Computer Audio Design’s Scott Berry and his wife, Isabelle, were gracious and informative room hosts. The British company, CAD, is rather new to the U.S. but not to the UK. In 2013, their 1543 DAC made its debut at the UK’s largest audio show, the Bristol HiFi Show, and won “Best Sound of the Show.”
The Source
They were using their $12,000 1543 MK II, which is a resistor ladder DAC. Scott said that he feels that power supplies are at least as important as the chip. He said they had spent an enormous part of their research on developing the power supplies for the 1543 MK II DAC. Not all of these are DC power supplies as the 1543 MK II DAC also uses sixteen vintage Philips TDA1543 chips.
CAD’s $14,000 Computer Audio Transport, which they call The CAT, was also connected to their DAC. It is a custom-built digital audio server that provides automated CD ripping, streaming and solid-state storage. They were also using the CAD GC-1 and GC-Ground Contol units priced at $1,995 and $4,500.
The Amp, Speakers, Cables and Rack
Jim White of Aesthetix Audio was also in the CAD room and had supplied his exceptional sounding MIMAS integrated amplifier that sells for $7,000 without optional modules. The MIMAS was driving a pair of Swiss Boenicke W8 SE speakers at $12,500. These tiny floor-standing speakers sounded anything but small. The USB cables were from CAD and the interconnects and speaker cables from Bibacord Sweden. The equipment was on a Harmonic Resolution Systems SXR rack.
The Sound
Overall, the sound was very realistic, full-bodied and lifelike. The system’s tonal colors were beautiful, and it had a realism that few systems at the show achieved. I immediately inquired about reviewing the DAC.
Note: A complete list of The Audio Beatnik’s coverage of this show is available here.
1 thought on “T.H.E. Show 2019 – Computer Audio Design / Aesthetix”