Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra Review

I am a lucky person that having this Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra today. This model is the highest grade from Parasound DAC line-up in the 90's, which using the latest 20-bit DAC module from the Ultra-analog company.

The Ultra-analog DAC module itself is one of the best DAC and can only be found inside the highest-grade DAC like this. Ultra-analog module has different approach compared to the mainstream DAC manufacturer such as Burr-brown, Analog Device, or Philips. Unlike producing an IC die, this Ultra-analog DAC is producing a module that inside it are consist of many IC's from those popular manufacture as well.

I still believe the reason why this Ultra-analog DAC comes in module is because the engineering behind it knows how the good sound should be, so they combining many IC's to make this DAC module.

So here is the Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra review with Ultra-analog DAC module inside.

Finding this vintage DAC unit, especially in the original form is not an easy task. I think you're not only need a cash but also a luck to having a unit like this.

I got this Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra in the mint condition, with some minor corrosion on the top chassis. But I think it is quite normal for a more than 30 years old product, as long the components inside are still clean and original from manufacture.

By looking to the components inside, you now understand what Ultra-analog module that I've been raving from the beginning of this post.

It is Ultra-analog DAC 20400A, a dual 20 bit DAC that comes in large module package.

Then, it is also having a Ultra-analog AES-21 - C003, ultra low jitter digital receiver.

Other than that, this DAC unit also has the latest technology (at that time) for the oversampling and HDCD decoding. The PMD-100 IC from Pacific-Microsonics is the only company that has the right to decode the HDCD codes and up-sampling it to 20-bit from the standard 16-bit CD medium.

Until today, HDCD are not very popular due to higher price of the HDCD CD and require special DAC unit like this to decode it, or it is just an ordinary CD when played on regular, non HDCD player.

If you look carefully around the HDCD PMD100 IC, there are many small IC's that are built in-house from Parasound engineering to reducing the jitter from digital even more. This logic combination has been used by many DAC manufacture to recreate the clock, lower jitter and directly improve the sound quality from the digital domain.

The Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra using solid-state analog circuitry with combination of op-amp, then NPN & PNP transistor. This careful analog engineering to ensure the sound output are less coloration compares when using the vacuum tubes.

The most common approach for any hi-end DAC manufacturer is using multiple transformer and voltage regulator. This combine approach is to make sure the voltage feed to each DAC components are less interfered from one to another, resulting cleaner voltage.

This Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra using two toroidal transformers, the smaller one is for digital circuitry and the large transformer for analog circuitry. Each of them is regulated with many fixed voltage regulators IC's around it.

As usual, I will check and clean up this unit first before going to my test equipment. I want to make sure this unit is free from any trouble, so I can enjoy listen to the music later.

I raving about this Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra from the beginning, but how is the sound quality?

To be honest, this is what I'm waiting for all the time, to listen the music from the Ultra-analog DAC module.

With the music in my collection, I start listen to the music that I am really aware of.

The music played with this DAC is impressive.

What makes this DAC special is the amount of depth, creating real, life-like soundstage and great music performance experience. It is not presenting the music laid-back, it is not also flat in the front, but it is just like a sphere covering me as listener.

The music detail presenting here is very precise with great stereo imaging. All music presentation is balanced from low to high, with great separation between note.

I have only few CD that contain HDCD recording. One of them is Bee Gees from The Record album.

When the HDCD is locked, shown by the lite up the HDCD LED in front of this DAC, I can pretty sure the difference between normal CD and HDCD is like night and day.

HDCD sound impressive! It pushes so many music details and reveal it in realistic sound experience. This Bee Gees music recording will be sound boring in the non HDCD DAC, which I think is very common for old recording to sound like this. But when they recorded in HDCD, and it decode using the DAC like this, you will appreciate the music like never before.

Honestly, I start digging out any HDCD recording right now to play with this DAC.

This DAC is a keep. Unlike my others DAC unit that come to me for their components, this Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra will be stay as is.

The simple reason is because the sound quality is impressive.

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