hp amp and only ok DAC is pointless.

It was launched in 2012 I believed, so something like 10 years ago, there are a few still being sold, but it has been a discontinued product for a while, there are no DAC on their website

 

[sofrep811]

Black Lion is sold through Musician/Studio stores. I had always wondered if they were worth what they charged. The new ones are likely not that great as well.