Background Information:
The AVA Vision Hybrid DAC is the third and latest of the Vision series of AVA DACs; the lineup including the Basic Vision DAC, the Vision EC DAC, and the Vision Hybrid DAC. The Vision DAC uses the Wolfson 8742 chipset, and is available in both stand alone units, and in combination with an Insight+ preamplifier. The Vision DAC is available with either completely solid state, or hybrid tube and solid state, analog circuits. The stand alone DAC circuitry comes in two chassis. In the Basic chassis there is a single coaxial RCA plug input and a stereo pair of RCA plug outputs, and an option to add a rear panel input switch and an additional coaxial RCA plug input. The EC chassis provides four inputs, manually selectable using a front panel selector switch: two coaxial RCA plug inputs and two optical inputs, and a selector switch that signals the 8742 chip logic to use the chosen input.
The immediately previous generation of AVA DACs included the Insight+ solid state DAC, and the Ultra+/Ultra II hybrid DACs. These all used a Phillips chipset, which has been discontinued and provided a stimulus for developing the new Vision DAC series design. These Phillips based DACs provided competent conversion of 16bit/44.1kHz “Redbook” digital audio data through several generations of DAC series designs.
The Wolfson 8742 chipset in the Vision DAC implementation directly decodes data from 16b/44.1k rates up to 24b/98k rates. The chipset can be manually switched to decode data above the 24b/98k rate, all the way up to the 24b/192k rate. For the Vision DAC, this is accomplished by moving an internal jumper while the DAC is turned off, and then turning on the power.
Comparison with Insight+ DAC:
On Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 I drove to Tucson, AZ to compare the Vision Hybrid DAC and the Insight+ DAC with WGH (Wayne). We listened to 16b/44.1k files from his computer server using both of the DACs, and also tested the effect of a 6 dB attenuator at the input to the DACs.
We listened to a variety of musical genres, including blues, rock, jazz, and classical. Even on Redbook material, the Vision Hybrid DAC gets further out of the way and the music is even easier to listen to. It’s analogous to looking into a deep clear pool of water and seeing items on the bottom, believing you can touch them or pick them up, even though you know they are out of reach without getting wet. I’m once again experiencing this desire to listen to CD music whenever possible, not wanting to stop listening to it, and having to be careful to not preempt other important activities. When a 6 dB attenuator was added to the Vision Hybrid input, the music seemed flat and had no depth.
In comparison, listening with the excellent Insight+ DAC we both clearly heard edginess in the high frequencies when switching back and forth between the two DACs. Adding the same attenuator at the input of the Insight+ audibly improved the sound quality of the music, but not to the same level of quality as the Vision Hybrid DAC.
The Vision Hybrid DAC has improved the source of digital music for my stereo, exactly as Frank had said it would, and I continue to be a happy and satisfied customer. I'm somewhat at a loss of words to describe how wonderful the music sounds using the Vision Hybrid DAC, and have written and rewritten this text a number of times, trying to describe my reactions without the usual hyperbole.
