A balanced discrete R-2R DAC. NOS or OS is your call with I2S as an option.
Based on a modular design, the discrete Harmony DAC relies on an Intel Altera Cyclone FPGA to control the D to A conversion performed by a network of resistors with a tolerance of 0.05%. Thus R-2R.
The business end of the harmony DAC offers most of the usual suspects including USB, OPT (optical), COAX (coaxial), and I2S inputs along with single-ended RCA and balanced XLR analog outputs. That I2S input will “automatically sync to the most suitable I2S mode” (nice!) and you can choose between the DAC’s internal clock or an external I2S clock. The Harmony DAC also houses some fancy components including a Crystek crystal, Audio Node Kaisei capacitors, and Rubycon ZLH capacitors.
The front face offers a 3.83-inch diagonal white monochrome OLED display that shows the selected input, Phase, operating mode (NOS or OS), incoming file format (PCM or DSD), input sampling rate and for OS mode the outgoing sample rate. Speaking of fancy, that round gold dial sitting on the front right corner controls input selection and along with the gold menu button allows you to step through the Harmony’s menu settings including NOS/OS mode and Phase.
The Harmony DAC measures about 10″ x 9″ and with a chassis machined from a solid slab of aluminum weighing in at about 9.8 lbs. Think hefty. For the record, Laiv was founded in 2023 and is based in Singapore.
My eyes are telling my ears to get exciting.
Laiv Harmony DAC
Price: $2700
Company Website: LAIV
Specifications
Chip: Intel® Altera® Cyclone® FPGA
Digital Inputs: 1x USB, 1x Optical, 1x Coaxial, 1x I2S
Clock: CCHD-957 FEMTO Clock Ultra-Low Phase Noise Oscillator
Supported Formats (Input dependent):
USB: PCM: 44.1kHz – 768kHz | DSD: DSD64 – DSD256
Optical: PCM: 44.1kHz – 192kHz | DSD: Not supported
Coaxial PCM: 44.1kHz – 192kHz | DSD: Not supported
I2S: PCM: 44.1kHz – 768kHz | DSD: DSD64 – DSD256
Analogue Outputs: 1 x XLR, maximum at 4.15Vrms, approx. 1200 Ω | 1 x RCA, maximum at 2.07Vrms, approx. 600 Ω
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, within ± 0.25 dB
THD+N: 0.0035%
Crosstalk: Better than 110 dB, 20Hz – 20kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR): Better than 123dB, A-Wt.
Dynamic Range: Better than 110dB, A-Wt.
Features
Modular design
NOS / OS Mode
Positive / negative phase
Function key for quick settings
Display brightness, delay dim, and delay off
8 x I2S Mode with Laiv product auto-configured
I2S clock supported
CD track info over SPDIF
Dimensions (W x H x D): 255mm x 50mm x 250mm (including connectors)
Display: 3.83-inch (diagonal) white monochrome OLED display | 320×132-pixel resolution at 16-bit grayscale
Power: 100 – 127 VAC / 220 – 240 VAC, 50 / 60Hz, ≤ 10W
Fuse: 2A, Slow-blow, 5 x 20mm.
In the Box:
Welcome card with Certificate of Authenticity
Harmony DAC
Three spike shoes with alignment card
Remote control (Battery CR2032 not included)
Power cord
Cleaning cloth
Warranty: 24-month limited warranty.
