Zen I/V Converter — Nelson Pass / 2010

Thirteen years ago Pass Labs launched the D1, a dedicated Digital to Analog converter for high end audio. It was based on balanced PCM63 DAC chips with a current source output, which requires a separate current-to-voltage converter (known as an I/V) to turn its output into the voltage to drive other line level audio equipment. We didn't care much for the op-amp based solutions seen in the manufacturer's application notes and decided to approach this part of the circuit much differently. The PCM63, like other current output DACs, favors driving a very low impedance, preferably ground. You can easily create… More...

Audio, Distortion and Feedback — Nelson Pass / 2008

Audiophiles seem to revel in minor controversies – vinyl vs CD's, tubes versus solid state, capacitor, wires, magic dots... and negative feedback. At one extreme, the position is that “feedback makes amplifiers perfect”. At the other extreme, “feedback is a menacing succubus that sucks the life out of the music, leaving a dried husk, devoid of soul”. The former viewpoint usually belongs to so-called “objectivists” who have a fine appreciation for electronic theory and measurements. Their opposites would be the “subjectivists” who emphasize the listening experience and often own tube amplifiers. Accusations are occasionally made that objectivists can't hear, and… More...