Lab 12 mainly builds amplifiers that are without exception fitted with tubes. The company recently released the Dac 1 Reference, a DA converter equipped with Multibit Dac chips from Philips and tubes in the output stages. According to Lab 12 the technique used is not self-contained goal. Technique is secondary to sound and musicality. How does the Dac 1 Reference sound and what do the placed tubes do with the sound? We will investigate that. Â

Lab 12, audio company based in Greece

Lab 12 began as a result of the enthusiastic and tireless efforts of music aficionado Stratos Vichos and quickly grew into a state-of-the-art high-end audio manufacturer with a wide production range, according to the Athens website established audio company. Vichos started as a sole proprietorship and claims to have experimented for years before transforming his business into a fast-growing audio company. The manufacturer holds the core belief that emotional impact and engaging musical performance are the most important factors when listening to a piece of music. Implicitly Lab 12 says that music and musicality are the essence and that technology is not an end in itself.

That is not to say that Lab 12 has no regard for the technical aspects of sound equipment . Lab 12 is a technology and performance driven company, our third generation products offer a unique value that can meet the highest demands of music lovers and audiophiles anywhere in the world. Our products contain and introduce the technology of 22 th century, but in the first place it’s the music that matters, â ???? said Lab 12.

Lab 12: portfolio, especially amplifiers Lab’s portfolio 12 consists mainly of amplifiers, which without exception are fitted with tubes. The company also has two clean power products called Gordian and Noyra. The Dac 1 Reference is Lab’s only source 21. The Lab 12 also has two tubes on board, one per channel. In a moment we will look at the technique of the Dac 1 Reference.

Lab 12 prides itself in having products built by hand, in Greece. The meticulous design and development process has never changed. Each product undergoes state-of-the-art measurement processes and final tuning that results from extended listening across various high-end audio systems and combinations to ensure that the end user gets a truly exceptional product that simply allows the listener to enjoy their music .

The focus of the company’s current portfolio is therefore mainly on amplifiers and in that sense the Dac 1 Reference is an odd man out. However, it is not Lab’s first DA converter 21. The manufacturer has “practiced”. with predecessors Dac 1 and Dac 1 SE (Special Edition). Its predecessors have been retired and the Dac 1 Reference is Lab’s only DA converter and even source 12.

At the Apart from the placement of tubes in the analogue output stage, the designs of the Dac 1 Reference made a few special non-everyday choices. Before we start listening, we therefore want to take a closer look at the technology of the Dac 1 Reference.

Lab 12 Dac 1 Reference: technical aspects

The Lab 12 Dac 1 Reference has a metal housing and weighs 7.5 kilograms. Construction is solid. All panels fit neatly together, as they should. The top panel is open for ventilation and heat dissipation. The Dac 1 Reference hardly gets warm, but preferably no other components are placed on top, as this could make the heat dissipation more difficult.

Many manufacturers build their DA converter around the latest DAC chips from well-known brands such as ESS Saber or Burr-Brown. If not Lab 12 listed in the Dac 1 Reference has placed eight Multibit DAC chips from Philips of the type TDA 1543.

The Dac 1 Reference can transmit PCM signal up to a resolution of 24 – bit / 192 kHz and cannot handle DSD nor MQA decoding. Is that a limitation? That depends on the frame of reference. DA converters that â ???? everythingâ ???? ie the highest possible resolution of PCM signal and DSD signal and possibly also MQA decoding, do not necessarily sound better. The effect of the power supply and the analog output stage, which carries the music signal to the output, put a significant amount of weight in the scale of final sound quality. Speaking of power, the Dac 1 Reference has a toroidal transformer on board that supplies voltage / current to six separate regulated power lines.

In addition, the availability of DSD music and MQA files leaves something to be desired. Both standards have not been widely embraced and accepted by the music industry. DSD seems to be going the same way as the Super Audio CD: technically and sound wise although superior to the regular Redbook CD, but with a very poor range and even a shrinking range of discs. Although technically superior, we may consider the Super Audio CD commercially unsuccessful. Whether DSD music will ever be widely accepted and thus widely available remains to be seen. It’s been around for a while, but it just won’t break through. A DA converter that converts PCM signal up to a resolution of 31 – bit / 192 kHz will for the most part of users are more than sufficient. Conclusion: we do not see the lack of support of DSD and MQA by the Dac 1 Reference as a limitation.

The Lab 12 Dac 1 Reference has four digital inputs: 1 x optical, 2 x coaxial and 1 x USB. The music signal is output via a cinch output and an XLR output. Both outputs are asymmetrical, ie unbalanced. The output level is 2.5 Volts and there is no difference in volume between the cinch output and the XLR output. Sound wise, no difference was noticed between the XLR output and the cinch output during the test period. The XLR output does not sound better, but connection via XLR is recommended if long cables to the (pre) amplifier would be used.

The device has no display. In the center of the front are status LEDs that indicate the selected source and sample rate. The output level is visualized by two small VU meters. The results of the VU meters can only be seen clearly from a short distance. Also a volume control is missing. Direct connection to a power amplifier is therefore not possible. This also applies to the majority of DA converters on the market. Volume control is especially useful if a DA converter also has analog inputs and can therefore take over the function of a preamplifier.

Lab 12 Dac 1 Reference: dual triode tube in the output stage

The analog output stages of the Dac 1 Reference are provided of a dual triode tube of the type 6922. The presence of tubes gives rise to the expectation that the Dac 1 Reference may produce a more or less warm and round sound. Tubes do not necessarily sound rounder and warmer than semiconductors, but manufacturers who use tubes often provide a bit of curvature or warmth in the sound to the left or right, and that is also because the listener expects this. We are going to listen to music in a moment, so we are curious to what extent we can hear the presence of tubes in the Dac 1 Reference.

Anyone who looks superficially at the Dac 1 Reference will not notice the installed tubes. They are “hidden”. under the hood and don’t seem to want to attract attention.

Lab 12 Dac 1 Reference: price and available models The Lab 12 Dac 1 Reference is available with a black or silver front plate and for an amount of 2. 999 euro he is sold over the counter. The purchaser receives a five-year warranty on the device, excluding the tubes.

Let’s go to the Dac 1 Reference connect and let’s listen to music.